What We Were

Jacob Siegel is a writer and editor at Tablet and author of The Information State: Politics in the Age of Total Control. A U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, he is also a co-host of the Manifesto! podcast.We discuss his book and what it means for the present and future of the West in the midst of a transformation from the form of representative government we have always known into a whole of society technopoly driven by state-orchestrated surveillance, censorship, and the algorithmic tuning of public opinion.

The first proposed amendment to the Constitution was not about speech, religion, or guns. It was about the size of the House of Representatives—and if it had passed, Congress today might have nearly 7,000 members, not 435. In this episode, we explore the forgotten apportionment amendment, why it failed, what James Madison feared, and how America’s lower chamber gradually drifted away from the people it was supposed to represent.

Can "Braver Angels" save America? Bill Doherty and I discuss the causes of America's political divide and how Braver Angels is working to bridge it.Bill Doherty is an Emeritus Professor in the Department of Family Social Science at the University of Minnesota where he taught marriage and family therapy. He focuses on couples on the brink of divorce and on political stress in relationships. Following the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, he co-founded Braver Angels , a citizen initiative bringing conservatives and liberals together to counteract political polarization and restore the fraying social fabric in American society. Braver Angels now has volunteers working in all 50 states. Among his awards is the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Family Therapy Academy.Donate or join Braver Angels at https://braverangels.org/

Joseph Ellis is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Founding Brothers, about the collaboration of America's greatest political generation, which is the focus of this conversation.In his latest book The Great Contradiction: The Tragic Side of the American Founding, Ellis confronts what he calls the central paradox of the American founding: the same generation that articulated the most powerful case for human equality and natural rights in modern history also built a republic that abided the scourge of slavery.Ellis is also the author of American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (National Book Award), Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams, His Excellency: George Washington, After the Revolution, American Creation, First Family: Abigail and John Adams, Revolutionary Summer, The Quartet, American Dialogue, What Would the Founders Do?, and The Cause: The American Revolution and Its Discontents, 1773–1783.Follow him at josephellishistorian.com

Mustafa Akyol is a Turkish writer, journalist, and senior fellow at the Cato Institute’s Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, where he explores the intersection of public policy, Islam, and modernity. He is the author of several books on religion and freedom, including The Islamic Jesus, The Islamic Moses and Islam without Extremes, Akyol also teaches on Islamic history and thought at institutions including Boston College and has been recognized as one of the world’s top thinkers for his work on reform, liberty, and tolerance within Muslim societies.Look for his upcoming book No Compulsion in Religion, No Exceptions and find him online at mustafaakyol.org.Merry Christmas! Dedicated to my keluarga angkat in Malaysia.

Environmentalist and documentary filmmaker Jeff Gibbs joins us to discuss his film Planet of the Humans, which pulls back the curtain on the "green energy" movement to reveal a for-profit industry that has tricked us into believing its technological solutions will save us from climate change, and that climate change is the only environmental issue that matters.We discuss reaction to his film on the political right, left, and center, and how to re-think environmentalism in a way that addresses the multitude of environmental challenges while bridging the obvious political divide preventing them from being addressed.Follow and support Jeff's work at https://planetofthehumans.com/ and to get updates on his upcoming projects

Justice Clint Bolick sits on the Arizona Supreme Court, originally appointed by Governor Doug Ducey in 2016. In this episode, Justice Bolick and I discuss the legal system, his experiences on the Court, and the state of American politics. Braver Angels is the national nonprofit I mention, and an organization I encourage every American to donate to and become a member of.

Happy Independence Day, American listeners! Professional sports in America has become a racket. Taking advantage of patriotic sentiment and our civic duty to be sports fans, corporations have seized the commanding heights of the sports economy to squeeze Americans when they're at their most vulnerable. In turn, Americans simply tolerate it.Ticket prices are up 300%—but wages aren’t.Beers for $15. Hot dogs for $9. Parking for $50.Billionaire owners, private equity firms, taxpayer-funded stadiums.America needs a sports fan union. Americans need to band together to boycott, pressure, and negotiate when prices go too high, when workers aren't well-compensated, or when politics kills the vibe. Donate to Cancer Research Institute

Sports betting and marijuana have been broadly and rapidly legalized in much of the United States. What have been the consequences thus far and what does the future portend for America's growing population of gambling and marijuana addicts? Is America still mature enough to handle dramatic expansions of personal freedom? And are we capable of distinguishing between something being legal and being socially acceptable?Finnish Study on Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29557758/Nature Magazine Study on Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00261-x?utm_source=chatgpt.comSiena College Study on Gambling: https://scri.siena.edu/american-sports-fanship-survey-2025/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Zaid Jilani is an American journalist and author of the popular Substack The American Saga. Follow him on X: @ZaidJilaniIn this episode we discuss the state of journalism and the War in Gaza. I encourage everyone to pray for the people of Gaza and for peace in the wider region including Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and beyond. And to donate if you're able to an organization like Medical Aid for Palestinians.

