Galloway Institute: Recent Episodes
Galloway Institute
Post-modernism was all about creating a flat moral landscape through deconstruction. Irreverence and ironic cynicism took aim at and demolished the ethical hierarchies that structured the cultural, economic, and political traditions of the West. Gone were the grand patriotic narratives and transcendent religious beliefs, our prior notions of progress were slammed into a brick wall, objectivity was torched and relativism turned honest communication into a dialectical circus, everything great was reduced and made small, all the glory contained within the human experience was unwound into a pathetic heap of trash.
Fortunately for us, the glory of post-modernism walks hand in hand with its doom. Post-modernism is a negative reactive force - it can tear down systems of belief but it cannot actively provide a solid basis for building new positive systems of belief. Now that post-modernism has largely succeeded in deconstructing hierarchies and flattening our moral landscape it has created a problem it cannot solve: What now? Are we just supposed to become sloths and accept a post-modern dead-end to our individual, cultural, and political development?
Of course not! The more post-modernism succeeds in tearing something down the stronger the reaction will be to build something up in its place. In this way, meta-modernism can enter the discussion as a positive reconstructive force:
"Meta-modernism stands in the rubble of all knowledge humanity had amassed over thousands of years of progress. The rubble created when postmodernism smashed our collective thought to bits in the name of intellectual emancipation. With this blank slate, meta-modernism [can select] from all human knowledge and begin to construct a new grand narrative, one subject to constant discussion and consideration. It will be honest and it will push itself forward by justifying itself, not attacking the thoughts and positions of others."
If we look around, it certainly appears that the woke narrative has ascended into a golden age. These post-modern idols seem to be towering over our society casting their shadow over everything: media, corporations, pop culture, schools, politicians, the United Nations, and even institutions like the military and the intelligence community. If there is any doubt as to how prominent the woke narrative has become, we just have to look at the severity of the social ostracism inflicted upon those who blaspheme against it.
But has the golden age of wokeness and these other ideologies already come and gone? Is it possible that these narratives have slipped into the twilight years of their glory? Let us take a hammer to these post-modern idols and listen carefully to what we hear. Is there anything lasting, anything of substance inside these structures of belief? When we tap them with our hammer does a harmonious echo ring out? Or does the note fall flat? How firmly are these idols actually rooted in the minds of men? Do they wobble if we give them a push?
There has been a lot of interesting commentary lately about America’s position in the world as the leading superpower. On one hand, some are going back to 1917 and questioning the wisdom of the United States’ involvement in the First World War. Is it strange that America First patriots would go back and yield the 20th century to Germany but now wince at the idea of China leading the 21st? On the other hand, some are looking forward to the future and coming to terms China becoming the new global hegemon.
Certainly, a case could be made that it would be preferable to live under a German-led 20th century post-WWI than a Chinese-led 21st century - but that is not the point. Why would Americans ever want to cede power to others? Why be skeptical of the superior station we held in the 20th century and now be uncertain about our role in the 21st century and beyond? How could we be comfortable with anything less than continued dominance and unparalleled strength?
Citizens of strong nations must never forget the primordial reality dwelling at the bottom of politics: the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must. Our government exists, in part, to make sure Americans always have more power to be in control of their destinies than less.
We want to be strong so we have the freedom to act as we judge fit. We do not want to ever feel pressured to bow under the dishonorable yoke of some other nation for any reason whatsoever. It is always preferable to be a strong and prideful hegemon than a virtuous but weaker power (the hope being that virtue is easier to revitalize internally than reclaiming dominance on the world stage).
The consequences of excessive pride - decadence, arrogance, and overall neglect of the critical social & political infrastructure necessary to sustain a powerful country - are certainly difficult challenges to contend with, but they are small in comparison to the consequences of being a weaker country. It is impossible to ignore the correlation between a nation’s strength and its freedom of will. Again, the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.
So what is the practical takeaway from this musing? Simply this: If our nation’s unity begins to fracture and the well of public virtue begins to dry up, if we appear decadent and start losing our way, we need not add to the chaos and also willingly surrender our nation's superiority on the world stage. Instead, we should focus our efforts on revitalizing the spirit of our citizenry so the American people can continue to enjoy the freedom that only powerful nations can ever actually guarantee.
