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A Historical Perspective of the Election

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    Filmmaker Ken Burns weighs in on the election and his latest film.

  • Duration 5:38
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All right this that is sure to get -- -- -- -- to help from the election -- we wanna take care a couple of minutes.

-- today and look at how this year's election maybe rates historically.

Historian Stephen Ambrose once said quote more Americans get their history from Ken -- than any other source.

So we asked mr.

Bryant's enjoyed it -- the studio to talk -- to do this.

Talk about the election of course his latest film the dust bowl which debuts this weekend Sunday Summers the first thing Martin got one PBS.

We make at this election how -- it fit well you know.

History frankly you know everyone always says this election is the most important -- penetration and they've been saying that since 18100 you know.

And in some ways it's always true because you feeling -- democracy.

The privilege of having the chance to choose who your elected leaders were -- one would think that 2008 was.

Very very historic because we're electing the first African American presence.

I think in some ways this is more important than the last one only because I feel that perhaps for the first time.

We're backing away from this ideology first stuff that now it's time to realize that the genius of America is compromised and that may be -- when you hear Bill Kristol.

Talking about all the difference between the marginal tax rate now -- 39% meaning.

-- bush tax cuts.

Isn't nothing remember and Reagan it was 50% and backing Kennedy and Eisenhower -- -- -- present so I mean.

We're now when you have somebody of his stature saying that you begin to realize and particularly with the demographic information that this election provided it's gonna.

The incumbent upon the Republican Party.

To try to figure out how they're going to address things and and keep a broader audience and it's incumbent upon the incumbent.

To follow through the with the ideas that everybody's gonna feel so -- in this grand bargain so that you don't go off of fiscal cliff and I think that's going to be.

The dance but I feels really optimistic about it and I think it makes this a hugely significant election cycle do you stake all are a couple -- -- if if you're gonna be -- mention at this election are you saying yeah.

You would have I've told a story about compromise and an election that was you know was a nasty -- -- it was -- one might seem to be about no compromise but I think people woke up the morning afterwards -- -- -- kind of regret that -- -- you know what did we do.

What do we say to drive a wedge so far between so I think you're gonna see is people walking back from the edge her -- -- and general I think it's I think it's happening already you're taught you're hearing.

Republican leaders who wouldn't touch the DREAM Act going back and saying we need to resurrect some immigration reform -- talking about people.

At the highest levels of the Republican Party who have been no deal on raising the revenues talking about raising revenues that -- just eliminating loopholes are talking about raising the marginal remnants one more question before we talk but the dust -- are gonna do you think Barack Obama would deal.

Lesser historical figure if you weren't reelected.

No I don't think so only because of the significance in the country which race is the central underlying theme I mean.

We know exactly where -- founded on all men are created equal oops the guy he wrote that.

Owned a hundred human beings as he wrote that sentence and so his election now was a way of not.

Of of of not escaping it we're never been post racial and we never will be post racial because -- is an important part.

But it's hugely significant it is now double -- so right because it has been affirmed and because of what it represents in terms of the shifting.

Demographics of the united stage usually significant is also what happened during the thirties during the -- -- and -- -- a quick clip.

Of the dust -- coming up this weekend.

That's what belongs on the list.

The top 345.

Environmental catastrophes.

In world history.

But those catastrophes took place over hundreds even thousands of years of deforestation.

We've created a world class the environmental disaster and a matter of forty or fifty years.

Created and also someone and it wasn't and I will this is that this is I mean I exact size having this is the first line -- the headlines this is the worst.

Man made ecological disaster in the history of American history and and perhaps the world so far.

And what we forget is that we had this southern plains was grasslands that had never been turned over that -- -- -- evolved.

For thousands of years to hold the moisture and all of a sudden we came in and some -- years.

And turned over an area larger than the size of Ohio Ohio folks keep seem to be important and everything you know American is -- Ohio Ohio Ohio.

And when they inevitable a dry spell came.

It was left to blow and the dirt blew all the way of Franklin Roosevelt went like this and at Oklahoma on his fingertips the next day ships 300 miles out in the Atlantic were covered with -- -- of -- In one day -- not just talking a handful of storms.

We're talking about hundreds of storms 124 hour period more dirt was moved from that in the ten years it took us to excavate the Panama Canal and we were able to find -- identify.

The last few survivors of the gospel.

I mean there -- they were kids and teenagers at that time and now there in their late eighty's and ninety's and what they tell it's not just a story.

Environmental degradation which is a warning to us writes about his heroic perseverance.

Trying to keep their farms trying to keep their families together trying to protect the ones they love.

From a a ravaging dust storm that was you know a mile and a half high price 250.

Miles wide -- moving.

Mountain range that was killing not only their crops.

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