The National Affairs Podcast

In this 250th anniversary year of the Declaration of Independence, we are rightly celebrating its proclamation of natural rights. But the document’s other core purpose — founding a nation — deserves equal attention. Indeed, the Declaration was in its way a kind of constitution. In its indictment of King George III, it implicitly laid out the structural blueprint for a new government.

Guest John Yoo joins us to discuss how the Declaration constituted a new republican government and sovereign nation, and why America is both an idea and a concrete heritage.

John Yoo is a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute; Emanuel S. Heller Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley; and a senior research fellow for the Civitas Institute of the University of Texas at Austin.

This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay in the Summer 2026 issue of National Affairs: “The Declaration as a Constitution.”

Americans are reading less than ever. Policymakers know this is a problem, but they rarely look to public libraries for solutions. Instead, libraries have embraced an agenda of redundancy, morphing into technology centers, daytime homeless shelters, and all-purpose community centers. It’s time for libraries to return to their traditional mission: offering Americans serious books and a place for quiet study.

Guest Stephen Eide joins us to discuss how refocusing public libraries could help reverse America’s reading decline.

Stephen Eide is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He has visited more than 300 public libraries.

This podcast discusses themes from Stephen’s essay in the Spring 2026 issue of National Affairs: “The Mission of Public Libraries.”

In an era of accelerating digital technologies, the jurisprudence of free speech has been utterly transformed. Our ideas about what the right to speech amounts to, what counts as speech, and whether all forms of speech are equally protected are all in flux. The resulting inflation of free-speech law has made it impossible to hold tech companies accountable for obvious misconduct.

Guest John Ehrett joins us to discuss applying a truly originalist understanding of the First Amendment to caselaw and policymaking, returning tech regulation and other policy matters to the democratic process.

John Ehrett is an attorney and writer in Washington, D.C. All views are his own.

This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay, co-authored with Brad Littlejohn in the Winter 2026 issue of National Affairs: “The Post-human First Amendment.”

American society has become radically permissive of some serious vices in the past few years. Drugs, gambling, and pornography are easier to access legally than ever before. A backlash against this permissiveness has clearly begun, but it has yet to find its footing because it tends to be rooted in the language of material or physical harm. Such arguments are a crucial piece of the case for prohibiting vice, but they have to be paired with a more comprehensive and coherent account of why vice is incompatible with human freedom and flourishing.

Guest Charles Lehman joins us to discuss how opponents of vice can build a bipartisan coalition for banning the addictive products that threaten republican self-government.

Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and senior editor ofCity Journal.

This podcast discusses themes from Charles’s essay in the Winter 2026 issue of National Affairs, “The Case for Prohibiting Vice”

In principle, federal agency missions are set when agencies are created, and so remain rooted in the ambitions of the president and the Congress who decided they were necessary. But in reality, political change tends to transform agencies’ missions in both subject and scope. Understanding how this occurs can clarify the nature of presidential power and the character of constitutional evolution.

Guest Tevi Troy joins us to discuss how agency missions have changed during recent presidential administrations, and how Congress can act to restore the constitutional separation of powers.

Tevi Troy is a senior fellow at the Ronald Reagan Institute, a former deputy secretary of Health and Human Services, and former senior White House aide. He is the author of five books on the presidency, including The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry (Regnery History, 2024).

This podcast discusses themes from Tevi’s essay in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Who Gives Federal Agencies Their Purpose?”

Higher education has a civic mission. The public knows that, but faculty and administrators seem to have lost sight of it. Instead of transmitting shared civic principles, universities often frame civics through polarized partisan lenses. Restoring civic education to its unifying role would require teaching democratic practices and constitutional ideals in ways that encourage pluralism rather than entrench division.

Guest Daniel DiSalvo joins us to discuss how civic education can help university students and the broader public disagree better and act together.

Daniel DiSalvo is professor and associate dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He serves on the Public Scholars Advisory Committee of the Moynihan Center and was previously professor of political science at the City College of New York-CUNY.

This podcast discusses themes from an essay by DiSalvo and Carlo Invernizzi Accetti in the Fall 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Civics, Partisanship, and the Academy.”

Has artificial intelligence advanced to the point where robots possess creative abilities and impulses? If so, or if that moment comes, what could it mean for humanity, and what would it demand of us? These are questions at the cutting edge of innovation. Yet to best address them, we need to look to the deepest roots of our society’s moral wisdom.

Guest Michael Rosen joins us to discuss how Jewish tradition and legend can inform our approach to technology.

Michael Rosen is an attorney and writer in Israel, a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and author of Like Silicon from Clay: What Ancient Jewish Wisdom Can Teach Us about AI.

