Podcast Summary: The Hyperpartisan State

Podcast: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Host: David Remnick
Reported by: Charles Bethea
Date: December 20, 2019
Episode Theme: Examining the roots and reality of political hyperpartisanship in North Carolina—a state whose political battles reflect and anticipate national trends.

Brief Overview

In this episode, The New Yorker’s Charles Bethea investigates why North Carolina’s state politics have become so fiercely and personally divided. Through interviews with key players, including Governor Roy Cooper (Democrat), Representative David Lewis (Republican), and Representative Chuck McGrady (centrist Republican), Bethea explores the roots of mutual suspicion, the role of gerrymandering, historical grievances, and how personal relationships have frayed in an atmosphere of relentless political escalation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Hyperpartisan Moment in Action (00:12–01:04)

• The episode opens amid a contentious vote in the North Carolina House, with Democratic Rep. Deb Butler vocally confronting Republican Speaker Tim Moore after a surprise move to override a gubernatorial veto while many Democrats were absent.

• The scene is chaotic, emblematic of heightened distrust and maneuvering.

  “You are making a mockery of this process. You are deceiving all of North Carolina. Your leadership is an embarrassment.”
  —Rep. Deb Butler to Speaker Tim Moore (00:38)

2. North Carolina: Microcosm of a Divided Nation (01:17–03:20)

• Bethea sets the stage, describing North Carolina as a “bellwether”: formerly dominated by Democrats, now a moderate “purple state” with a heavily Republican legislature and a narrowly elected Democratic governor.

• Chris Cooper (Western Carolina University political scientist) underscores how NC prefigures national trends of partisanship.

  “North Carolina is a little bit of a bellwether. A couple of years before the rest of the country got nasty, I think we started to get nasty.”
  —Chris Cooper (02:27)

3. A Haunted Executive Mansion and a Haunted Politics (03:20–05:33)

• Bethea meets Governor Roy Cooper in a historic, supposedly haunted mansion; even the ghosts, he jokes, are partisan.

4. Governor Cooper’s Perspective: It’s the Other Side’s Fault (05:33–08:49)

• The governor credits his victory to backlash against “right wing” Republican legislation, such as the infamous “bathroom bill.”

• He immediately focuses on Republican actions, displaying reflexive opposition rather than vision.

  “[Republicans] began stripping the governor's office of power. So this was the first salvo.”
  —Governor Roy Cooper (07:20)

• Post-2016 election, Republicans moved to limit the Governor’s power via special sessions and quick legislation, exemplified by Rep. David Lewis’s role.

5. Gerrymandering: The Heart of the Political Fight (08:03–16:00)

• North Carolina’s legislative and congressional maps have been drawn to heavily favor Republicans—10 Republicans to 3 Democrats, despite nearly even statewide vote totals.

• David Lewis, architect of these maps, is openly candid:

  “I propose that we draw the maps to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and three Democrats because I do not believe it’s possible to draw a map with 11 Republicans and two Democrats.”
  —Rep. David Lewis (15:44)

6. September 11th Budget Override: Mistrust in Action (08:49–11:58)

• To override Cooper’s budget veto, Republicans exploited a rule only requiring a 3/5 vote of present members.

• Democrats, assured (by Lewis) there’d be no vote that morning, stayed away; Republicans called the vote, overriding the absent opposition.

• Deb Butler’s protest becomes a viral moment. Afterward, there’s an awkwardness and guilt among Republicans, but practical consequences remain: the state continues without a budget.

  "They did it by lying to them. And that was a dark day in this state."
  —Governor Roy Cooper (09:45)

7. Mutual Grievance: Two Sides, Same Playbook (11:58–18:53)

• Democrats blame Republicans for underhandedness; Republicans, namely Lewis, cast Democrats as equally scheming and dismiss contests over “fair maps” as Democratic power grabs.

