‘America’s Recovery Potential Is Awesome’

But it won’t come through politics. An exit interview with Sen. Ben Sasse.

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Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse.(Photo by Al Drago/Getty Images.)

Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse is resigning from Congress to become the president of the University of Florida. Sasse, the junior senator from Nebraska, has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump’s influence on the Republican Party. He joined Steve Hayes to discuss the dangers of infotainment, the increasing tribalism of American politics, the future of academic freedom, and why he believes he can affect more change by leaving Congress.

Below is a transcript of the podcast, which has been edited for clarity. 

Steve Hayes: Welcome to The Dispatch Podcast. I’m Steve Hayes. Joining me today is Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, who has decided to leave the Senate early to pursue a job as the president of the University of Florida. In our conversation, we conduct an exit interview of sorts, talking to Sen. Sasse about his decision to leave early, about the state of American politics, the Republican Party, and the future of higher education. Senator Sasse, thanks for joining us.

Sen. Ben Sasse: Thank you for taking time with me.

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Comments (19)
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  1. Mcleanmp

    Was a big fan, but becoming a Florida Gator is just too big of a betrayal.

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  2. Brett

    Normally I listen to the Dispatch podcasts on 1.4 or so, 1.2 for AO. I slowed this one down to .8 it was so good. In particular, his point that we can't get an evenly divided 40-40 country that rules by majority to do anything unless we agree on some other principle, like the process, was a very short and pithy way to express a deep truth. Loved it!

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  3. Gbm311

    Good for the University of Florida! Ben Sasse is a gem. I love the idea of removing cameras from Capitol Hill. My senator Ted Cruz would have to rely on his brilliant persuasive abilities, which are considerable, instead of posing for the camera as he does so often these days.

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    JDW

    Steve for a split second I was super excited to have an article from you. Then I realized it was a podcast transcript. Do not think you are off the hook for some articles with this uh transcript. I've heard the podcast.

    Sasse is a great guy and it is sad people like him are leaving and the crazies are coming. It's a bad time.

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    Napalaska

    Ben Sasse deserves all the praise . . . what word am I looking for . . . larded upon him. I get it. He’s way smarter than I am and he can articulate the arguments in favor of ideas I adhere to way better than 99.9% of human beings. The collective I.Q. of the Senate, like the collective decency of Congress in general, dropped precipitously the day he left. That said, he deserves to be . . . what word am I looking for . . . spanked for the choice he made to leave the U.S. Senate. Allow me to reprint something I left in a previous comment section back in October:

    Speaking of cynicism, and on a more somber note, it’s hard not to be a little disheartened, and maybe a tad bit cynical after hearing the latest about Ben Sasse. I am being sincere. Whenever I talk to my progressive friends about politics (most of my friends are center left or just plain left), I say I’m politically homeless because, as Reagan said about Democrats, I didn’t leave the Republican Party, the party left me. However, I used to tell them as recently as a few weeks ago, there was one Republican worth rooting for and standing behind: Ben Sasse. This guy, I would tell my friends, is the future of the Republican Party. Shame on me for being so naive.

    Mr. Sasse asked the citizens of Nebraska for their votes and was given them. In return, he implicitly promised to serve six more years as one of their Senators. He also appeared in public (like on the 500th podcast of the Remnant, which was yet another demonstration of his decency, intelligence, humor, depth of knowledge, etc.) and, to me anyway, was asking people to stand behind his ideas about how to make our country and politics better. And how he, working in the institution of the Senate, could make those ideas a reality. Instead he quit, ceding the field to the likes of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.

    I think I understand the tradeoffs involved in Mr. Sasse’s decision and ultimately have to respect the choice he made. I just wish he would have finished serving his second term, doing what he could, with what he had, where he was, as Mitch Daniels did, before racing to the (supposedly) greener pastures of academia.

    Speaking of Mitch Daniels, his possible return to politics may be the antidote to cynicism and despair.

    Shame on me for being so naive.

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    1. Gbm311

      There are so many instances of elected politicians choosing to take detours that one should not be surprised or too upset by the choice that Sasse has made. It is perfectly legal and moral. Nebraska has a GOP governor who is capable of appointing a suitable replacement. It is a free country and Sasse has much to teach us, now and in the future.

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  6. Joe1776

    Listening to Ben Sasse makes clear thinking seem easy. I was very happy to hear that he had some liberal admins contacting him to work at their university. That gives me hope.

    Florida seems like a state that is doing great things. I wish him a long and productive career in higher ed.

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    George.Skinner

    Ben Sasse's comments made me think about how institutions only become relevant and useful because their members are determined to make them so. Too many politicians seem to be chasing fame now rather than actually trying to do the work of legislating or governing. We've seen Ben Sasse leave and other potential candidates like Sununu and Ducey decline to run because they regard the position as irrelevant. If the Senate doesn't work to make a difference in political life, senators will soon have no value other than to fill a seat and cast a reliable partisan vote - basically a retirement home for old politicians, athletes, or celebrities.

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  8. Jim S

    As someone who had 3 gap years between high school and college I cannot recommend enough taking that break. Three years in the workforce before college made a huge impact on the way I approached school and made education a priority.

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    1. MathewA

      I definitely felt the same when I came out of the army. I was ready to go to school, and not have a job that let me take daily showers instead of being stuck in the GA swamp for weeks at a time (or Kuwait for months at a time)

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    EricRemcon@gmail

    Thank you for the interview, Steve (and the transcript because of the high probability, I would not have listened the podcast). I think Mr.?? Senator?? Sasse made the right decision on leaving the world of federal politics. He will have more potential to positively impact the country as the president of a major university. Hopefully, he can push back on the notion that diversity can only be measured by color, gender, or gender identity. During the interview he rightly mocked the “safe space” (from words) trend that afflicts the academic world.

    I must highlight my favorite sentence that was addressing the 2022 midterms:

    “The more of a performative moron you were, the less share of a vote you got relative to the more traditional Republican or Democrat in your electorate.”

    ‘Performative moron’ and ‘GOP House member’ are synonymous terms at the moment. It is nice to see someone lay it out that plainly.

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      John

      "I think Mr.?? Senator?? Sasse made the right decision on leaving the world of federal politics."

      We can soon call him "President Sasse," since he will be president of a university.

      Or maybe it's chancellor, I don't know.

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    2. DTruitt

      Applies equally well to Dems in the House.

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  10. Rev. Gary Peterson

    Clearly, one of the "squarest of any old state down our way." Go Gators!

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