Is America living up to its ideals?

Is this what America is supposed to be?

That question motivated journalist and author Thomas Ricks to return to the country’s Founding Fathers. Dismayed by the divisiveness he saw in our political system, he set out to read the writings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. 

He also went back further and read what they read: the works of Greek and Roman philosophers who shaped their ideas of government and democracy. He concludes that many of the features that frustrate modern voters — like the gridlock in Washington — are features, not bugs. And he believes the founders did foresee a president like Donald Trump.

Use the audio player above to hear a conversation between host Kerri Miller and Ricks about his new book, “First Principles,” and how looking back at America’s origins can illuminate America’s present.

Guest:

• Thomas Ricks is a journalist and author. His latest book is “First Principles: What America’s Founding Fathers Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How that Shaped our Country.” 

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