Until this Renaissance arrives, some people will continue to suggest that America is just too dumb and decadent to last as a superpower. But our pride remains a force nonetheless. Maybe this arrogance will only accelerate our decline…but maybe our pride can be tapped to inspire a renewed sense of greatness.
Can our pride can spark courageous actions and summon from the chaos of modern life new adventures and dazzling heroes? It is by no means clear that some other nation is ready to shine fouth while we slip into the final twilight years of our power.
The fate of these United States has not yet been sealed! Perhaps others nations will not be fortunate enough to find their future glories in ruins of our collapse…perhaps we will be the ones triumphing once more.
Last week in France, a group of retired military generals signed an open letter imploring President Macron and other members of the French government to address the “mortal dangers” facing their nation. The signatories of this letter accused their political leaders of not only failing to enforce existing laws but also dishonoring their culture and history.
It is not clear at this time what will come of this. Will the generals put down their pens and draw their swords? It seems very unlikely. Recent polling found that 70% of French people felt that their country was declining, and nearly 50% agreed with the points expressed in the letter. With this broad level of support, a peaceful political solution certainly seems possible.
It is important to note that these sentiments are not uniquely French. All across Western “liberal” democracies, more and more people are becoming dissatisfied with the elites leading their politics and culture. The Establishment + Woke hegemony seems to be more interested in deconstructing Western heritage than rallying behind it. Increasingly, Western peoples are told to look at their flags and histories and feel shame instead of pride.
The Galloway Institute began as a reaction to reading a quote from Cicero in our college dorm.
You keep talking about those celestial phenomena, whereas I should regard what happens before our very eyes as more worthy of study. Why, do you enquire how two suns can be seen, but not why in one country there are now two people's and almost two nations?
Take my advice, then, my young friends, and don't worry about the second sun. It may not exist at all; or, as it has been seen, let it exist provided it does no harm. In any case we can know nothing of such things, and even if we come to know a great deal, that kind of knowledge will not make us better or happier people.
To have one Republic and one citizen body is achievable; if it isn't achieved, we are in serious trouble. But know this: if unity is brought about we shall live better and happier lives.
We felt as if we caught a glimpse of the truth dwelling at the bottom of politics. Everything we thought we knew or cared about in this subject was reduced to a simple heuristic: victory in politics means achieving unity.
Immediately after this discovery, our obsession with ideologies faded, and our entire view of our current political crisis was transformed. We no longer saw just a barren landscape littered with uninspiring narratives and a broken regime governed by weak lameos. Instead, we began to see an opportunity to revitalize America with a new unifying political narrative.
The idea of “unity” sounds like a normie pipe-dream amidst the challenges of modern politics and the growing divide inside the spirit of the American people, but in this chaos, we saw adventure: an opportunity to face the greatest difficulty in politics and reach the highest glory.
We have been chasing this idea for several years, and we feel confident that we are on to something. The podcast we began last August was the Galloway Institute’s first chapter, and now have our eyes set on taking this idea to the next level. Churchill’s old saying rings in my head:
This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is perhaps the end of the beginning.
Labels help us understand our place in the political landscape. Generally, there are three different types of political labels: positional, ideological, and practical.
Conservative and liberal are positional labels that distinguish those who hold cultural and political power from those who do not (or to a lesser degree). Left and right are ideological labels that encompass all the different theories explaining how we should live and why. Lastly, Republican and Democrat are practical labels that ideas must inhabit to get something done within the political landscape.
The Establishment + Woke hegemony are the explicit conservatives in today’s political landscape. Part of their genius is how they have been able to hang on to the “liberal” label despite exercising dominance over both culture and politics. These semantic labels may seem pointless in the grander scheme, but the liberal label is a form of power in and of itself. Whoever holds the liberal label is on the offensive and associated with “progress.” Those who hold the conservative label are naturally on the defensive and associated with “maintaining the status quo.”
