Adams, Bush, Clinton, Kennedy. Somehow the same family names keep popping up in American politics. And that raises the question: Why, in a proudly democratic country, do we wind up with something that doesn’t feel very democratic?
This week on the podcast, guest host Michelle Cottle speaks with historian Stephen Hess about our obsession with political dynasties.
Hess, whose best seller “America’s Political Dynasties” was recently updated, says we will always have dynasties—but they won’t always be the same. Dynasty might be a dirty word in America but it turns out our politics have been a family business from the start.

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