Jeff Shaara is the author of the American Civil War epics Gods and Generals and The Last Full Measure. His father, the late Michael Shaara, is the author of The Killer Angels, a historical fiction novel about the Battle of Gettysburg and winner of The Pulitzer Prize. The Killer Angels and Gods and Generals were made into the major motion pictures Gettysburg (1993) and Gods and Generals (2003).Jeff and I discuss the humanity on both sides of the Civil War and the war, as illuminated by the individual profiles and perspectives of Union and Confederate soldiers in this indispensable Civil War trilogy.Jeff Shaara has not stopped writing, and I encourage everyone interested in American history to check out his other published works, and watch for Jeff's upcoming projects at his website: https://jeffshaara.com/

Dr. Iain McGilchrist is the author of The Master and His Emissary and The Matter With Things. A psychiatrist by training, Dr. McGilchrist is a leading expert on the brain and hemispheric differences. He is, I believe, the most important thinker of our time. In this episode we discuss hubris, the scalability of languages, empathy, and the intrinsic value of asymmetry. Check out his website at ⁠https://channelmcgilchrist.com/⁠ Watch Dr. McGilchrist's Lecture on ⁠Symmetry and Asymmetry

In his book The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, Dr. Iain McGilchrist paints a picture of our brains and the world in crisis. This episode is meant to be a primer on "McGilchristian thought" in advance of an upcoming conversation with Dr. McGilchrist himself. My hope with this is to establish some of the "basics" about Dr. McGilchrist's theories so that we can waste as little time as possible in diving right into the many implications of his work and what it reveals. Animated video explaining the "Double Slit Experiment"

The Fentanyl Project's Brock Bevell and I cruise the streets of Mesa, Arizona to talk with the growing number of fentanyl addicts who have been relegated to the streets. America is now losing 100,000 citizens in their prime to drugs every year,. Why is this happening? Why is it not being talked about more? And what can be done about it? Follow The Fentanyl Project on Instagram at @fentanylprojectaz and donate to support their efforts bringing awareness and lifesaving supplies to victims of this historic drug epidemic. *Warning* This episode contains explicit language and discussions of illicit drug use. Listener discretion is advised.

We sit down with author and historian David O. Stewart about his book The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution. How did America get the Constitution it has? What timeless or transient issues informed their decision-making? And who were these men who painstakingly deliberated for months while away from their homes to reach a compromise that would hold the Union together and set it on a path to uncommon peace and prosperity? For more books from David O. Stewart, check out https://davidostewart.com/

Angel Oakley is a consummate independent if ever there was one, so why did a political party marshal its resources to intimidate her supporters and ultimately block her from getting on the ballot in Illinois? We talk about her run, the cancer of partisanship in America, and everything We the People are up against to achieve a more perfect Union.

By surviving an assassination attempt, former President Trump had a golden opportunity to have a reset with undecided voters in the 2024 Election. Instead, he delivered another partisan stemwinder to his base. We discuss what would happen if an American politician, equal parts hated and loved, were to be killed in front of our eyes, and our conclusions are as unsettling as the act itself.

With help from William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, we examine the ominous parallels between the early days of Nazi Germany and America's own creeping totalitarianism.

In this conversation I talk to Senator Nancy Barto, a longtime state legislator in Arizona. We discuss what the job of a state legislator is, why so few people are even aware of our democratic institutions, and the state of politics in the Grand Canyon State.

I sat down with Jeff Taylor to discuss prison reform efforts in Arizona as well as his own harrowing experience in "the system".

While serving as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives, Rusty Bowers found himself at the center of a high-stakes political drama for his decision to hold firm against President Trump and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's pressure to decertify Joe Biden's election victory in Arizona in 2020. We discuss those events and more in this episode.

