The Glenn and Helen Show: Orson Scott Card on Empire and Division in American Politics

Thanks for the cogent discussion of real and perceived ideological fault lines in the US. Quick question: Mr. Card mentioned he read a brilliant analysis of the Roman Empire's economic decline in the West, but did not mention the title. 'any idea of the title?

Nov 28, 2006 02:22 PM

Excellent listening! Way to go Scott, keep talking about these things.

Nov 28, 2006 06:28 PM

A little criticism: If you have a fast forward button, please make it functional. I accidentally hit the stop button instead of the pause button for a break and when I returned and hit the play button I was returned to the begining of the audio. Of course, since I had already invested 15 minutes listening to the interview, I tried to fast forward to the point where I had left off - to no avail. FF button no worky. Also, a time signature would be very helpful. Having said all this, I found the interview quite interesting. Wish I could hear the rest of it. Won't waste another 15 minutes to get where I want to go in slo-mo. One last criticism. Get the voice levels balanced so the interviewers are on - or approximately on - the interviewees sound level. Helen's voice is lovely but if I adjust for the interviewee, Helen (or Glenn) are waaay, way out in front forcing a constant sound level adjustment on my end.

Nov 28, 2006 06:35 PM

Cautionary, indeed. It is a horrific possibility...not a PROBABILITY, but something that is just all too easy to imagine. We must remember we are AMERICANS first, and we must not let those who hate AMERICA tear it apart from the inside using us as tools against each other.It was not so long ago in our short history that brothers took up arms against brothers over nothing more material than IDEAS.

Nov 28, 2006 07:08 PM

I missed the first two magazines he recommends. The last two were Atlantic Monthly and Commentary, right?

Nov 28, 2006 08:38 PM

Wait a minute, I don't understand.
When someone says OVER and OVER and OVER.....
"Congress will come to me and beg me to raise taxes again and again, and I'll say 'Read my lips, NO NEW TAXES!'", and then 3 months later reneges on that pledge- that's not a lie?
C'mon folks.... I voted for Perot because of that lie. To call it anything else is obfuscation.

Nov 28, 2006 09:06 PM

This is your most interesting podcast yet. I've always enjoyed Orson Scott Card's books, but didn't know he wrote a weekly column. Found them here, and am looking forward to reading more of his opinion.

Nov 29, 2006 01:05 AM

Excellent podcast.
I think book he might be referring to is: The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization by Bryan Ward-Perkins; I just finished it.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GI07Aa01.html

Nov 29, 2006 08:39 AM

Fascinating conversation. I have just one quibble with Mr. Card: I don't agree that the "Sean Hannity wing" of the Republican Party would reject him. In my experience the GOP is far more open to different points of view than is the Democratic Party. Republicans have always embraced the "big tent" philosophy. It's the Dems who are more apt to purge their party of any "impurities."

Just witness how the Dems treated Joe Lieberman, who agrees with them on about 90% of the issues, vs. how the GOP dealt with Lincoln Chafee, who votes with them about 10% of the time. In the latter case, the Republican Party poured millions into his campaign in an (ultimately vain) attempt to keep him in office. Same with Arlen Specter in 2004. And look at the two leading candidates for the GOP nomination: McCain and Guiliani. Hardly paragons of the religious right. I know numerous Republicans who disagree on fundamental issues like abortion and other social policy, and yet remain friends and allies. I just don't see that openness and, yes, tolerance on the left nearly to the same degree.

Nov 29, 2006 02:55 PM

I was really excited to hear about this book as a fan of Card's. After listening to this, I am shocked by Card's unrelenting bias. He constantly talks about the evil left yet never find criticism for the right.

I'm afraid I won't be buying this book any time soon since it seems to be nothing but a Fox News version of science fiction. It's amazing that he would set his novel in a world where Democrats launch a high tech Civil War where Republicans are the defenders of America.

If Card wanted to write a tale about a new American Civil War, did he have to make it Blue vs. Red state? The first half of the interview his Card's outrage at liberals, setting the stage for a novel that follows this same pattern.

Republicans are great! Democrats are evil! Just a horrible piece of propaganda foisted on the sci-fi community.

Dec 1, 2006 01:07 PM

As a student studying politcal science, philosophy, and political philsophy, I have heard many arguements of a growing culture gap... I have also heard of how there is no significant gap at this time, but that political elites are using this illusion to further their aims in an otherwise peaceful society....
To write a book about the future like Empire that looks into everyone's nightmare, is fascinating... However, as noted by others, Card has become very biased, but as far as I can see, it has been after 9/11 that it started.... soo... I can blame him, but also find reason why he chooses to believe what he believes...
regardless, i fear that his excellent literary skills are being wasted on politics, and that he will just fade away in an ever increasingly turbulent political landscape... i can only hope he keeps his opinions moderated, so that he doesn't alienate and lose his audience...
This man really does need have his views challenged...

Dec 1, 2006 11:58 PM

Mr. Card has a right to his opinions, as do I. It's interesting that he has become more vehement in his positions since 9-11, since that has happened to me as well.

Unfortunately, Mr. Card would find my opinions make me part of the 'Evil Left' and he would then discount the entirety of what I had to say; instead of looking for points that we agreed on, then looking for areas of compromise on the rest. Then we could agree to disagree in the areas that remained, which wouldn't be many.

Dec 2, 2006 03:00 AM

Well, if a novel about a modern American civil war is going to have any realism at all, something resembling present political alignments have to appear. And since this is a work of popular fiction, somebody's going to have to wear the black hats.

Although I can understand some of the other side's howling. In the mid-'90s, Leon Uris, who was once a decent novelist, wrote a ghastly novel (which I actually read through for some reason I can't remember) in which conservatives were portrayed as an evil threat to the Republic.

Dec 4, 2006 12:33 PM