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay, which was adapted from his book for the Summer 2025 issue of National Affairs: “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Tools.”

As the American republic approaches the 250th anniversary of her birth, conservatives face a serious paradox: How can we ever hope to preserve a revolutionary foundation? The thought of Russell Kirk offers an especially rich source of insight regarding that peculiar paradox. Kirk saw the Revolution as compelling the founders to remember their great inheritance — just as we should today.

Guest Michael Lucchese joins us to discuss the founders’ “revolution of memory” and how conservatives today might preserve it.

Michael Lucchese is the founder ofPipe Creek Consulting, a communications firm based in Washington, D.C. He is also an associate editor ofLaw & Liberty, and a contributing editor toProvidence.

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay in the Summer 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Russell Kirk’s Revolution of Memory.”

Whether it’s foreign-policy hawks on the right, cultural conservatives on the left, or fiscal conservatives anywhere, the reductive binary of today’s electoral options can be deeply frustrating for intraparty minority groups. Considering how various 19th-century movements combined to form the Republican Party offers some paths out of that frustration.

Guest Jennifer Dresden joins us to discuss the forgotten history of fusion voting and how it might serve disaffected voters today.

Jennifer Dresden is a policy strategist atProtect Democracy, a non-profit and non-partisan group dedicated to promoting “free and fair elections, the rule of law, fact-based debate, and a better democracy for future generations.” 

This podcast discusses themes from Jennifer’s essay in the Spring 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Strategic Fusion and the GOP.”

The left in America has long accused the right of advancing minority rule and rejecting the principles of democracy. Though there is some truth to that charge, it applies as much to the left itself as it does to the right. A closer look at housing and infrastructure regulations, public-employee unions, professional licensing, and the governance of higher education suggests that “minoritarianism” pervades our politics.

Guest Steve Teles joins us to discuss the bipartisan penchant for minority rule and how lawmakers might restore a more majoritarian, democratic politics.

Steve Teles is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. He’s the author of several books about topics such as economic inequality, welfare, and the conservative legal movement.

This podcast discusses themes from Steve’s essay in the Spring 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Minoritarianism Is Everywhere.”

Books and Essays Mentioned:

-Neighborhood Defenders: Participatory Politics and America’s Housing Crisis

-Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools

-“The Strength of a Weak State: The Rights Revolution and the Rise of Human Resources Management Divisions”

-“Professionalization 2.0: The Case for Plural Professionalization in Education”

-“Beyond Academic Sectarianism”

-In Covid’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us

-“The Rise of the Abundance Faction”

-“The Future Is Faction”

Technology is a force for change in the world, both positive and negative. Its ability to rapidly transform our way of life poses an inherent challenge to families. If conservatives wish to restore the family as the foundation of our civilizational order, they must develop a comprehensive theory of technological change. Without it, new technologies will continue to heap disaster on the American family. But if properly guided, technological innovation can help uplift the family and usher it into a new era of flourishing.

Guest Jon Askonas joins us to discuss what a new conservative technology agenda might look like.

Jon Askonas is assistant professor of politics at the Catholic University of America and a senior fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation.

This podcast discusses themes from Jon’s essay in the Winter 2025 issue of National Affairs, “Technology for the American Family.”

For more on this subject, see “A Future for the Family: A New Technology Agenda for the Right” in First Things, as well as “Stop Hacking Humans” in The New Atlantis. Additionally, AEI will host an event on Monday, February 24, 2025 at 11:10 a.m. titled “Dignity and Dynamism: The Future of Conservative Technology Policy.”

At first glance, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Russell Kirk do not have all that much in common. Yet it is striking that King and Kirk converged on certain first principles that rightfully mark King himself as part of a broader tradition of philosophical conservatism in America — one from which today’s left and right could both stand to learn.

Guest John Wood, Jr., joins us to discuss how both King and Kirk’s philosophical conservatism transcended ideology.  

John Wood, Jr., is national ambassador for Braver Angels, a columnist for USA Today, and a former Republican nominee for Congress.

This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay in the Fall 2024 issue of National Affairs, “Martin Luther King’s Transcendent Conservatism.”

Democracy is a central feature of Democrats’ 2024 electoral campaign. The party has worked to present its proposals on that front as designed to reject Donald Trump’s authoritarian narcissism and make government more responsive and accountable. But what the Democrats have in mind when they refer to “democracy” is a lengthy manifesto designed to transform American life should they take real control of the policy process. Guest Andy Taylor joins us to discuss the history of the modern Democratic Party, and why Democrats are now blurring the line between “saving” democracy and implementing their own policy goals.

