The New Yorker Radio Hour – Episode 41: Hillary Makes History, and Archery Makes a Comeback

Date: July 29, 2016
Host: David Remnick
Produced by: WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

Episode Overview

This episode of The New Yorker Radio Hour captures pivotal moments from the 2016 Democratic National Convention, where Hillary Clinton made history as the first female presidential nominee of a major U.S. party. The first half examines political and ideological divisions within the Democratic party, focusing on debates around the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), race, and party unity, alongside the broader backdrop of a fractious political landscape. The second half transitions into two lighter segments: a story of Polish treasure hunters and their obsession with Nazi lore, and an offbeat exploration of archery’s quirky cultural resurgence, led by contributor Patty Marks.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. 2016 Democratic National Convention: Divisions and History

(00:28–18:00)

• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Symbol of Division

  • John Cassidy (02:09): The TPP is “a symbol of a much larger set of issues… not only just on economic level, but on some sort of cultural level… their sort of local culture is being impinged upon and sort of subsumed in a huge… global agglomerative mass.”
  • Delegates and activists express personal, often emotional opposition to TPP, linking it to job losses and the undermining of both the environment and human rights.
  • Kimberly Cooper (04:15): “For at least four, five years now, we’ve had office jobs quietly being offshored and nobody knows about that… These American citizens cannot afford to buy the products that these corporations are selling.”
  • Populist Overlap: Anger at trade deals crosses party lines. Even Trump’s rhetoric against the TPP resonates with some Bernie Sanders supporters.
  • Cassidy (06:05): Links the anti-globalization sentiment to both Bernie’s movement and Brexit, framing it as “a nativist, nationalist reaction against globalization.”

• Party Unity and Political Realignment

  • Challenges unifying Clinton and Sanders supporters become evident, punctuated by walkouts and protests inside and outside the convention hall.
  • Cassidy (06:56): “The fact that this issue is now cutting across party lines is, I think, something new in American politics.”

2. Race, Obama’s Legacy, and Clinton’s Challenge

Interview with Jelani Cobb (08:47–18:00)

• Obama, Race, and the Delicate Balance

  • Cobb (08:47): Recounts the tension and disbelief of Obama’s 2008 nomination: “There was this real sense of concern for his safety… even as he was talking about having kind of eclipsed one barrier in American history, people were worried about, quite frankly, his safety and his life…”
  • Since 2008, race remained “a dominant part of the conversation” in ways few anticipated—especially through gun violence and policing.
  • The convention attempts to balance appeals to Black Lives Matter and law enforcement, symbolized by the sequence of speakers: mothers of the movement, a police officer, and Eric Holder.
    Cobb (10:28): “They’ve been trying to strike that balance kind of time and time again…”

• Clinton, Black Lives Matter, and Persistent Skepticism

  • Cobb draws a distinction in “credibility” between Obama and Clinton on issues of race and police violence.
  • The “super-predator” language from the 1990s continues to haunt Hillary, underlining generational shifts in attitudes about crime and justice.

• Unity and Dissent, Within and Beyond the Party

  • In 2008, fears that Clinton and Obama supporters would fracture the party proved largely unfounded.
  • In 2016, “the delegates seem to be much, much more skeptical.” (Cobb, 12:43)
  • Post-nomination, 300+ Bernie delegates stage a spontaneous sit-in, some migrating toward Jill Stein and the Green Party, challenging the “binary” Clinton/Trump choice.
  • Cobb (15:06): On the “lesser of two evils” argument: “Jill Stein said… we’re choosing between the lesser of two evils, and it’s debatable, which is the lesser.”

• Guns: The Logjam in Policy

  • Cobb (16:45): “I’m not sure what any American politician is going to do… to break, you know, the logjam that we have right now [on guns].”

3. Comic Relief and Media Satire: Andy Borowitz on the DNC

(18:00–25:32)

• Hillary’s Convention as “The Audacity of Cheese”

  • Borowitz lampoons the DNC: “The biggest challenge of nominating Hillary Clinton is that you have as the star of the show, Hillary Clinton. And she says she’s not a natural politician—which sort of makes you question her choice of career.” (18:07)
  • Attendance by charismatic Democrats—Obama, Michelle, Biden, Bill—meant “you just surrounded her with great dancers,” as in ‘80s music videos.

• Michael Bloomberg’s Surreal Moment

  • Borowitz (19:15): “He kind of helicoptered in from the planet Bloomberg... said, Donald Trump is not a real billionaire, I'm a real billionaire. He sucks. And then he got out. Like, he just flew away.”

• Putin, Russia, and the James Bond Plot

  • Tongue-in-cheek discussion about Russian interference, with Remnick emphasizing Putin’s animosity toward the Clintons and preference for a “destabilized” America (20:21).

