Government by Deal: What Happens When Everything Becomes Negotiable? (#291)
3/3/202625 min
The government feels louder and faster than ever: executive actions, constant disruption, everything happening at once.
But Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute argues that all this motion may be masking something deeper. He explains why durable change comes from laws passed by Congress - not one-off deals- and why the shift from rule-making to deal-making could shape the future in unexpected ways.
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First 90 secondsLynn Thoman· Host0:00
[chime] We're living through a moment that feels loud, chaotic, and nonstop. Daily headlines, constant disruption, a sense that everything is happening all at once. It feels like government is moving at the speed of light. But all this motion is masking something quieter and more consequential. What if government has shifted from changing the system to cutting deals, from writing rules to making calls? And if everything starts to feel negotiable, what happens to institutions and to the idea of law itself? [on-hold music] Hi, everyone. I'm Lynn Tolman, and this is Three Takeaways. On Three Takeaways, I talk with some of the world's best thinkers, business leaders, writers, politicians, newsmakers, and scientists. Each episode ends with three key takeaways to help us understand the world and maybe even ourselves a little better. Today, I'm excited to be with Yuval Levin. Yuval studies how American institutions actually work and what happens when they start to change shape. He's the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute and the founding editor of National Affairs. He's also the author of American