What If Bill Clinton Had Resigned and Handed the Presidency to Al Gore? (Podcast)
We talk with Leon Neyfakh, host of the “Slow Burn” podcast, about whether we might all be better off
Tim Molloy | September 24, 2018 @ 12:41 PM
Last Updated: September 24, 2018 @ 3:43 PM
Leon Neyfakh’s “Slow Burn” podcast examines President Clinton’s desperate, legalistic attempts to hold on to the presidency after news broke of his affair with Monica Lewinsky. But would we all be better off now if he’d just handed over the presidency to Al Gore?
That’s one of the questions we ask Neyfakh in the new “Shoot This Now” podcast, You can listen on Apple or right here:
In 1998, many Democrats found themselves fighting hard to keep Bill Clinton in office, even if they were disgusted by his conduct. Clinton’s resignation would have felt like a massive win for Republicans.
But would it have been? Vice President Al Gore would have taken over as president, which would have given him the advantage of incumbency in the 2000 presidential election — one of the closest election in history. A swing of a few hundred votes in Florida would have left us with President Gore instead of President Bush.
Think of all the countless ways Gore’s agenda would have differed from Bush’s — on the environment, on taxation, on foreign policy. If we assume the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks would still have occurred under a Gore Administration, would Gore have invaded Iraq? There are interesting arguments that Gore would have and that he wouldn’t have.
I’m not sure. On Sept. 23, 2002 — months before the invasion — Gore criticized the Bush Administration’s ramp up to war, and predicted, interestingly, that if the U.S. did not commit to properly rebuilding Iraq after the invasion, “the resulting chaos could easily pose a far greater danger to the United States than we presently face from Saddam [Hussein].” You could argue that Gore was correct, given that ISIS rose up to replace Hussein. Whether ISIS poses a greater danger to the U.S. than Hussein would have is yet another area for debate.
The way one hypothetical leads to another is part of the fun — and frustration — of imagining realities different from our own. It’s impossible to guess how Hurricane Katrina, Iraq, the financial crisis and other historic events might have played out under a President Gore, if they would have occurred at all. (Hurricane Katrina, almost definitely would have happened; Gore was good on the environment, but probably not good enough to prevent a hurricane. So the question is whether he would have done a better “heckuva job” than the Bush Administration.)
A 2011 episode of the show “Community” introduced for a mainstream audience the concept of “The Darkest Timeline” — the worst of several possible realities.
It may seem futile, except as a thought experiment, to consider how our reality could have been different. But for people who think we now inhabit the Darkest Timeline, it can be comforting to indulge in what Neyfakh describes as the “liberal fantasy” of a President Gore. (During our “Shoot This Now” interview, I kick around the idea of a movie that would cater to this exact fantasy.)
But there’s greater value in trying to foresee potential long-term negatives born of today’s apparent wins. No piece of fiction illustrates this point more clearly than “Game of Thrones,” where every loss brings a win and every win a loss. It’s the best political show on television.
“Slow Burn” teaches the same lesson as “Game of Thrones” every time we recognize a character from Season 1 (Watergate) or the current season, Season 2 (Clinton-Lewinsky). “Slow Burn” can feel like an origin story for the likes of Roger Stone, Ann Coulter and Brett Kavanaugh. The breaking news of today rhymes unerringly with the scandals and cover-ups of old.
The past isn’t ours to change, but it is ours to learn from. Just ask President Gore.
12 Podcasts That Should Be Turned Into TV Shows (Photos)
With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.
"You Must Remember This"
Karina Longworth has a unique perspective on classic Hollywood that is readily apparent the moment you put on an episode. Just listen to her "Dead Blondes" series, which is running at the time of this writing, and it's clear we need more women educating people about "Hollywood's first century."
Wikimedia
"99% Invisible"
It's like "This American Life" but for the smallest, least interesting sounding stories. Somehow, the producers make something like cargo containers seem interesting. I'd be very curious to see how that would work on TV.
99% Invisible
"The Black Tapes" A fiction podcast about a batch of supernatural tapes and people with a lot of secrets seems like it should've been a TV series to begin with.
"The Black Tapes"
"Hardcore History With Dan Carlin" The internet is filled with history podcasts, but few are as intricate and detailed as "Hardcore History." I think it's time to bring back classic History Channel with some long, educational, but entertaining documentaries on history.
"Hardcore History"
"Hello From the Magic Tavern" It's an improvised story podcast about a guy who fell into a dimensional portal behind a Burger King and ended up in a magic land. It has a homespun, low-key feel that could work as a show if you kept it looking as amateurish as possible.
"Hello from the Magic Tavern"
"How Did This Get Made"
There are plenty of bad movie podcasts on the internet, but few go beyond the typical format, where a bunch of friends talk about, well, a bad movie. "How Did This Get Made" has a number of different segments, a slew of celebrity guests and a visual element that would translate well to TV.
"How Did This Get Made"
"Judge John Hodgman" Comedian John Hodgman is a judge in this podcast, where he takes the most mundane and absurd cases from everyday people. Now you just need to put that in a "Judge Judy"-style setting.
"Judge John Hodgman"
"Pod Save America"
Any of the Crooked Media podcasts would work on television. The podcasters are incredibly smart and educated in politics (two of the hosts were speechwriters for President Obama) and have a lot of inside scoop. We have enough politics on TV, but Jon, Jon and Tommy can be the "no-bulls--" commentators we need, combined with a bit of White House gossip.
"Pod Save America"
"With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus" "With Special Guest Lauren Lapkus" is a spiritual successor to "Comedy Bang Bang." Each episode has a different celebrity guest, who engages in improv with Lapkus in a false talk show scenario. It works over audio, but costumes and a set will only heighten the entertainment factor.
"Special Guest With Lauren Lapkus"
"This American Life" "This American Life" already ran as a Showtime series for two seasons that ended in 2009. Please bring it back? We want to see and not just hear where and how the show's subjects live.
"This American Life"
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me" NPR's weekly trivia show is already good as it is, but imagine if you could see the special guest comedians or the contestants instead of having them call in on the phone?
"Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me"
"Alice Isn't Dead"
The sister podcast to "Welcome to Night Vale" isn't as popular, but it might work better as a visual adaptation. The narrator is so good at explaining the grotesque horrors around her that we almost want to see some of them in action.
"Alice Isn't Dead"
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Which ones can translate the best into a visual medium? We broke down some of our favorites
With a slew of recent podcast-to-TV adaptations -- from "My Brother, My Brother, and Me" to "Startup" to "2 Dope Queens" -- the industry is primed for even more. With so many podcasts to choose from, which ones should get the small screen treatment? We looked at ones that make for the best long-form series that tackle a unique subject and that have the elements to translate into a visual medium. Here are our picks.