I Want To Write For History, Not

I Discovered In Writing The Biography Of Bill Clinton That It Is Actually Easier To Write A Biography Of Someone Who Is Dead. Although You Can't Interview Them, You Have A Fuller Perspective On Their Whole Life After They're Gone And People Are More Willing To Talk About Them.

So, I Mean, There's Still Vast Swaths Of The City That Are Suffering From A Lack Of Jobs And Poor Housing And Poor Public Schools, But They Are Building Momentum - You Know, Techies, Foodies, Artists, Musicians, All Coming To Detroit. So There Is This Vibrancy. You See It In The Newspapers Every Day - Some Story About The New Detroit.

It Is?classic Bill Clinton, Sincere And Deceptive At The Same Time, Requiring A Careful Reading Between The Lines.

And That John F. Kennedy Uttered The First Variation Of "ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You" In Detroit On Labor Day In 1960. So Detroit Was Really Central To Democratic Politics United States. Every Democratic Candidate Would Start Their Fall Campaigns In Cadillac Square.

Well, There Is Something Beautiful About Ruins. I Mean, In One Sense It's Not That Different From Going To Rome And Looking At The Forum. But It's Changing. It Truly Is. I'm Optimistic But Skeptical.