If a successful challenge is to be mounted against the Establishment + Woke hegemony it will be essential to apply these positional labels properly. The New-Right should not be afraid to take up the liberal label and pin conservatism on the hegemons. This will give the New-Right an archetypal advantage, as they will be seen as the artists, pioneers, and heroes progressing forward to storm the citadel, confront the leviathan, and bring prosperity, freedom, and happiness to the realm.
The Conservative label is dead weight. Continuing to bear it not only distorts the positional reality of today's political landscape but also denies liberty-minded people the archetypal advantage against the Establishment + Woke hegemony. Rather than taking black pills and sinking into bitter resentment against our fellow citizens, or getting too comfortable romanticizing the paltry remains of a bygone age, revitalizing the liberal label will snap us out of these delusions and inspire a profound sense of purpose, action, and adventure.
The failed systems and abusive policies supporting the Establishment's rule routinely manifest in broad daylight for the whole world to see. Even more damaging, the woke narrative has compromised the Unity of the American people and plunged us into a bitter ideological civil war. Chaos was lurking at our door and we invited it in. The regime is in peril, but these difficulties will inspire the noble and heroic spirit within mankind to reawaken.
Chaos provides opportunities to find glory, and the greatest glory belongs to whoever can confront the leviathan and solve the complex challenges of modern politics. So while chaos throws some into a paralyzing panic, it activates a profound sense of adventure in others.
The New-Right seems to be the only place in the political landscape where people are answering this call to adventure and willing to challenge the Establishment + Woke hegemony.
For the New-Right, Red States are really one of the only remaining institutions from which the Establishment + woke hegemony can be challenged. So when the deep-red legislature of South Dakota sent a bill that would prohibit transgender women from competing in female sports to the governor's desk, the New-Right was expecting an easy cultural victory on this salient issue.
Governor Kristie Noem was a rising star in the GOP due to her resilient stand to keep South Dakota open amidst the COVID pandemic; however, she refused to sign the bill and sent it back to the legislature fearing that the current version would get eviscerated in court on TITLE IX grounds.
While it was easy (and perhaps in the end correct) for the New-Right to pooh-pooh Noem's appeal to prudence and just dismiss her as a coward, this whole episode should instead lead us to acknowledge the terminal impotence of the Republican Party over any single governor.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Noem mentioned the need to "build coalition of support," but this kind of support is what a strong and vibrant party should already be bringing to an issue like this. National Republican leaders and other Governors of other Red States should be running to Noem and the South Dakota's legislature’s side. The GOP would make sure they get the job done and martial the legal & financial resources necessary to assuage any of her doubts. If Noem continues to balk, then you have your answer to the prudence or cowardice question.
As a politician trying to win on this issue, you would rather have the wind of an entire national party at your back than the wind of a legal defeat spearheaded by the governor of South Dakota and Herschel Walker.
This whole episode with Governor Noem leaves a heavy ultimatum for the New-Right to consider moving forward: if they want to be the master's of their own fate and have any chance of combating the Establishment + Woke hegemony, they must wrestle with either taking control of the GOP or rivaling it with a new party.
If the Republican party was founded by a band of liberty-minded dudes riding around on horses in the woods of the early Midwest, imagine what we could do today? We have billions in capital to draw from, millions of disaffected citizens, and modern communication tech. And beneath all of that, we have the most compelling and unifying story to tell. The world is watching and wondering: what’s stopping us from becoming the masters of our fate?
The media leads American politics through a weekly ritual of shock, outrage, and division. Tucker Carlson (a frequent effigy) became the apex of last week's frenzy after drawing attention to the varying a key difference between the US. and Chinese militaries. While Xi Jinping is growing its fleet, the Biden administration is designing flight suits for pregnant women and reforming female hair style protocols.
The danger of the woke military is the signal it sends to adversaries around the globe:
America does not have its own house in order. The nation’s focus is bogged down by ridiculous ideologies, and its leaders are pathetic. The people disagree on fundamental issues and are at each others throats. They are not unified and therefore weak.