Andrew J. Taylor is professor of political science at North Carolina State University.

This podcast discusses themes from Andy’s essay in the Fall 2024 issue of National Affairs, “The Democrats and Democracy.”

In a disturbing development, assisted suicide and euthanasia have become more prevalent across the West in recent decades. Government and health authorities are encouraging voluntary death, even for patients who do not suffer from a terminal illness but are afflicted by disabilities, poverty, or loneliness. Guest Aaron Rothstein joins us to discuss the radical assumptions about life, death, and human nature that underlie the practice of euthanasia. He also advocates a more humane approach to helping the dying and thinking about death.

Dr. Aaron Rothstein is a neurologist and a fellow in bioethics and American democracy at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. He also hosts the podcastSearching for Medicine’s Soul.

This podcast discusses themes from Aaron’s essay in the Fall 2024 issue of National Affairs, “Origins of the Modern Euthanasia Movement.”

The chaos at the border in recent years has cast into stark relief one of the central issues surrounding illegal immigration: its fiscal costs. Unfortunately, most discussions on the subject tend to be filled with misconceptions, half-truths, and even outright falsehoods. The evidence indicates that illegal immigrants are almost certainly a net drain on our public fisc — but not for the reasons many activists put forth. Guest Steven Camarota joins us to discuss the current economic and fiscal realities of immigration, and how our policies might better reflect them.

Steven A. Camarota is the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

This podcast discusses themes from Steven’s essay in the Summer 2024 issue of National Affairs, “The Cost of Illegal Immigration.”

Politics requires building coalitions in order to win elections. For those on the right, this means there is no alternative but to pursue some kind of fusionism among its competing elements. A revitalized fusionism would not look quite like the right’s prior successful coalitions, however: It would need to account for 21st-century realities, which means it will need to put family policy at the forefront of its agenda. Guest John Shelton joins us to discuss how conservatives might unite around pro-family rulemaking.

John Shelton is the policy director for Advancing American Freedom, an advocacy organization founded by former vice president Mike Pence. 

This podcast discusses themes from John’s essay in the Summer 2024 issue of National Affairs, “A Family-focused Fusionism.”

The emergence of generative artificial intelligence in the last few years has drawn a growing chorus of advocates offering proposals for how to regulate this new technology. Many of them want to treat AI as an entirely new kind of challenge that calls for entirely new regulatory tools. But starting from scratch is unlikely to lead us to effective regulation. Instead, regulators should begin from our existing tools and take the time to see what new modes of regulation might be needed.

Guest Dean Ball joins us to discuss how to strike a balance between hopeful optimism and candid recognition of the stark challenges posed by AI.

Dean Ball is a research fellow at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, where he focuses on AI. He also writes a Substack calledHyperdimensional. 

This podcast discusses themes from Dean’s essay in the Spring 2024 issue of National Affairs, “How to Regulate Artificial Intelligence.”

The textbooks most commonly used in high-school history classes are badly deficient. These books, which shape the rising generation’s perception of the country they are inheriting, often leave out the core ideas that defined the American founding and the nation’s ideals. To recover America’s sense of itself, it’s crucial to teach high-school students the connection between ideas and events.

Guest Dan Currell joins us to discuss the erasure of the founding from high-school history and how we might restore it.

Dan Currell is CEO of the Digital Commerce Alliance and a senior fellow at the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School. He has served as a senior advisor at the Department of Education and as a fellow in the office of former senator Ben Sasse.

This podcast discusses themes from Dan’s essay in the Winter 2024 issue of National Affairs, “The Invisible American Founding.”

Voting should be straightforward: Figure out which candidate or party best fits one’s political views or interests, and vote accordingly. But the last few elections have shown many Americans that it’s not nearly that simple. We could benefit from a new framework for thinking about voting, and not just for elections in which we find ourselves especially bewildered.

Guest Bryan McGraw joins us to discuss a new philosophy of voting and how to apply it in this year’s elections.

Bryan McGraw is an associate professor of politics and dean of social sciences at Wheaton College. His main areas of research are in contemporary political thought and especially how those traditions intersect with religious belief and practice.

This podcast discusses themes from Bryan and Timothy Taylor’s essay in the Winter 2024 issue of National Affairs, “How to Think about Voting.”

Classical schools are distinctly American. Just as our country was founded both as a modern engineering project and as a recollection of ancient political philosophy and the traditional rights of Englishmen, the contemporary classical-education movement is an act of construction — one might say an invented tradition — seeking to revivify and participate in something that once lived, and perhaps could again.

Guest Micah Meadowcroft joins us to discuss how classical schools teach to a higher goal of human excellence.