  “I find it extremely dubious that people who claim to be for fair maps are funded by a group whose IRS filings say that their goal is to get more Democrats elected.”
  —Rep. David Lewis (17:23)

• Chris Cooper, the political scientist, reminds listeners that Democrats played similar games for decades, including bribery scandals and egregious gerrymandering in the 1990s–2000s.

  “If it feels like the Republicans had this sort of pent up frustration, it’s probably because they did, and it was probably well deserved.”
  —Chris Cooper (19:44)

8. Personal Costs: Lost Friendships and Broken Trust (20:06–22:07)

• Lewis describes how partisanship has cost him close personal friendships with Democratic colleagues, a loss that deeply saddens him.

• He blames Governor Cooper’s aides for enforcing party-line discipline at the expense of institutional relationships.

  “I believe that I have probably lost a friend who I would have considered among my closest friends. And I am deeply saddened by that.”
  —Rep. David Lewis (21:19)

9. Centrist Voices: Chuck McGrady’s Reflections (22:07–26:41)

• Charles Bethea turns to Rep. Chuck McGrady, a self-identified centrist and former Sierra Club president.

• McGrady reflects on the escalating cycle of “grievance and resentment” and its toxic effects—each side justifying their behavior by the other’s past misdeeds.

  “Everybody’s always pointing backward to what the Democrats did when they were in charge, and now the Republicans are… Two bad things don’t correct it.”
  —Chuck McGrady (24:20)

  “You can’t continually pile up wrong after wrong and expect to get anywhere. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
  —Charles Bethea, reflecting on McGrady’s wisdom (24:38)

• McGrady wistfully advocates for more “cooling off” and basic cooperation—“We’d be better off if we sent everybody to summer camp and they learned how to work with each other” (26:05).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• “You are deceiving all of North Carolina. Your leadership is an embarrassment.” —Deb Butler to Speaker Moore (00:38)
• “I propose that we draw the maps to give a partisan advantage to 10 Republicans and three Democrats.” —David Lewis (15:44)
• “They did it by lying to them. And that was a dark day in this state.” —Governor Roy Cooper (09:45)
• “If politics had been the only criteria, I could have probably found a way to have given Republicans a chance to win 12 out of the 13 seats.” —David Lewis (16:39)
• “If it feels like the Republicans had this sort of pent up frustration, it’s probably because they did, and it was probably well deserved.” —Chris Cooper (19:44)
• “Two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s some wisdom only an old camp director could drop on you.” —Charles Bethea (24:38)
• “We’d be better off if we sent everybody to summer camp and they learned how to work with each other.” —Chuck McGrady (26:05)

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:12–01:04] — Live scene: Deb Butler’s outcry in the NC House
• [01:17–03:20] — Setting the stage: North Carolina’s unique partisan history
• [05:33–08:49] — Governor Cooper’s perspective & power struggle history
• [08:49–11:58] — The September 11th veto override incident
• [15:44–16:00] — David Lewis admits the purpose of gerrymandered maps
• [19:44–20:06] — Historical context: Democratic party legacy in gerrymandering
• [20:06–22:07] — Lewis reflects on lost cross-party friendships
• [22:07–26:41] — Chuck McGrady’s centrist take and lessons from summer camp

Tone & Takeaways

• The tone is wry, frustrated, and sometimes rueful. While officials from both parties blame each other, moments of candor (especially from David Lewis and Chuck McGrady) reveal the depth of personal loss, frustration, and exhaustion beneath the partisan maneuvers.
• The episode concludes that North Carolina’s problems aren’t merely about policy, but about a breakdown of trust and collegiality—“grievance and resentment” have become self-perpetuating.

Conclusion

This episode uses North Carolina as a case study for the broader “hyperpartisan” dynamic gripping American statehouses and the nation at large. Through intimate interviews and vivid vignettes, it recasts politics not as abstract battles of ideology, but as recurring cycles of mistrust and payback. The message is clear: as long as the focus remains on settling old scores, progress is impossible. As both warning and hope, McGrady’s “summer camp” analogy lingers—the need for leaders to “cool off,” remember civility, and relearn collaboration.