This situation should serve as an instructive reminded: the more polarized our politics becomes, the more paralyzed we will be when the lightening strikes. Therefore, creating inspirational political narrative that unifies the American people in a way should be seen in part as a national security imperative.
We discuss the recent skirmish on the liberty-minded-front initiated by National Review's Jack Butler's and his article titled "Wait Just One American Moment." The back and fourth that ensued between the "Old-Right" and the "New-Right" is worth talking about because it represents the archetypal death and rebirth of ideas.
Individual liberty, constitutional government, free markets, and small government are all ideas that inspire the weaker power in the political landscape. They have been consumed by the progressive politics of the last century and now sit metaphorically inside the belly of a whale.
How are we going to get out of this perilous place? While the "Old-Right" proclaims to be standing athwart to history yelling "Stop," the "New-Right" is standing athwart to history yelling "Forward."
Our conclusion: The “Old-Right” needs awakened or it will continue to be devoured by the Establishment + woke hegemony and fail to ever win political power. But the “New-Right” needs magnanimous leadership or it will struggle to challenge the Establishment + woke hegemony and fail to sustain political power.
Our politics are in crisis. Things seem to be falling apart and everyone is frustrated for some reason or another. Unfortunately, America's political landscape is an evolving patchwork of messy labels and confusing dynamics, so it is quite difficult to put our finger on the source of our troubles. Trying to make sense of America's political landscape is paramount because, in order to overcome a crisis, we must have the discipline to truly understand it.
Our analysis begins by looking at the basic power dynamic at play in every society. On the one hand, the "Conservatives" are those who have established cultural and political hegemony. Conservatives aim to preserve the society that they control and dominate. On the other hand, "liberals" reflect those on the peripheries of power. Liberals aim to challenge the established order of things and act as reformers, restorationists, and even revolutionaries.
To gain an accurate understanding of America's political landscape we need to drop our prior view of "Conservative" and "Liberal" and apply these labels properly. We hope to identify the true conservatives and the nature of their cultural and political power. In addition, we will try to identify the various liberal groups and some of the means they are employing to challenge the Conservative hegemony.
American politics is broken and there seems to be no vehicle available to fix it.
The two parties are controlled by a corrupt establishment and the Presidency can only sustain a populist movement for four to eight years. With no inspiring alternatives on the horizon, people are embracing political power games and even joining ill-informed crusades against boogeymen like hedge funds instead of addressing the root causes of our political crisis.
So where in the country are we seeing signs of hope? Who, if anyone, is out there doing the hard work to provide this inspiring alternative?
One recent spark of inspiration has come from the 1776 Commission. The Commission was intended to instruct federal education policy, but it actually provides a sort of political narrative or plan to try and fix our broken politics. At its core, the Commission posits that Americans are deeply divided on first principles like the meaning of our country, it's history, and how it should be governed. The proposed remedy to this crisis is to teach people that the founding principles can be a enduring source of unity and strength. Through education, we can inspire a new generation of citizens who have the knowledge, strength, and virtue of a free people.
While we respect the Commission's work, we disagree with the idea that education can get us through the political crisis they accurately describe. At some point, the actual pursuit of good government becomes more imperative than the study.
I think it is fair to say that many people are fatigued with politics today. Americans are bitterly divided, and people have become entrenched, viewing politics as a death-match between left and right, liberal and conservative, Democrat and Republican. These traditional narratives provide no hope, no excitement, and no enthusiasm. They have become incredibly toxic and shown an increasing willingness to gamble our Republic away by playing dangerous power games against one another.
But there is a large majority of Americans that are put-off by this division and would welcome a new unifying message. Someone just has to go through the work of creating that message and starting new conversations. That is what the Galloway Institute exists to do.
We are determined to build a new and exciting political narrative that can restore our Unity and provide a new hope for the future of American politics.
With the recent uptick in Civil War rhetoric, Jeff and I thought it might be wise to reflect back on the brutal nature of civil wars and the moral imperative to avoid them at all costs.
To assist in this effort, we will turn to an Ancient Greek historian named Thucydides and focus on several passages detailing the Corcyraean Revolution. In the opening years of the Peloponnesian war, the island of Corcyra was engaged in a horrific civil war between Democrats and Oligarchs.