Micah Meadowcroft is research director for the Center for Renewing America and a contributing editor ofThe American Conservative. He was a Robert Novak Journalism Fellow at the Fund for American Studies in 2021-2022. 

This podcast discusses themes from Micah’s essay in the Fall 2023 issue of National Affairs, “Classical Education’s Aristocracy of Anyone.”

What type of party system best suits the American regime? What can we do to cultivate such a party system? Amid the current tumult and polarization of our politics, much of it the result of the degradation of our parties, it behooves us to seek answers to these questions, and to learn from past efforts to give shape to the American party system.

Guest Daniel Stid joins us to discuss reforms to the party system that could restore coalition building and union to American politics.

Daniel Stid is the executive director ofLyceum Labs, a project of the Defending Democracy Together Institute that seeks to “reimagine political leadership and parties and the contributions they could make to U.S. democracy by rallying a coalition of like-minded charitable organizations dedicated to these goals.” He previously served as the founding director of the Hewlett Foundation’s U.S. Democracy Program, and he writes ablogcalled “The Art of Association.” 

This podcast discusses themes from Daniel’s essay in the Fall 2023 issue of National Affairs, “A Madisonian Party System.”

Almost nobody is taking America's drug crisis seriously. We talk about it plenty, but that talk rarely acknowledges what distinguishes today's drug epidemic from past ones: Those earlier crises inflicted many more or less equally weighty harms — to users' health, to families, to communities. In this crisis, one problem dwarfs all others: death. Drugs have changed, probably for good. They now kill their users. A haphazard public response was more tolerable when the harms of drug use were more spread out and took time to accumulate. But with tens of thousands poisoned to death every year, bolder action is required.

Guest Charles Fain Lehman joins us to discuss how policymakers can help flatten the cycle of drug use and death.

Charles Fain Lehman is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of City Journal.

This podcast discusses themes from Charles's essay in the Summer 2023 issue of National Affairs, "How to Think about the Drug Crisis."

As his term has progressed, President Joe Biden has acted more aggressively on student-loan forgiveness than anyone might have expected. And even now, the scope of what he proposes is not obvious to many. Little-noticed changes to income-driven repayment rules could dwarf the more familiar loan-forgiveness agenda, transforming the federal student-loan system and, over time, rendering it unsustainable.

Guest Nat Malkus joins us to discuss why the Biden administration’s proposed student-loan reforms would be “disastrous,” and why Congress needs to act.

Nat Malkus is a senior fellow and the deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also the host of the AEI podcast, “The Report Card with NatMalkus,” in which he discusses the latest in education with some of the field’s most interesting researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.

This podcast discusses themes from Nat’s essay in the Summer 2023 issue of National Affairs, “The Looming Student-loan Entitlement.”

Slavery’s relation to the American Constitution has always been a point of great contention. The debate has never been resolved because the reality is complex: The Constitution did lend legal support to the practice of slavery, but it did not lend the institution legitimacy. The difference has a lot to tell us about the American political tradition.

Guest Michael Zuckert joins us to discuss why the Constitution was “admittedly imperfect, but not evil. Given the task of constitution-making as the founders conceived it, and given the mark that history had already made on the continent, it was what it had to be.”

Michael Zuckert is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Notre Dame and clinical professor at Arizona State University. His latest book is A Nation So Conceived: Abraham Lincoln and the Paradox of Democratic Sovereignty.

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay in the Spring 2023 issue of National Affairs, “Slavery and the Constitution.”

If the Supreme Court curtails racial preferences in college admissions, Americans should celebrate the triumph of the truth that people should be treated as individuals rather than as members of racial groups. But we should also recognize that good-faith efforts to uplift economically disadvantaged students of all races help fulfill another cherished American goal: facilitating social mobility.

Guest Richard Kahlenberg joins us to make the case for focusing on class diversity, rather than racial groups, in college admissions.

Richard Kahlenberg is an education and housing researcher and policy consultant as well as a non-resident scholar at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. He served as an expert witness for Students for Fair Admissions in its lawsuits against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina regarding those schools’ affirmative-action policies.

This podcast discusses themes from Richard’s essay in the Spring 2023 issue of National Affairs, “A Middle Ground on Race and College.”

The Federalist was written more than two centuries ago with a particular purpose: persuading Americans to back the Constitution. Yet far from being a period piece, it initiated nothing less than a revolution in political thought — one that fundamentally redefined how we understand popular government. Grasping this point could help today’s Americans make better sense of our society’s contemporary challenges.

Guest Steven Smith joins us to discuss how the authors of The Federalist defined the republic we know today, but also their silence on important matters of moral education and statesmanship.

