Biography
Steven F. Hayward is a senior fellow at the Civitas Institute. He is also the Edward Gaylord distinguished visiting professor at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy. Previously, Hayward was a resident scholar at UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies, and a fellow of the Law and Policy Program at Berkeley Law. From 2002 to 2012 Hayward was the F.K. Weyerhaeuser Fellow in Law and Economics at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC. He is also currently a senior fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in San Francisco.
He frequently writes on a wide range of current topics, including environmentalism, law, economics, and public policy for publications including National Review, Reason, The Weekly Standard, The American Spectator, The Public Interest, the Claremont Review of Books, and the Policy Review at the Hoover Institution. His newspaper articles have appeared in the New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune, and dozens of other daily newspapers. Hayward is the author of a two-volume narrative history of Ronald Reagan and his effect on American political life, The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order, 1964-1980, and The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counter-Revolution, 1980-1989 (CrownForum books). His other books include Index of Leading Environmental Indicators; The Almanac of Environmental Trends; Mere Environmentalism: A Biblical Perspective on Humans and the Natural World, Churchill on Leadership; Greatness: Reagan, Churchill, and the Making of Extraordinary Leaders; Patriotism Is Not Enough; and M. Stanton Evans: Conservative Wit, Apostle of Freedom.
Hayward received a Ph.D. in American studies and M.A. in government from Claremont Graduate School and a B.S. in business and administrative studies from Lewis and Clark College.
Steven Hayward
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Classic Format Conversation with Michael Walsh
Steve is joined by Michael Walsh in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Thomas Derangement Syndrome?
The left is clearly afflicted now with a full-blown case of Thomas Derangement Syndrome.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Almost Live from Tampa
The hosts contrast Justice Sotomayor’s jurisprudence of “feels” versus Justice Thomas’s jurisprudence of principle—the principle of the Declaration of Independence.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: From Birthright Religion to “Lockistotle”
Trump v. Barbara, The Iran War, and More.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Send the TSA to Iran?
The status of the Iran War, the ongoing DHS shutdown, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Shots Fired—Winning Here, Losing There
The Iran War, the SAVE Act, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Int’l Law and Lawlessness at Home
Lucretia host’s this week’s episode, addressing international law and the Unites States' current military operation in Iran.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: War! What Is It Good For? (Absolutely. . . Something!)
In this episode, we reviewed some key points of the Great Iran War of 2026, along with observations on the Supreme Court’s intervention on the side of California parents.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Newsom, Clinton, Tigers and Bears Oh My!
John wonders whether the Clinton deposition about Epstein is really sensible, Steve wonders how Gaffen-Gavin Newsom can possible survive this week’s “George Romney Moment," and Lucretia wonders why universities have allowed themselves to be swallowed whole by useless administrators.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Can You Tariff a Vibe Shift?
Steve Hayward argues that the Supreme Court’s tariff case Friday was a no-lose case for conservatives.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Saving Elections, Saving Energy, and Recalling Scalia
The SAVE Act is the first topic of debate this week, along with a celebration of the Trump Administration rolling back the EPA’s power to make our energy scarce and expensive.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Heart of Texas Episode
Lucretia, Steve Hayward, and John Yoo answer a reader/ listener comment asking what, exactly, is “scientific” about “political science”?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Zoned Out on Protests?
Lucretia, John Yoo, and Steve Hayward discuss the landmark Supreme Court case 'Euclid v. Ambler Realty.'
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Forget Greenland—Invade Virginia!
Legal questions, Virginia politics, and “New Right 5.0."
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Best (Podcast) Regime?
Is America in fact the “best regime” in the classical, Platonic/Aristotelian meaning of the term?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Battle Zones in Iran, Venezuela, and . . . Minnesota?
An overview of events in Iran, Venezuela, and Minnesota.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Happy New Year on Substack Edition
This episode is devoted entirely to understanding and critiquing "post-liberalism."
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Year in Review and the Year Ahead
The hosts of the 3 Whisky Happy Hour sit down to review their predictions for 2025.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Christmas Day Edition
A special Christmas episode from the hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Santa’s Tin Foil Hat Week
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour address recent political conspiracy theories.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Prog Mask Slips!
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour respond to Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson saying the quiet (progressive) part out loud.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The No Pearl-Clutching Zone
There's too much pearl clutching going on among the hand-wringers in Washington and the media.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Why John Adams Would Get Sydney Sweeney
Historian Richard Samuelson joins the hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Bringing the Wood to Wood
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour sit down to address a recent speech delivered by historian, Gordon Wood.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Getting a Grip on Groypers
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour turn their attention to the serious matter of antisemitism on the right.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Gonzo Happy Hour-Squared Edition
A handful of legal luminaries join the hosts in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Here’s Lookin’ at ‘Lookism’
The Hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour address "lookism."
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Woman Troubles?
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy Hour respond to Helen Andrews’ Compact article on “The Great Feminization."
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Return of the Neocons?
The hosts address foreign policy questions, ranging from Gaza, Ukraine, Venezuela, China, and, Africa.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Trump—A New Columbus?