Thucydides tells us how "Both sides were engaged in butchering those of their fellow citizens whom they regarded as their enemies…Death thus raged in every shape; and, there was no length to which violence did not go."
From our reflections on the Corcyraean Revolution, we hope to steer people away from escalating the political divide and encourage moderating any hostile, uncompromising opinions of their fellow citizens. Politics is the challenge of figuring out how 330 million different people can live together happily in the same society; civil wars represent a total failure in this challenge.
Once we grasp the true nature and moral hazards of civil wars, it should be clear that unifying with your fellow citizens is a whole lot easier than trying to subvert and destroy them.
Today we wrap the year 2020. There's an old Chinese proverb that proclaims “I hope you live in interesting times” and whether that means good or ill, I think we can all agree that 2020 was interesting, to say the least.
We realize this year has been trying for everyone on many different levels and while we talk about the craziness of COVID-19 and the chaos of the election, we also talk about how we believe that this year showed that a new political narrative is necessary to unify people across the political divide. We thank you for listening and we look forward to your support in 2021.
So without further ado, let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences
Today we dive into the most pressing of current events, the ongoing struggle in the presidential election. We talk about the most recent news regarding the election, before diving into a couple of different scenarios around the election itself, including a lively discussion of what Trump would do if voter fraud was proven as fact.
We will also discuss the possibility of a new political party rising with Trump at the lead, and how that would affect political power in America.
So let’s talk politics because ideas have consequences.
In Episode 12 of the Galloway Institute Podcast, Jeff and I discuss the Cold Civil War currently consuming American politics. It is important to remember that politics is the challenge of how many different people can live peacefully together. Today, we are really struggling with this challenge because people are divided on fundamental issues.
As a result; politics has become an incredibly sensitive and emotional matter. People are losing respect for one another; resentment is today's prevailing feeling. Healthy political rivalry has devolved into ideological warfare and vicious contests for power are starting to tear society apart. This is the cold civil war. A struggle of some sort is inevitable, and the million-dollar question is what will be the consequences of this great political divide?
We conclude with our routine appeal, to anyone who is willing to listen, that our Unity is a moral imperative. We discount whoever may suggest even a suspicion that our Unity should be abandoned and frown indignantly upon any attempt to alienate any portion of the country from the rest.
I hope you find something meaningful listening to this show, please let us know what you think.
In Episode 11, Jeff and I explain how we hope the Galloway Institute can inspire people who feel politically homeless. Ultimately, we are the master's of our own fate. If we want healthier politics, if we want to bridge the political divide, and become a more unified people, then we need to be ambitious, step up, and lead.
All too often, liberty minded voices get stuck in the commentary trap. Rather than stepping up to lead, many get too comfortable taking their ques from their opponents and just complain on social media. Our hope is that the Galloway Institute can fill this strategic gap and one day provide real leadership to advance the ideas of individual liberty and constitutional government.
We conclude by going back to Ancient Athens to contrast the great statesman Pericles with the destructive Demagogue Cleon. In this discussion, we try to highlight how good leadership is tied to how well we understand the proper ends and means of politics.
So check out our show, let us know what you think, and as always, we appreciate your support.
Chapters:
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[0:00] - We Are The Masters Of Our Fate
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[21:30] - The Political Commentary Trap
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[30:21] - Organize Your Political Views
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[40:31] - Pericles v. Cleon: Thoughts on Political Leadership
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[1:00:43] - Death by Demagogues: The Tragedy of Ancient Athens
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[1:06:26] - Is the Libertarian Party Legit?
Episode line-up:
[0:00] - Biden-Harris Paternalism
- We discuss how paternalism is fundamentally flawed and repugnant political philosophy, and why the Individual must always exist at the center of this relationship.
[7:34] - Democrats Demand Medicare For All
- When faced with the question, "how do we provide the highest quality healthcare to the greatest number of people?" many immediately point to the need for a single payer, medicare-for-all system. Can we help remedy the inequities and suffering of existence without creating massive government programs?
