The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Happy New Year on Substack Edition
We tried an experiment this week—livestreaming the taping of this week's episode on Steve's 'Political Questions" Substack. We think is was a success even though Steve's camera froze up several times along the way.
John Yoo hosts this first episode of the year, which is devoted entirely to understanding and critiquing "post-liberalism," currently one of the hottest new things going on the right today. (John makes reference to one of our live clashes with a leading post-liberal, which Steve wrote up here.)
Attacks on the classical liberalism of the American Founding are not new from the left—Marx hated John Locke perhaps above all others except perhaps Adam Smith—and there have always been conservative critics of Lockean liberalism, starting with Edmund Burke back in the 1790, but also like Leo Strauss whose famous short phrase was that materialism Lockeanism would devolve into "a joyless quest for joy."
This is an urgent and relevant question as we move toward the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence mid-year, and while we expect the 1619 Project left will be out in force attacking the Declaration for the usual stupid reasons, we'll also have to content with some on the right attacking it for reasons that may have a more plausible basis, but which we think are confused—when they are not wrong.
This is merely the first episode of the podcast this year that will be devoted to various aspects and controveries about the founding that will surely erupt over the next six months. Strap in!
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour
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.
Politics
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.
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Liberal Democracy Reexamined: Leo Strauss on Alexis de Tocqueville
This article explores Leo Strauss’s thoughts on Alexis de Tocqueville in his 1954 “Natural Right” course transcript.
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Long Distance Migration as a Two-Step Sorting Process: The Resettlement of Californians in Texas
Here we press the question of whether the well-documented stream of migrants relocating from California to Texas has been sufficient to alter the political complexion of the destination state.
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Who's That Knocking? A Study of the Strategic Choices Facing Large-Scale Grassroots Canvassing Efforts
Although there is a consensus that personalized forms of campaign outreach are more likely to be effective at either mobilizing or even persuading voters, there remains uncertainty about how campaigns should implement get-out-the-vote (GOTV) programs, especially at a truly expansive scale.
California’s Green Policies Destroy Blue-Collar Jobs
The problem here lies not with racism, or lack of reparations, as Newsom and “progressives” insist, but with their own policies, which devastate minority communities.
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Mamdani’s Audacious Estate Tax for New York
It is up to cooler heads to see that Mamdani's wild ambitions can never be converted into law.
Oil, War, and Peace
The deeper question about these matters is why the energy crunch had to occur at all.
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