• Bill Clinton’s “Cheesy” Speech

  • The hosts debate the effectiveness and oddness of Clinton’s reminiscences about courting Hillary, comparing it to “walking in on your parents having sex.” (22:40)

• Convention Messaging

  • Satirizing the way parties invert candidate images: “Whatever you thought about the candidate going in, the exact opposite is actually true.” (24:32)

4. Polish Treasure Hunters and the Nazi Gold Train Legend

(25:32–45:20 | Feature by Jake Halpern)

• Setting: Lower Silesia, Poland

  • The search for a fabled buried Nazi gold train draws international attention, blending fact, folklore, and obsession.

• Portraits of Obsession:

  • Andre BoJack: A local treasure hunter, shows off Nazi relics collected over 20 years. “History is ours. All of our lives were somehow wrapped up in this.” (28:49)
  • Airy stories of postwar Germans burying personal effects in hopes of return; the region’s many WWII artifacts feel uncannily ever-present.

• The Tunnels:

  • Nazi “Project Riese”—massive complexes dug by forced labor, shrouded in mystery and conspiracy.
  • Journalist Joanna Lemparska (32:27): “Nobody knows for sure why Germans tried to do it. There is no document.”

• Pseudoscience and Myth:

  • Another hunter, Kristoff, uses dowsing rods (“divining rods”) to “find” tunnels, which he claims to have done eight times (35:00).
  • Deep underground explorations reveal vast tunnels—“big enough to fit like an Amtrak train through” (38:45).
  • Outlandish claims—Nazi UFOs, secret societies of former SS in Argentina and Brazil—blur lines between reality and folklore.
  • Lemparska (43:28): The enduring treasure myth reflects postwar psychological displacement—living atop mysteries in homes and landscapes not one’s own.

5. Adventures in Archery: A Playful Urban Comeback

(45:20–54:46 | Report by Patty Marks)

• Homegrown Antics:

  • Patty Marks, with producer assistance, riffs on indoor “apartment archery,” shooting (suction-cup arrows) at household targets—fruit, books (“Say your goodbyes, Ulysses!”), and frozen chicken thighs.
  • A misfired arrow leads to a broken vase and a bleeding toe—“As long as it’s not on the rug, I don’t really care. It is on the rug.” (54:11)

• Brooklyn’s Artisanal Bowyer:

  • Marks visits Eric Klemm, owner of Brooklyn Bowyer. He’s reviving hand-crafted wooden bows using multiple woods (hickory, Osage orange, boccote, mulberry).
    Klemm (50:45): “Archery apparently is making a comeback.”
  • The “Hunger Games effect” and hipster nostalgia are driving renewed interest, as is a general yen for traditional crafts (51:35).

• Lesson at Proline Archery in Queens:

  • Klemm’s philosophy: “You think about your shot before you start shooting. And then while you’re shooting, you think about nothing.” (52:33)
  • Marks struggles with technique: “You are an inch away from the bullseye on the target next to your target.” (53:04)
  • Wry takeaway: “If I go hunting, I need some prey that’s kind of low and on the left... you need, like, a deer that’s had a stroke.” (53:43)

Memorable Quotes & Timestamps

• On TPP as a Cultural Flashpoint:

  • “The way they talk about it is very personal.” — John Cassidy (02:09)

• On Job Losses & Populism:

  • “He’s [Trump] gone left of Hillary on several issues that are very attractive to the Bernie folks.” — Kimberly Cooper (05:18)

• On Obama’s Nomination & Black Leaders’ Safety:

  • “…there was this real sense of concern for his safety… even as he was talking about having kind of eclipsed one barrier in American history…” — Jelani Cobb (08:47)

• On the DNC’s Theatrics:

  • “I came away believing in the audacity of cheese.” — Andy Borowitz (21:52)

• On Convention Messaging:

  • “Whatever you thought about the candidate going in, the exact opposite is actually true.” — Andy Borowitz (24:32)

• On Postwar Polish Mythology:

  • “Your imagination rushes in to fill the void. Maybe Andre and Kristoff and the rest of the treasure hunters are just working hard… to make sense of the world around them.” — Jake Halpern (44:53)

• On Archery & Urban Life:

  • “If I go hunting, I need some prey that’s kind of low and on the left.” — Patty Marks (53:50)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Democratic Convention & TPP: 00:28–07:40
• Race, Obama, & Clinton’s Challenge (Jelani Cobb): 08:47–17:32
• Andy Borowitz’s Satirical Recap: 18:07–25:32
• Nazi Gold Train – Polish Treasure Hunters (Jake Halpern): 25:32–45:20
• Adventures in Archery (Patty Marks): 45:20–54:46

Tone & Style

The tone alternates between serious (reportage, political analysis) and wryly humorous (satire, personal stories). Voice is direct, conversational, and often self-aware—particularly in the lighter segments.

Conclusion

Episode 41 delivers a vivid snapshot of American anxiety and absurdity at a historic political crossroad. It captures both ideological disputes and cultural oddities—from intense debates over globalization and identity politics to a playful look at archery’s mythic (and Brooklyn-hip) modern comeback, offering something for both serious thinkers and casual listeners.