They told us. Orwell told us. Baldwin told us. Twain told us. Morrison told us. We read the books. We passed the tests. We called it fiction. In this episode of Folkes Unfettered, Gene Folkes draws on the most unflinching voices in American and world literature to examine what's unfolding in leadership right now, and why none of it is actually new. The patterns were already named. The characters were already drawn. The warnings were already issued. We just didn't think we'd be living in the pages.This isn't a partisan take. It's a leadership autopsy, performed with the precision of literature and the clarity of people who understood power long before cable news existed.If you lead people, study leaders, or are trying to make sense of what your country is becoming, this conversation is for you.