Our Politics Should Address the Rebirth of Community

Ben Sasse is a Republican senator from Nebraska and author of The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis – and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance. A Yale-educated historian who previously served as president of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, Sasse believes that Americans' lives are shaped through their communities more than through any Washington policy. But the former management consultant contends that while the global economy is bearing economic fruit, it also is disrupting local communities. In this interview with William McKenzie, editor of The Catalyst, and Lindsay Lloyd, deputy director of the Bush Institute's Human Freedom Initiative, he explains why communities need to build modern institutions to renew themselves – and why our politics should address this challenge.