"Man is by nature a political animal." Does anyone embody Aristotle's famous dictum more fully than David Axelrod? In 1984, the Chicago Tribune political writer joined US Senator Paul Simon's campaign, commencing a momentous career as a political consultant that would eventually include such clients as Harold Washington, Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emanuel, and a certain community organizer from Chicago's South Side. More recently, Axelrod has returned to his intellectual roots, creating the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago. Axelrod embarks on a conversation with journalist Jim Warren on the nature of American politics past, present, and future.

This program is presented as part of the annual Karla Scherer Endowed Lecture Series for the University of Chicago.