Episodes

  • U.S. Energy Policy: Opportunity and Self-Inflicted Wounds
    Aug 14 2024

    Are we running out of energy or not? Is the transition to "renewables" going to happen any time soon, and is it the best use of resources, capital, and labor? How do policy decisions impact the price, availability, and reliability of energy - and how does that impact our lives? Jeff discusses these thorny policy questions with Mark Mills, Director of the National Center for Energy Analytics and comes to some surprising, evidence-based answers.

    #energy #policy #oil #bigoil #fracking #environment

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    55 mins
  • The Crisis in Civic Education - What's Wrong and What Can We Do About It?
    Aug 7 2024

    What happened to quality, non-partisan civics education in America? Why do so many young people either lack essential knowledge about our system of government? Why does socialism seem attractive to so many Americans today? Can we turn the tide and help our fellow citizens adopt an informed, honest, and rational patriotism? Jeff is joined by David Davenport to discuss this crisis and the many downstream effects of it - and what we can do about it.

    If you're interested in reading "A Republic, If We Can Teach It," you can get your copy from Amazon here: https://a.co/d/iFmIWSM

    #civics #americanpolitics #civiceducation

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    35 mins
  • Free Speech - The Indispensable Right, with Jonathan Turley
    Jul 31 2024

    Law professor and scholar Jonathan Turley joins Jeff this week to talk about the importance of free speech, and just how threatened it is on college campuses, online, and by our own federal government. Learn more about America's eras of political rage and the challenges to free speech they present - and what each of us can do to protect this most essential right.

    #freespeech #firstamendment #covid #censorship

    Read Jonathan Turley's new book, "The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in An Age of Rage," - https://a.co/d/byMm1Hu

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    35 mins
  • 2024 Supreme Court Decisions - Review and Analysis
    Jul 24 2024

    Jeff is joined by legal scholar Josh Dunn to discuss the most recent decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court, including those overturning the Chevron Doctrine, addressing free speech online, separation of powers, and presidential immunity.

    #ussc #supremecourt #chevrondoctrine #constitution

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    45 mins
  • Bullets Not Ballots? Political Violence in American History
    Jul 17 2024

    Join us for our special episode in response to the attempted assassination of (former) President Donald Trump on Saturday, 13 July 2024. Jeff discusses with Dr. John Moser the existence and impact of violence in American politics from the 19th Century onward, looking into attempted assassinations of Andrew Jackson, Theodore Roosevelt, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan; and the actual murders of Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley, James Garfield, and John F. Kennedy. Where do these attacks come from? What animates the choice of bullets over ballots?

    #trumpassassination #politicalviolence #july13th #trump #election2024 #election2024news

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    30 mins
  • Like a Bull Moose - Theodore Roosevelt and the Impact of Third Parties
    Jul 10 2024

    Jeff discusses the pivotal role Theodore Roosevelt played as a spoiler in the 1912 presidential election, and the legacy he left for Third Parties. Do they tend to be about ideas or personalities? Why don't they seem to last beyond an election cycle or two? How do they fit into our political culture and systems, and what can we learn from our past to help us grapple with today's divided political landscape?

    Learn more about Mike, including his books and podcast, at his website: https://www.michaelpatrickcullinane.com/

    Read the Progressive Party platform from 1912: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/the-progressive-party-platform-1912/

    #thirdparty #tr #bullmoose #1912

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    45 mins
  • “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” - Frederick Douglass Teaches Us About Independence Day
    Jul 3 2024

    Jeff is joined by Lucas Morel, Professor of Political Science at Washington & Lee University, to commemorate Independence Day this year with commentary from, arguably, America’s greatest Civil Rights and abolition leader. Douglass, born into slavery, became the most powerful voice for emancipation and the destruction of an institution that flew in the face of the more core American values. During his life, his views on America and our government evolved, and in this powerful 1852 speech, he explains to Americans what America can and ought to be.

    Read the full speech here: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july-2/

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    40 mins
  • "Charging Forward?" The History and Current Debate Over Electric Vehicles
    Jun 26 2024

    Electric vehicles have become more popular in the last decade, and are often promoted as being both good for the environment and the owner's wallet - but is there evidence to back up these claims? You might be surprised by how much an EV really costs to build, how much consumer prices are distorted by subsidies, and how little they do for the environment. Jeff is joined by Brent Bennet, PhD, a former battery engineer who now serves as an energy policy director for the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

    https://www.texaspolicy.com/about/staff/brent-bennett/

    #energy #ev #incentives #economics #teslarealcost

    Host: Jeff Sikkenga

    Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

    Producer: Jeremy Gypton

    Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

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    39 mins