[17:07] - Democrats Demand Student Loan Forgiveness
- Democrats sound off on an ambitious policy to forgive $1.6 trillion in student loan debt. In this renewed wave of enthusiasm, tribal partisans are displaying an eagerness to act but an unwillingness to try and understand why we got into this situation in the first place.
[27.12] - The Great Compromise: Student Loan Crisis
- The student debt crisis presents an opportunity for statesmanship and great political compromise. Republicans should support the abolition of all federal student loans in exchange for completely ending the federal government's involvement in education.
[33:58] - Educational Industrial Complex
- The Federal government's experiment in education has failed the American people. We explain how the Education Industrial Complex got us to this point.
[43:22] - COVID-19: People Are Easy to Lead, but Hard to Drive
- Dr. Fauci comments on how the American people's independent spirit is getting in the way of medical efforts to combat COVID-19, and suggests that it is now time for you to "do what you're told." This independent spirit Dr. Fauci bemoans is at once the safeguard and glory of the American people. We are easy to lead, but hard to drive. We have submitted to the leadership of medical experts and made unprecedented scarifies to our way of life over the past nine months, but we will not be driven by medical experts to give up on living. It's one thing to tell people to wear masks and practice social distancing, it is a whole different thing to tell self-respecting people to cancel Thanksgiving.
[49:34] - COVID-19: Maintaining Federalism
- When nations are struck by a crisis, fear often creates a desire to consolidate power and authority. Surprisingly, state governments have so far taken the lead in our response to the COVID-19 crisis, and the principle of federalism has held fast. Will we see more national decrees under a Joe Biden administration?
[54:47] - COVID-19: Separation of Powers on the State Level
- A free people cannot live under indefinite executive decrees. At some point, governors need to invite the legislative branch into the discussion, so the people can voice can be reflected in each state's COVID response strategy.
[59:52] - COVID-19: Civil Disobedience
- Governors, after nine months into the pandemic, are still excluding the people's representatives from having a say in shaping the state's COVID response strategy. Furthermore, some governors are refusing to back down even after the judicial branch rebukes their authority as unconstitutional. Inevitably, as people continue to live under indefinite executive decrees, instances of civil disobedience and non-compliance will become more frequent.
[1:04:12] - COVID-19: Hypocrisy
- Over the past nine months, executives across the nation have been issuing executive orders. From declaring some businesses non-essential v essential to curfews, to this and that. Executives don’t seem to be taking the pandemic seriously as they are constantly violating their own rules. If l
Episode Line Up:
[0:00] - Election Update
- The 2020 Presidential Election is still very much alive. Tensions are high, and each side is clinging to contradictory narratives. On the one hand, Biden is the undisputed victor, he is now the President-elect, voter fraud is either inconsequential or a conspiracy theory, and Trump refusal to concede is an existential threat to American democracy. On the other hand, people believe Trump had his reelection stolen from him by the same crowd that has opposed him at every step since ascending to the Presidency in 2016. We discuss and try to find the correct disposition to have as we continue through this turbulent election.
[17:12] - Political Metamorphosis
- Are you frustrated with the broken state of American politics today? Tired of the partisanship and power games? We are too, but in order to start a successful new narrative, we need to be open to accepting a new understanding of politics.
[26:45] - Rising to Political Maturity
- Many are entrenched in the belief that politics is nothing more than a power game between competing ideological tribes. Political maturity is attained when we start to view politics instead as a challenge to figure out how we can live happily in a society alongside other people.
[41.49] - The Importance of Political Maturity
- The importance of political maturity is quite obvious. Will your country be successful if people are bitterly divide, ideologically possessed, and resent each other? Odds are your country will be more prosperous, free, and happy if people are united on fundamental issues, tolerant of opposition, and ultimately just respectful of each other.
[46:49] - Thoughts on the Electoral College
- A viewer from our audience asks us to opine on the Electoral College. Specifically, the pros and cons of the current electoral system compared to a national popular vote.