Steven Smith is the Alfred Cowles Professor of Political Science at Yale University. His scholarship has focused particularly on the problem of the ancients and moderns, the relation of religion and politics, and theories of representative government. He is the author of numerous books, most recentlyReclaiming Patriotism in an Age of Extremes.

This podcast discusses themes from Steven’s essay in the Winter 2023 issue of National Affairs, “Learning from Publius.”

For more on this topic, see Steven’s essay in the journal Liberties, “What is a Statesman.”

This spring, in the case of Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court will decide whether and when state judges can step in to draw congressional district maps. The case takes up the so-called “independent state legislature” theory. At issue is nothing less than the traditional model of American redistricting, in which the people’s representatives, not partisan activists and courts, craft district maps.

Guest Andrew Taylor joins us to discuss ISL theory as a “final, even desperate, salvo” to save legislative redistricting.

Andrew Taylor is professor of political science at North Carolina State University, and he was an expert witness for the legislative defendants inNC League of Conservation Voters v. Halland inHarper v. Hall. The issues in those state redistricting disputes are now before the U.S. Supreme Court in the caseMoore v. Harper.

This podcast discusses themes from Andrew’s essay in the Winter 2023 issue of National Affairs, “The Future of Redistricting.”

Neither free-speech absolutism nor censorship will solve the problems that surround political speech today. Instead, we need a renewed commitment to the citizen’s task of finding common ground, even and especially between factions that seem irreconcilable. We need to relearn how to rule and be ruled in turn.

Guests Jenna and Ben Storey join us to discuss how political speech can overcome social division and advance the common good.

Jenna and Ben Storey are both senior fellows in Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), and concurrently are research professors at Furman University, where they ran the Tocqueville Program. At AEI they focus on political philosophy, civil society, and higher education. The Storeys wrote a book together, titledWhy We Are Restless: On the Modern Quest for Contentment, and are working on a new one about liberal education and civic life.

This podcast discusses themes from the Storeys’ essay in the Fall 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Political Speech in Divided Times.”

Pressuring families to keep both parents in the workforce while their children are young may be beneficial for GDP, but it often harms families. Both policymakers and employers should recognize that many families want one parent to stay home with the kids in their early years, and should find ways to make that possible.

Guest Ivana Greco joins us to discuss policy reforms that would encourage and aid families with a breadwinner and a homemaker.

Ivana Greco practiced as an attorney specializing in qualified retirement-plan advising and health-care litigation until last year. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she became a stay-at-home mother.

This podcast discusses themes from Ivana’s essay in the Fall 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Reframing Family Policy.”  

The question of the proper role of government once unified the right, but now it divides it. Some conservatives are increasingly open to an assertive role for the state, particularly in supporting family formation. But what rules and standards should define that role? The principle of subsidiarity can be of enormous help in tackling this question and in shaping conservative family policy. Guest Andy Smarick joins us to define subsidiarity and discuss how it might inform policymakers.

Andy Smarick is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, where his work focuses on education, civil society, and the principles of American conservatism.

This podcast discusses themes from Andy’s essay in the Summer 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Subsidiarity and Family Policy.”  

What does it mean to be a conservative in a time of profound upheaval, when it is no longer clear what can or even should be conserved? Few Americans have more to teach us on that front than John Jay — a man who modeled throughout his remarkable life and work the vocation of a conservative in a time of disruption.

Guest Brad Littlejohn joins us to discuss Jay, the founding father whose brand of “conservative, nationalist statesmanship” provides lessons for how to remain calm amid the political storms of today.

Brad Littlejohn is a fellow in the Ethics and Public Policy Center’sEvangelicals in Civic Life Programand is founder and president of the Davenant Institute. He previously worked as a senior fellow of the Edmund Burke Foundation as lead author on a multi-year project entitled “Foundations of Liberty: Rediscovering the Anglo-American Conservative Tradition.” 

This podcast discusses themes from Brad’s essay in the Summer 2022 issue of National Affairs, “A Conservative Revolutionary.”

The information revolution has produced the most dramatic economic and social transformations since industrialization. Like that preceding revolution, it has yielded some great benefits but has also generated some unanticipated and unacceptable harms that are particularly acute among one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations: our children. To grapple with this issue successfully, policymakers will need to understand that the questions involved require us to think beyond individual freedom and economic dynamism, and to take seriously the well-being of the rising generation.

Guest Chris Griswold joins us to discuss the historical parallels between child labor in the 19th century and kids’ use of social media today, and to suggest steps that policymakers can take to protect them from its harms.

Chris Griswold is the policy director at AmericanCompass, a conservative organization whose mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity.

