The Three Whisky Happy Hour: Saving Elections, Saving Energy, and Recalling Scalia
Whether free and fair elections can be saved with 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. Steve describes this bold step as the “Inchon Landing” in the war against the administrative state. Forget Nixon-to-China cliches: only Trump could take such a bold step that no other conventional Republican would dare take.
We also spend a good deal of time recalling the passing, ten years ago now, of Justice Antonin Scalia, whose shadow over contemporary jurisprudence continues to lengthen. We think Scalia is displacing Holmes as the most significant jurist of the last century for his enduring influence and for his central role in reviving constituitional originalism, even though he once described himself as a “faint-hearted originalist.” There’s a paradox at work in Scalia’s jurisprudential legacy that requires someone like G.K. Chesterton to understand—and that, kids, ought to be a strong hint as to exactly what it is.
The Three Whiskey Happy Hour
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."
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.
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The Iran War and the Coming Global Struggle
The United States is growing more risk-tolerant, more willing to accept regional instability as a strategic tool, and deliberately positioning itself for the far greater challenge of confronting China in the coming decades.
Postliberalism’s Hungary Gambit Failed
With Viktor Orbán’s party losing power in Hungary and postliberals at odds with the Trump administration over the Iran War, this iteration of postliberalism looks once again bound not only to fail in terms of its own principles but also to remain politically relevant.
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