[58:18] - Biden's Unity Message
- A viewer from our audience asks us to compare our calls for Unity under a new political narrative with Joe Biden's call for Unity under his new presidential administration. While Joe Biden is calling for unity under his power and leadership, we are calling for unity to bridge the ideological divide that will continue to exist among the American people, despite whoever comes out on top of this election.
[1:03:31] - Thoughts on a Multi-Party System
- A viewer from our audience asks us to give our thoughts on the probability of a multi-party system in the future. Starting a new successful political party not only requires popular support, but strategic genius. It's not impossible, but we are a long way from displacing the Democrat and Republican parties from their chief role in our politics today.
Episode Lineup:
[0:04] - Election Fallout
- Election night was quite the wild ride and its not over yet. Expectations were crushed on both sides, skepticism over the integrity of our election system looms, and a bitter power struggle in the courts is being teed up as we record this show. We give our thoughts on the initial election fallout as of Thursday November 5th.
[11.18] - Election Reform Ideas
- One thing we learned from the 2020 election is that our voting system needs upgraded. When the country is divided, election margins become razor thin and claims of fraud and malpractice spread like wildfire. We weigh the pros and cons of each measure in our theoretical election reform amendment.
[27:48] - Bridging the Political Divide
- Why are our politics so ugly? The 2020 election brought the degree of our current political divide into perspective. The American people are fundamentally at odds with what kind of people they want to be, and what sort of society they want to live in. Will we fall into the dangerous power games that have destroyed societies all throughout history? Or will we find a way to bridge this divide, unite, and deescalate current tensions?
[44:15] - The Establishment Lives
- The political establishment is a general term used to describe the permanent ruling class in the country. Donald Trump was universally recognized as an anti-establishment wrecking ball. If Trump loses, the Establishment will survive and renew their power under Joe Biden - the quintessential career politician.
[54:13] - The End of Trump Populism?
- Does a Trump defeat spell the end of this brand of populism? We discuss if the "own the lib" mentality can be part of a viable political strategy moving forward.
[1:04:33] -The Future of the Republican Party
- If Biden wins what will become of the GOP? If Trump scratches his way to victory, we populism gets 4 more years and the strategic battle between ideological conservatives and establishment republicans gets kicked down the road until 2024.
[1:12:40] - The Road Ahead
- The 2020 Election was the ugliest in recent memory, and its not even over yet. Heated court battles are inevitable and this election might be contested for several weeks. We discuss the road ahead if Joe Biden can stave off Trump's legal challenges.
Episode Lineup:
[1:32] - Trump's First Term
- We reflect on Trump's first term, and discuss how the political landscape really hasn't changed much since 2016.
[17:12] - Final Predictions
- We give our final predictions on who we think will come out victorious on election night. Trump has the incumbency advantage, and has four years of experience under his belt now. Can Biden pull off a victory?
[29.40] - Preview: Trump Victory
- What will happen if Trump wins and gets a second term? What are the best case and worst case scenarios?
[34.39] - Preview: Biden Victory
- What will happen if Biden wins? What are the best case and worst case scenarios?
[41.04] - Contested Election
- While it can be fun to think through all the wild election night scenarios, we try to temper expectations on what to expect.
[49.16] - Civil War Rhetoric
- We address the uptick in civil war rhetoric, and explain why we believe America is currently engaged in a cold civil war. We also dive into the real nature civil wars, and how they represent the ultimate political failure.
[57.27] - Pyrrhic Political Victories
- When unity breaks down people struggle to accept being defeated politically. As a result we start to favor short sighted strategies and develop an ends justifies the means mentality. "One more victory like this and we are finished!"
[1:00:36] - Power Games
- The prevalence of presidential Populism, and renewed calls for Court Packing, adding states, and secession are all indicators that our politics is devolving into dangerous power games.
[1:10:42] - Importance of Unity
- Reason published an article arguing that America's political union was just a strategic necessity, not a moral imperative. We go through George Washington's "Farewell Address" and explain why our political union is critical to the preservation of individual liberty, constitutional government, and ultimately the betterment of mankind.
[1:19:01] - Obsessed with Politics?
- We try to answer a question from the audience asking, "are we becoming too obsessed with politics?"