This podcast discusses themes from Chris’s essay in the Spring 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Protecting Children from Social Media.”

Constitutionalist court watchers, judges, and scholars are now engaged in an intense debate over how to apply originalism and textualism in practice. The work of late legal scholar Alexander Bickel points toward a tradition-based originalism that could offer a path through that debate. His approach calls on our shared national memory to help us achieve what the conservative judicial critique sought in the first place. Guest Will Haun joins us to outline this view of originalism and its relevance to current legal disputes before the Supreme Court, including the contentious abortion case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

Will Haun is senior counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

This podcast discusses themes from Will’s essay in the Spring 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Tradition-based Originalism and the Supreme Court.”

The populist turn of the American right has created a policy affinity between nationalist conservatives and mainstream progressives. Both seem to agree that an emphasis on dynamism has undermined our economy’s ability to prioritize workers, families, and communities. But in fact, the trouble facing America’s heartland is more likely the result of a lack of dynamism than an excess of it. Guest Ryan Streeter joins us to make the case for dynamism in American culture and economic policy, and offer some paths to pursue it.

Ryan Streeter is the director of domestic-policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute.

This podcast discusses themes from Ryan’s essay in the Winter 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Dynamism as a Public Philosophy.”   

How to balance state and national power was perhaps the single most important and challenging question confronting the early republic. The way the framers took up that question, and the approach they landed on for addressing it, can help us appreciate just how unlikely the emergence of the United States as we now know it really was. Guest Allen Guelzo joins us to discuss the framers’ approach to federalism and how it can still help us maximize liberty and use power responsibly today.

Allen Guelzo is the senior research scholar in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University, as well as director of the Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship at the university’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions.  

This podcast discusses themes from Dr. Guelzo’s essay in the Winter 2022 issue of National Affairs, “Federalism and the Founders.”  

Conservatives have been on the sidelines of climate-policy debates for several decades now. In recent years, however, a new force has appeared in climate politics: the Eco-right. Guests Alex Bozmoski and Nate Hochman join us to discuss the different factions within this movement of scrappy, conservative-leaning non-profits and think tanks, and explain how they can best work together to guide and embolden the right on climate-related issues.

Alex Bozmoski is the vice president for programs at DEPLOY/US. Nate Hochman is an Intercollegiate Studies Institute fellow at National Review and a recent graduate of Colorado College.

This podcast discusses themes from Alex and Nate’s essay in the Fall 2021 issue of National Affairs, “The Future of Conservative Climate Leadership.” 

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have few fans in Washington, but thanks to increasing worries over the long-term stability of the dollar, they have piqued the interest of some major investors. In an era of rapid growth in deficits and debt and rising inflation, cryptocurrencies may be pointing us toward a new monetary order. Guest Avik Roy joins us to discuss why policymakers should take these currencies seriously — as both threats and opportunities.

Avik Roy is president of the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.

This podcast discusses themes from Avik’s essay in the Fall 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Bitcoin and the U.S. Fiscal Reckoning.”  

The case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization — which the Supreme Court will hear this term — offers the cleanest opportunity since 1973 for the Court to revisit its abortion jurisprudence. A review of that jurisprudence shows that, regardless of anyone’s views of abortion itself, basic fidelity to the Constitution and the rule of law demands it be overturned. Guest Carter Snead joins us to make the constitutional, legal, and moral case for rejecting the Court’s abortion precedents.

O. Carter Snead is professor of law at the Notre Dame Law School and director of the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame.

This podcast discusses themes from Carter’s and Mary Ann Glendon’s essay in the Fall 2021 issue of National Affairs, “The Case for Overturning Roe.”  

Few would dispute the observation that Congress is now dysfunctional. But why has that happened? Considering the House of Representatives in particular suggests three ways in which Congress has gone off track: substantive, procedural, and structural. Each in turn points to a set of reforms that might help the House recover its central place in our constitutional system. Former congressman Keith Rothfus joins us to walk through these reforms and how they might empower the people’s house.

Keith Rothfus represented Pennsylvania’s 12th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives between 2013 and 2019.

This podcast discusses themes from Keith’s essay in the Summer 2021 issue of National Affairs, “How to Fix the House of Representatives.”

The idea that immigration is the solution to the aging of American society has become an article of faith among those arguing for ever-higher levels of new arrivals. It’s not a crazy argument; it just happens to be incorrect. In reality, the impact immigrants can have on population aging is small. Immigration certainly makes our population larger, but not younger. Guest Steven Camarota joins us to debunk this conventional wisdom and suggest alternatives for addressing the challenges of an aging society.