Maybe Trump is a Columbus of sorts, sailing precariously into the Blue State oceans to drain swamps, etc. It’s worth a shot.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Rumble in the State of Nature Jungle
The hosts are joined by Hadley Arkes in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Million Miles to Go Edition
The hosts discuss Steve’s article on how to apply Max Weber’s famously dense lecture “Politics as a Vocation” to the deteriorating political atmosphere that contributed to the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Demonic—Both Whimsical and Serious
The hosts discuss “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” Free Speech, and the inability of so-called progressives to brook any dissent from their party line.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Emergency Episode About Charlie Kirk
No bumper music, mirth about McDonalds, whisky, Babylon Bee headlines, or AI Haiku today: the assassination of Charlie Kirk is too serious a matter.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour, On the ‘Theological-Political Problem’
Lucretia is joined by Prof. Vincent Munoz of Notre Dame University in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: McDs vs Cracker Barrel, and other Burning Topics
The hosts walk through the serial disgraces of politicians and the media following the latest school shooting in Minnesota, along with what to make of Trump’s attempted firing of Fed governor Lisa Cook.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Almost Live Q & A Episode
The hosts fielded a number of listener and reader questions, culminating in a long discussion of good books about the American Founding.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Summit of Everything
The Three Musketeers of the 3WHH are back with their typical end-of-week roundup.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: With Special Guest Star Ken Green
The hosts are joined by environmental scientist Ken Green in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Tempest in a D Cup Edition
Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle “good jeans” ad campaign, Trump's tariff brinkmanship, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: High Crimes & Misdemeanors
“Statesmanship and the American Presidency,” the meaning of the U.S. Constitution, the 2016 Russia Hoax, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Making Child’s Play of Everyone’s Files
The hosts address Zohran Mamdani, Upton Sinclair, Tony Podesta, Jasmine Crockett, and more in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special AWOL Edition
The hosts present the great 3WHH fugitive episode.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Gala July 4 Special Edition
The hosts of 3 Whisky Happy hour address patriotism, immigration, and more in this special Independence Day episode.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Daddy’s Home
Trump's grand strategy, the future of constitutional originalism, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Successfully Suppressing the Rebellion
The "Skirmetti" decision, the Democratic Party's deepening civil war, and more on this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Unplugged (or Unhinged?) Edition
John and Lucretia host this week's episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Northern Exposure Edition
With two of the three bartenders hanging around near or above the arctic circle this week, this is an official Northern Exposure episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Time for Viking Justice?
Free trade, Trump's attack on Harvard, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: John Yoo’s Top Five Legal Rules
John Yoo presents his Top Five Legal Rules that everyone should know.
The Whisky Happy Hour: Lucretia’s List of the Five Dumbest Ideas
Lucretia presents her list of the Five Dumbest Ideas in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Neoconclave Edition!
We’re up a day early with this special emergency edition of the 3WHH because it isn’t every millennium when you get an American Pope.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Neoconclave Edition
Steven Hayward, John Yoo, and the pseudonymous Lucretia break down the week's top stories and continue a long-running argument about first principles.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Lookism and Imperial Conquest Redivivus
The hosts take on Trump at the 100 Day mark, the latest in lawfare, the dismal Canadian election, and more in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour, with Special Guest Robert Bryce
Robert Bryce joins the hosts in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Long March Back?
Birthright citizenship, Trump's attack on Harvard, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Band Reunion Time
John Yoo is back this week, bringing the 3WHH up to full strength again after last week’s astonishingly congenial episode.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The New Tariff in Town
The Democratic-media complex, tariffs, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Make Liberalism Great Again?
Will the burst of enthusiasm among a few liberal thinkers to build stuff again succeed?
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Dog Years, Dog Days
The end of DEI at Berkeley, Columbia University capitulating to Trump, and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: OGNC Edition
The hosts address the Ukraine War in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Sister Souljah Time for the Dems?
Will Democrats really make a serious move to the center? The hosts offer an answer in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three-Whisky Happy Hour: Emergency Midweek Edition
The hosts address recent Supreme court rulings in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: 180 Proof Edition
Civitas Institute senior research fellow Richard Epstein fills in for John during this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: The Great Reset
The hosts address both Gaza and the Ukraine War in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Is Trump Re-Writing Executive Power?
Is Trump re-writing executive power? The hosts answer in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Trump’s Five Big Fights
This week’s episode reviews five of Trump’s biggest fights that are interrelated in ways that could rebalance out constitutional order in ways conservatives have hoped beyond hope for decades might be possible.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: War, Peaceniks, Bishops, Senators, Onesies, Everything
The hosts reflect on theology, federal grant restrictions, J.D. Vance’s dialectical skill, and more in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Getting Right with Free Speech
The 3WHH bartenders raise their glasses high for the first 100 hours of Trump II.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Non-Jejune Edition
Amending the Constitution, Biden's "farewell address," and more.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: From Emigrating to Immigrating
What about birthright citizenship? The hosts answer in this episode of 3 Whisky Happy Hour.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Special Happy New Year’s Edition
Discrimination and the 14th Amendment, predictions of 2025, and more.
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The Three Whiskey Happy Hour: Globull Threats to Liberty
A special mid-week holiday edition of the 3WHH.
The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Band Reunion Time
John Yoo is back this week, bringing the 3WHH up to full strength again after last week’s astonishingly congenial episode, which can mean only one thing—not even high tariffs, which this week’s host (Steve) vainly tried to impose on ths discussion—could stop a vigorous free trade in ideas.
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Might the "New Right 5.0" Be the Old Fusionism?
America’s Energy Revolution Continues
Reagan, the Original MAGA President?
The Death Rattle of Apocalyptic Environmentalism
From Max Weber to Charlie Kirk: On Political Action in Extreme Times
Is Trump Completing Nixon's Aborted Second Term?
Taming the 21st Century Prince
Adventures Among the Abundanauts
The Tanenhaus Variations
The Art of the Political Biography
Trade Protection and Tariffs from Reagan to Trump
The Nadir of the Climate Change Movement
The Future of Conservatism in America