Obama Says Federal Government Is Less Corrupt Than in the Past

Former President Barack Obama said the federal government is less corrupt today than at virtually any other point in American history, arguing that reforms over recent decades have significantly reduced bribery, patronage, and political favoritism.

Obama made the remarks during an episode of his new podcast, A Great Book with Barack Obama, a six-part series in which he discusses influential books with prominent guests.

Speaking with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jill Lepore about Robert Penn Warren’s 1946 novel All the King’s Men, Obama reflected on changes in American politics and government. He noted that earlier political systems often relied on personal favors, patronage, and political machines to secure votes and build coalitions.

According to Obama, reforms enacted before and after the Watergate era greatly reduced those practices. While he described the changes as positive, he suggested they also made it more difficult to build legislative consensus because lawmakers could no longer rely on the same system of political favors to bridge ideological differences.

Obama said that older political machines helped leaders persuade reluctant lawmakers to support legislation, even if those methods were often viewed as corrupt by modern standards.

Lepore agreed that political machines played a significant role in civic life, despite their flaws. She argued that while Progressive Era reforms improved government through measures such as campaign finance rules and voter protections, they also contributed to the decline of traditional political organizations.

In Lepore’s view, political consultants and modern campaign industries eventually filled much of the space once occupied by political machines.

Obama’s podcast also features conversations with actor Tom Hanks, author Ta-Nehisi Coates, former White House national security adviser Ben Rhodes, and novelists Percival Everett and Lauren Groff about books that have influenced their thinking and public life.