Steven Camarota is the director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

This podcast discusses themes from Steve’s essay in the Summer 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Immigration and the Aging Society.”  

In recent years, some on the right have argued that the national interest requires policymakers to coordinate key sectors of the economy, and that this would mark a return to a proud American tradition. But the history of American economic policy provides as much a warning as a guide for these would-be planners, and should leave them wary of attempts to direct the economy from the top down. Guest Mike Watson joins us to discuss this history and its lessons for today’s political leaders.  

Mike Watson is the associate director of the Hudson Institute’s Center for the Future of Liberal Society.

This podcast discusses themes from Mike’s essay in the Summer 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Industrial Policy in the Real World.”

Benjamin Franklin presents us with layers of confounding mystery. And that’s how he wanted it. From his earliest creation — a set of letters to the editor of the New-England Courant written under the pseudonym Silence Dogood — he hid himself behind masks that let him speak frankly yet always ambiguously. Both what he said and how are keys to his enduring appeal. Guest Ralph Lerner joins us to discuss how we might discern some of Franklin’s principles, and what the founding father can still teach us today about the arts of persuasion and self-government.

Ralph Lerner is the Benjamin Franklin Professor Emeritus in the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago.

This podcast discusses themes from Ralph’s essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Puzzling over Franklin.”  

When we discuss education in America, we almost invariably refer to schools. But Americans have always been ambivalent about whether parents or a formal teaching establishment should ultimately be responsible for the education of the rising generation. That ambivalence itself offers a key to understanding America’s endless education debates. Guest Rita Koganzon joins us to discuss the history of these two educational traditions — institutionalized schooling and self-education — and how they might shape the future of American education.

Rita Koganzon is a professor of politics and the associate director of the program on constitutionalism and democracy at the University of Virginia. Her research focuses on the themes of childhood, education, and the family in political thought.  

This podcast discusses themes from Rita’s essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “A Tale of Two Educational Traditions.”

The crisis in which our country found itself following the 2020 election was in many respects unprecedented. Yet it also built on a years-long pattern by which losing politicians have sown mistrust in our elections. We must now wonder if every candidate who loses a major election will refuse to concede and instead set out to raise money and build support on the back of unfounded claims of corruption. To avoid that prospect, we will need to come to terms with the scope of the problem, and that won't be comfortable for either party. Guest Brad Raffensperger joins us to discuss the bipartisan assault on trust in our elections and how we might begin to restore the public’s confidence in our democracy and its institutions.

Brad Raffensperger is the secretary of state of Georgia. Secretary Raffensperger oversaw Georgia’s closely contested race in the 2020 presidential election — including a recount by hand that confirmed Joe Biden’s win by fewer than 12,000 votes.     

This podcast discusses themes from the secretary’s lead essay in the Spring 2021 issue of National Affairs, “The Assault on Trust in Our Elections.”

The 2019-2020 school year will be remembered as the year we all became home schoolers. But well before the pandemic, the popularity of home schooling exceeded its actual prevalence, as fiscal and logistical challenges often posed insurmountable obstacles for potential home-school families. Guest Michael McShane joins us to discuss the hybrid home-school model, and how it might offer a way to close the gap as families consider their post-pandemic options. 

Michael McShane is the director of national research at EdChoice and author of Hybrid Homeschooling: A Guide to the Future of Education.Prior to his work in education policy and school-choice advocacy, he worked as a high-school teacher in Montgomery, Alabama.  

This podcast discusses themes from Michael’s essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Blending Home and School.”

“Cultural humility” has recently joined diversity, inclusion, equity, and intersectionality in the social-justice lexicon. An entire social movement is hidden in those two words — one that is far from innocuous. To prevent the concept from undermining our educational institutions, we need to see cultural humility for what it really is and understand the challenge it poses to traditional academic ideals. Guest Elizabeth Corey joins us to discuss this politically motivated distortion of the virtue of humility, and to offer the alternative of liberal education.

*Note: Elizabeth Corey's bio is stated incorrectly on the podcast. She is an associate professor of political science at Baylor University, and the director of Baylor’s Honors Program. She was also a visiting professor at the American Enterprise Institute for the 2018-2019 academic year. 

This podcast discusses themes from Elizabeth’s essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Questioning Cultural Humility.”

What will be Donald Trump’s lasting effects on American politics? Three conventional wisdoms have arisen in response to that question. In one view, Trump was an aberration, and his imprint will fade as President Biden reverses his executive actions and his sad attempts to remain relevant in retirement prove futile. A second view sees Trump as transformative, insisting his unconventional campaigning and governing styles decisively reconstructed the presidency and our broader political culture. A third view asserts Trump was mostly a symptom of larger forces in American and global politics. Guests Casey Burgat and Matt Glassman join us to parse through and weigh these possibilities, and discuss why each view captures a portion of the truth. Trump’s norm breaking and influence on the party system will likely be his most enduring legacy, they argue.

