The American Idea

Temu - it offers lots of cheap goods, right? Did you bother reading the Terms of Service and do you realize just now intrusive this app is when it comes to the rest of the data and personal information on your phone? Did you know that the Chinese government requires - by their law - Chinese companies to turn over user data upon request...and to lie about it when questioned? It's not a stretch to s...

What is civics education and why is it so important in America and for Americans? What are the elements of good - not partisan, no slanted - civic education? Jeff is joined by author and historian Dr. Wilfred McClay to discuss what makes civics among the most important topics we can teach our students, children, and fellow Americans - and why it's far more important than it's usually treated in sc...

What is a 'regime,' and what does America's current "anti-discrimination regime" do and portend for individual liberty, limited government, and rule of law? Jeff discusses this thorny topic with scholar Thomas Powers, exploring the background of today's regime, how it functions, and what it might mean for our future. #civilrights #woke #antiracism #antidiscrimination Read Tom's book: https://a.co/...

What do you know about the last massive airborne assault to take place in WW2? Market-Garden, beginning on 17 September 1944, involved more than three Allied airborne divisions in daytime drops in three separate areas, as well as thousands more troops and vehicles of the Allied XXX Corps. Depicted in the movie "A Bridge Too Far," the assault sputtered and failed to achieve its objectives, and yet...

What does the Constitution mean to an elected official? Or to the United States Attorney General? Why should we respect, and perhaps even revere, the United States Constitution, and can this 18th Century document still hold together a diverse, often fractious republic in the 21st Century? #constitution #americanhistory Host: Jeff Sikkenga Producer: Jeremy Gypton Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theame...

Jeff is joined by Drs. Chris Burkett and Rob Wyllie, professors of Political Science and Political Economy, respectively, in this recording of a special live episode of The American Idea. Is there a connection between free enterprise and national prosperity? What is free enterprise, anyway? What kind of economy did the Founders envision for America, and how would that shape Americans and our publi...

Jeff is joined by Henry Olsen, expert polls analysis from the Ethics & Public Policy Center, to discuss the state of the presidential election now that the dust has settled from the RNC and DNC conventions, and the nomination of VP Kamala Harris over President Biden. Catch Henry's podcast here: https://ricochet.com/series/beyond-the-polls-with-henry-olsen/ #2024elections #dnc #rnc #kamalaharri...

Jeff discusses leadership - the kind of American leadership that requires reasoning, setting of examples, and character - with two legendary football coaches in this special episode of The American Idea. Jim Tressel, longtime football coach of Ohio State University, and Lee Owens, former football coach at Ashland University, share their experiences in motivating players, building teams, and develo...

What's the purpose of a party convention? Does anybody watch them, and are any decisions of substance made at them? Why did the Democrats avoid an 'open convention' this year, and what might have happened had they not? Jeff is joined by Professor Eric Sands to discuss the history, role, and evolution of party conventions in America, from attempts to democratize the electoral process to supposed im...

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 co...

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 downs...

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...

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/thea...

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 Abrah...

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...

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. Dur...

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 for...

Jeff discusses drug policy in American with researcher and author Karl Zinsmeister. In addition to background on the drug epidemic and policy responses over the years, they focus on recent moves to relax enforcement of anti-drug laws, even to the extent of legalizing a variety of narcotics, such as what Oregon did only a few years ago. Instead of solving the crime and human degradation these progr...

Dr. Jordan Cash discusses this question with Jeff this week, looking into the decisions and actions of three "isolated" presidents - John Tyler, Andrew Johnson, and Gerald Ford. These three presidents were, essentially, lone actors for their time in office, abandoned by party and other political supports - what did they get done, good or bad? Building off Jordan's book (link below) they explore th...

Jeff Sikkenga and Dr. David Krugler discussion D-Day - what is was, what happened on that day, and what Operation Overlord accomplished within the context of World War 2. #dday #overlord #ike #eisenhower #ww2 Host: Jeff Sikkenga Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer Producer: Jeremy Gypton Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Dr. John Moser meet with Derek Abbey, President & CEO of Project Recover, a non-profit organization that searches for still-missing American service members around the world. Focused traditionally on the Palau islands and lost airmen from World War 2, Project Recover has expanded operations over the last 30 years to include efforts in Vietnam, elsewhere in the Pacific, and even at sites in the...

Jeff is joined by Tevi Troy, author of "Shall We Wake the President?" to discuss the evolution of presidential and federal involvement in emergency situations, natural disasters, and similar crises. Using examples from the early years of the republic through today, they trace the change over time brought by communications technology, changing expectations of the American people, the role of NGOs a...

We receive a drumbeat of apocalyptic warnings about climate change, pollution, and dwindling energy supplies - but how much are these claims, and the policy demands that come with them, based on evidence? Jeff is joined by Steven Hayward, resident scholar at the University of California at Berkeley's School of Intergovernmental Studies to discuss the history of these arguments and the policies tha...

Jeff is joined by John Vecchione, Senior Litigator for the New Civil Liberties Alliance ( nclalegal.org ) to discuss their work before the Supreme Court, arguing on behalf of individuals and groups that claim that federal officials abused their power and pressured social media companies to censor their speech. Similar to the “memory hole” of 1984, social media giants like Facebook, it is alleged,...

Jeff sits down with entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy to discuss what motivated him to run, what he learned from the experience, and how he views the opportunities America has given him and his family. #vivek #ramaswamy #president #elect ions #campaign #america Host: Jeff Sikkenga Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer Producer: Jeremy Gypton Subscribe: https://l...