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences. Episode lineup:
[1:50] - COVID-19: Michigan's Lockdowns
- Michigan's Supreme Court puts an end to Governor Gretchen Whitmer's executive lockdown orders. This is a textbook case study into Separation of Powers.
[13:17] - Social Media Madness
- Donald Trump contracts COVID-19 and social media is thrown into a frenzy. The President is compared to Benito Mussolini and labeled a bio-terrorist. When will the social media madness end?
[22:54] - Social Media Division Complex
- Digital media companies profit off the American people's political division. They have figured out that outrageous headlines generate more clicks, more shares, more traffic, and more ad revenue. The Social Media Division Complex explains this phenomenon.
[29:21] - Social Media and the Melting Pot
- The challenge of politics is to determine how 330 million people can live together happily. Social media complicates this challenge, and turns the great American melting pot into an pressure cooker.
[35:23] - Social Media Reform?
- What should we do if social media threatens the our ability to unify and live happily together? While legislative reforms may be a good first step, we will ultimately need a new narrative to repair the broken state of politics today.
[48.12] - Federalism & Centralization
- Federalism is the legal and structural framework that allows diverse populations to live happily together. The move towards centralization frustrates the challenge of politics by aiming to impose national uniform polices on a very diverse American public.
[54:18] - Character in Leadership
- Our response to a question from the audience about the importance of character in leadership, and how to think about voting for the better of two evils
[1:04.52] - Restraining the Judicial Branch
- Our response to a question from the audience about restraining the power of the Judicial Branch by limiting the nation-wide impact of court decisions.
In this podcast, we review some of our key takeaways from the first Presidential debate between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.
The fierce political zealots on both sides believed that their candidate won a decisive victory, but it seemed that a majority of Americans felt a sense of despair after listening to the debate.
This reveals to us that there is a large majority of American's who would be willing to try something new and listen to new ideas. There is no better time to start talking about new political narrative and a new vision for the future of the country.
We conclude the podcast by talking about how a new unifying political narrative requires us to tolerate living in a society with people who hold very different beliefs. Currently, we have a bad habit of trying to impose our will upon those we disagree with through extremely powerful presidential administrations or through nine unelected Supreme Court justices.
Rather than continuing down this destructive path, we need to decentralize power and abandon our obsession with imposing national, uniformed policies across the entire nation.
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences.
In this podcast, we examine how the country's response to the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg reveals serious problems with how we understand the Supreme Court.
We dive into the different judicial philosophies of Originalism and Activism and discuss the importance of having a united view on how the constitution should be interpreted.
Following this segment, we discuss how the Supreme Court has been compromised by party politics, the rise and fall of judicial supremacy, the futility of court-packing, and the dangers of weaponizing the Supreme Court to impose your ideology upon your political rivals.
Be sure to rate our podcast, leave comments, and join in on the discussion.
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences.
In today's podcast, Jeff and I talk about the return of the NFL and the controversial National Anthem protests. We also discuss Trump's recent strong tweet aimed to warn Iran, and get into a lengthy discussion about U.S. foreign policy.
Following these segments, we dive into conversations about the 10th & 14th Amendment, our thoughts on some weird things occurring at Trump's campaign rally, and the legality of some state's COVID-19 shutdown orders.
Be sure to rate our podcast, leave comments, and join in on the discussion.
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences.
In today's podcast, Jeff and share a few things about ourselves and talk about the inspiration behind the name "Galloway."
We then spend the rest of our time looking at COVID-19 as a national stress-test that reveals several challenges underlying our politics today.
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences.
In today's pilot podcast, Jeff and I will be talking broadly about the State of our Union; going over what we think the country is doing well along with where we see it struggling. We will also be giving our thoughts on the upcoming Presidential Election, and dive into various discussions about executive authority.
Let's talk politics, because ideas have consequences
Today we are reading from Montesquieu's most famous work, The Spirit of the Laws. This quote is short and sweet, but can really get your minds thinking about the core, fundamental ideas that go into shaping how we think about politics.
When the President makes a sweeping executive order, like deciding what apps we can or cannot download onto our phones, how should we respond?