No Mercy / No Malice: House of Cards

As ready by George Hahn. Follow George on Twitter, @georgehahn. https://www.profgalloway.com/house-of-cards/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Scott Galloway?

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• 0:48Speaker 01

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• 1:19Scott Galloway?

  I'm Scott Galloway, and this is No Mercy, No Malice. Our new book, Adrift: America and 100 Charts, will be released on Tuesday. Today, we're sharing an excerpt from Chapter 6. "Internal divisions have characterized the U.S. since its founding, and progress has come not from exploiting these fissures, but finding common ground so we can craft better solutions." House of Cards, as read by George Hahn.

• 1:48George Hahn?

  My new book, Adrift: America and 100 Charts, comes out Tuesday. It's the story of America told through charts. The previous excerpt I shared was cautiously optimistic. In a world where bad news sells, it feels easy to feel nihilistic, apocalyptic even, about the fate of our nation. Taking a step back to recognize our myriad accomplishments over the long term helps restore perspective and hope for America. I stand by the virtues of optimism and try to practice it regularly. Emphasis on "try." However, optimism, like alcohol, should be consumed in moderation.

• 2:30George Hahn?

  We shouldn't abuse it to distract ourselves from our responsibilities and the commitments of daily life, and we certainly shouldn't use it to sedate ourselves in the face of clear and present dangers. This excerpt highlights some of the dangers I believe are most pressing. The news cycle has convinced us that the greatest threat to America is other Americans: MAGA Trumpers, social justice warriors, deep state bureaucrats, pick your poison. These narratives are compelling, profitable, and wrong. The greatest threat to Americans is our fear of other Americans. For the past several decades, that fear has grown and the rifts between us broadened. We are reaching a tipping point.

• 3:15Speaker 04

  Mark Twain once remarked how easy it is to make people believe a lie and how hard it is to undo that work again. Mark Twain was right. More than a year since Trump left.

• 3:24George Hahn?

  The following excerpt is from "Adrift: America and 100 Charts." Chapter 6: House of Cards. In 2018, residents of a 12-story condominium tower along a beautiful stretch of the Florida coast reported evidence of deterioration in the tower's concrete support slabs. Engineers attempted to repair surface damage in 2020, but the project was abandoned because of concerns that it would destabilize the entire structure. In April 2021, there were more reports of concrete deterioration, which was noted to be "much worse." Remedial work was discussed and planned, but never begun.

• 4:07George Hahn?

  Two months later, the Surfside Florida condo collapsed, killing 98 people.

• 4:13Speaker 05

  We have a building here that is tottering. It is structurally unsound, and so if the building is taken down, because we don't know when it could fall over...

• 4:22George Hahn?

  In the aftermath of the Surfside tragedy, images and reports of pooling water, cracked concrete, and rusting rebar were made public. The problems had been plain for all to see. It's a familiar pattern. Warning signs are always obvious in the rearview mirror. What are our warning signs? What are the weaknesses in our foundation? We are divided against ourselves, seeing enemies rather than adversaries in our politics. The moniker "United States of America" is a paradox today. A poll by the University of Virginia found that two out of five Biden voters believe it's time to split the country by party lines.

• 5:06George Hahn?

  Trump voters agree, with more than 1 in 2 favoring a breakup. Secession is the new "Succession," and "Texet" the new "Brexit." This feeds a vicious cycle. As enemies, we cannot negotiate in good faith, and our government accomplishes nothing, which further undermines our faith in government and fuels our hatred for our opponents. We might say we support bipartisan politics, but we're increasingly partisan in every aspect of our lives. In 1960, 1 in 25 parents had concerns about their child marrying someone from the opposite political party.

• 5:48George Hahn?

  By 2018, almost half of Democratic parents and a third of Republican parents had such concerns. In a democracy that's been pushed to its limits by competing narratives and unfounded online theories about politicians and political agendas, it's no wonder that Americans seem to have lost faith in the people running the nation. The National Election Study began surveying the public about its trust in the government back in 1958, a time when about 75% of Americans trusted the federal government to do the right thing almost always or most of the time. That percentage hasn't surpassed 30% since 2007.

• 6:32George Hahn?

  In 2021, 42% of Americans believed our political system needed to be completely overhauled, and another 43% said it required major changes. In contrast, only 12% to 15% of people in most Western European countries said their political systems should get a complete revamp. In 1966, the US committed 2.5% of its potential GDP to infrastructure investment: roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, water treatment, sewers, and more.

• 7:10George Hahn?

  Over the next 20 years, mainly during the Nixon and Reagan administrations, infrastructure investment fell dramatically, hitting a record low of 1.3% of GDP in 1983, and it's held at a relatively steady state ever since. And that understates the underinvestment, as construction material prices have outpaced inflation in recent years. In practical terms, what does this mean? Simple: worse conditions for working Americans. About one in every five US roads is in poor condition. Forty-five percent of Americans do not have access to public transit. A water main break occurs every two minutes.

• 7:55George Hahn?

  Numerous faults in our core infrastructure have led to crises that once seemed unimaginable. In Flint, Michigan, 12,000 children drank lead-contaminated water, causing irreparable brain damage that affects academic performance and IQ and increases the likelihood of Alzheimer's and Legionnaires' disease. In Miami, a 12-story beachfront condominium collapsed, killing 98 people. Meanwhile, as a share of GDP, China spends 10 times more on infrastructure than the US, which may explain why it takes 4.5 hours to take a train from Shanghai to Beijing—752

• 8:38George Hahn?

  miles—but seven hours to get from Boston to DC—438 miles. As in an 80s horror flick, America's political divide started benign, campy even, and has become gruesome quickly. However, it's not a demon in a hockey mask that terrorizes us. The threat is not an outside malevolent force. In fact, the call is coming from inside the house. We need programs and investments that reinforce a basic truth: Americans' strongest allies will always be other Americans.

• 9:26Scott Galloway?

  Life is so rich.

• 9:32Speaker 06

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• 10:02Speaker 07

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