Islam, Judaism, and Christianity all trace their lineage to the same prophet, Abraham, and share many of the same beliefs and practices. Why, then, has Islam been left out of what should be a tripartite alliance on many of the issues facing the world? I make the case for a renewed effort to unite these three religions by building new institutions that reflect their shared heritage and philosophy in order to make a better world. Books referenced: Destiny Disrupted: The World Through Islamic Eyes by Tamim Ansary Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong

In this conversation with Dr. Richard Harris, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University, we discuss the upcoming presidential election, the political realignment we're now witnessing, and freedom of speech in the midst of the war in Israel and Gaza. Arrow's Paradox: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrow%27s_impossibility_theorem#:~:text=Say%20there%20are%20three%20choices,A%20and%20C%20to%20B.

Our political representatives have increasingly lost the courage to make unpopular votes, even when it's the right thing to do. Under pressure from forces seen and unseen, they're in need of a new institution that can help them expose what's wrong and what's right in pending legislation. They need Devil's Advocates.

What does the rapid loss of difference and asymmetry in the world portend for us? Does enforced conformity and uniformity clear a path for dangerous contagions to spread unimpeded? We discuss.

America's military and foreign policy elites destroyed one of the greatest intellectuals and patriots of the 20th century. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer forces us to reexamine that time period and its implications for freedom of speech in America and our role as the leading superpower. Double-Slit Experiment explainer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1YqgPAtzho

More In Common's Hidden Tribes study reveals that at least 26% of the voting-eligible population in America is completely up for grabs, and that as much as 67% could be persuaded by a compelling candidate on either side of the political aisle. But for the last several decades, few presidential candidates have been able to get through to either group, and none of have won the White House. We discuss how a presidential candidate could activate millions of inactive voters to create a landslide coalition, and whether RFK Jr. or another candidate is best equipped to speak directly to them. Hidden Tribes Report: https://hiddentribes.us/ George Kearney's United States of Apathy map: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-05/mapping-the-effects-of-voter-turnout-in-u-s-elections

Could RFK Jr. be this election's next molotov cocktail that American voters hurl at their central government?

What I learned from spending a week at the Iowa Caucuses. Are we in trouble? Do the Iowa Caucuses represent a glimmer of hope for our listless Republic? Maybe. Bari Weiss' Dean Phillips interview: https://www.thefp.com/p/can-dean-phillips-pull-off-the-impossible-893?utm_source=%2Fsearch%2Fdean&utm_medium=reader2

Why has America turned away from its heritage as a peace-loving nation and how can we get it back? From Vietnam to Afghanistan and Iraq, when will we finally learn that we can't remake the world into something it's not through bullets and bombs?

Is widespread hacking of social media accounts, email accounts, and computers turning America into the third world?

What can we expect for America's 250th birthday? We discuss why there has been so little news about our upcoming Semiquincentennial and the potential danger of attempting to celebrate such an occasion in a nation so divided as ours. American Semiquincentennial Planning Committee: https://america250.org/

America is more divided than ever, so we're told. But why? In this episode we discuss how corporate advertising is now writing the script of our political discourse and determining what we should be focused on in order to drive profits. Show links: Two in five Americans say a civil war is at least somewhat likely in the next decade: https://today.yougov.com/politics/articles/43553-two-in-five-americans-civil-war-somewhat-likely?redirect_from=%2Ftopics%2Fpolitics%2Farticles-reports%2F2022%2F08%2F26%2Ftwo-in-five-americans-civil-war-somewhat-likely

What do we accomplish by identifying anti-Semitics? What do we lose by misidentifying anti-Semitics. Articles: Don’t be fooled by the march for peace: https://unherd.com/2023/11/dont-be-fooled-by-the-march-for-peace/

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 led to the creation of the world's most useless and oppressive security apparatus. Americans first, and eventually the whole world surrendered precious freedom to travel in peace, but also lost one of the few communal ceremonies we had left. United Flight 93 heroes: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3080117 TSA security failures: https://abcnews.go.com/US/exclusive-undercover-dhs-tests-find-widespread-security-failures/story?id=31434881

Are we being honest about the purpose of the Second Amendment? Does either side really understand its purpose? There is a vast universe of common ground around preventing gun violence, yet we seem unwilling to even discuss it, let alone act on it.

Should we be ashamed of how American citizens and media descended on the family home of a criminal suspect in order to make their lives a living hell? Are we losing our capacity for empathy except in the rare situations where it benefits ourselves? We discuss how, in a rush to find who killed Gabby Petito and bring her killer to justice, American citizens and corporate media ruined the lives of an entire family and helped create another tragedy and made certain the whole truth of what took place will never be revealed. Notes: Brian Laundrie and Gabby Petito's YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PStpXFEfIs Letter from Mrs. Laundrie to her son Brian: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/brian-laundries-mother-offered-shovel-burn-reading-note-rcna86197