When it comes to the crush of the American daily news cycle, Heather Cox Richardson has always taken the long view. The New England-based historian gained wide popularity writing casual, history-informed summaries of the news — a perspective millions of readers were hungry for. Her new book is called “Democracy Awakening.” Shirley Leung from the Boston Globe podcast, Say More, sits down with Dr. Richardson to talk about the evolution of the GOP, the uncertain health of our democracy, and why Americans need to know history to understand the present. Email SayMore at saymore@globe.com