Casey Burgat is the director of the Legislative Affairs program and an assistant professor at George Washington University’s Graduate School of Political Management. And Matt Glassman is a senior fellow at Georgetown University’s Government Affairs Institute.

This podcast discusses themes from Casey and Matt’s lead essay in the Winter 2021 issue of National Affairs, “Politics After Trump.”

The gains from trade and technological advance in recent decades have been enormous. But the transformation has had some downsides, too. These drawbacks have transformed our politics in recent decades, and the economic disaster accompanying the coronavirus pandemic has only magnified them. Defenders of markets have too often sought to dismiss the downsides, while populists point to them as reasons to build walls of protectionism and regulation. Both approaches are forms of denial. Guest Glenn Hubbard joins us to discuss how we can make the most of the benefits of economic dynamism while addressing its costs. Rather than erecting “walls” in pursuit of perpetual economic security and stability, he argues for a policy approach focused on building “bridges” that could better connect those who suffer from economic disruption to the benefits of America’s free-market system. 

Glenn Hubbardis the Russell L. Carson Professor of Finance and Economics at Columbia Business School and was chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under President George W. Bush. His forthcoming book is titled The Wall and the Bridge (Yale University Press).

This podcast discusses themes from Glenn’s essay in the Fall 2020 issue of National Affairs, “The Wall and the Bridge.”

As America’s political parties have been increasingly captured by their ideological extremes in recent decades, the space for cross-party coalition building has shrunk. Some reformers argue that only third parties can help, but this solution has never been realistic in our system. A more practical way forward would require would-be coalition builders to participate more vigorously in party politics, getting their hands dirty in organized faction building. Guest Steven Teles joins us to discuss the prospects for each party’s factions in the aftermath of the 2020 election, and whether stronger factions could lead to a more moderate and deliberative politics.

Steven Teles is a professor of political science at Johns Hopkins University and a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center. He is also the co-author, along with Robert Saldin, of the book Never Trump: The Revolt of the Conservative Elites.  

This podcast discusses themes from Steve and Rob’s essay in the Fall 2020 issue of National Affairs, “The Future is Faction.” 

Elections in America and around the world in recent years have raised concerns about the reliability of opinion polling. But the challenges facing the industry go beyond simple reliability and predictive power, revealing a chasm between pollsters and the public they observe that poses a threat to the credibility and usefulness of opinion surveys in our democracy. After the shocking election results in 2016, will Americans find the polls more trustworthy in 2020? Guest Karlyn Bowman joins us to discuss.

Karlyn Bowman is a senior fellow and research coordinator at the American Enterprise Institute, where she studies trends in American public opinion on a wide variety of social and political topics. She is also the recipient of the Roper Center’s 2020 Warren J. Mitofsky Award for Excellence in Public Opinion Research, one of the highest honors in polling and public opinion.

This podcast discusses themes from Karlyn’s essay in the Summer 2018 issue of National Affairs, “The Trouble with Polling.” 

This year's public-health crisis has ravaged state budgets across the country, as revenues plummet while spending explodes. For some states, this has dramatically worsened pre-existing fiscal problems caused by decades of mismanagement of pension obligations. Guest David Skeel argues that in order to help those states in particular, Congress should create the option of state-government bankruptcy, which current law does not allow.

David Skeel is the S. Samuel Arsht Professor of Corporate Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and the author of Debt’s Dominion: A History of Bankruptcy Law in America. David also served as a member of Puerto Rico’s Financial Oversight and Management Board, following the territory’s bankruptcy crisis in 2016. 

This podcast discusses themes from David’s essay in the Summer 2020 issue of National Affairs, “State Bankruptcy Revisited.”

When we step back and consider America's 21st-century politics, our responses to crises — in 2001, 2008-09, and this year — vastly exceed "normal" times in terms of importance. This change of perspective should compel us to reject the idea that polarization is the defining feature of our era, and to reassess our understanding of the American political system's capacities and infirmities. Guest Philip Wallach discusses how we can better prepare for emergencies before they happen — or, better yet, prevent them from becoming emergencies at all.

Philip Wallach is a resident senior fellow in governance at the R Street Institute, where he researches America’s separation of powers with a focus on the relationship between Congress and the administrative state. He was previously a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, and he served as a fellow with the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress from May to October 2019.

This podcast discusses themes from Philip’s essay in the Summer 2020 issue of National Affairs, “Crisis Government.”