May 17, 2018
In 1974, a new wave of legislators entered Congress after the
Watergate Scandal, determined to change the American political
landscape. While these “Watergate Babies” inspired great change,
some argue that they also contributed significantly to the growing
divide between Republicans and Democrats. Could a similar situation
play out in today’s political landscape? John A. Lawrence, author
of “The Class of ’74: Congress after Watergate and the Roots of
Partisanship,” joins Julian Zelizer to discuss this and more in
this episode of Politics & Polls. Lawrence is a visiting professor
at the University of California, Washington Center. He worked in
the House of Representatives for 38 years, the last eight as chief
of staff to then-Speaker and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.