Dr. Matthew Crenson is a political scientist who specializes in the study of urban politics and American political development. He received his PhD at the University of Chicago, and in 1969 joined the Department of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University and retired 38 years later as head of the Department. He is the author of numerous books and is frequently interviewed by the media. He will lead us in a two-part discussion examining how American politics reached its current state. Does the Trump presidency represent a short-term detour from the arc of our political history, or does it reflect something more permanent in this country’s unwritten constitution? It’s obvious that the political divisions in the United States are sharper and perhaps more rancorous than they have been in the recent past -- don’t forget the Civil War -- but exactly what we’re about is not so clear. This two forum rumination on our current political circumstances, where they came from, where we are, and where we’re headed, invites extensive contributions, questions, and challenges from the listeners.