Interviews

General Andrew Jackson, fresh off the election of 1828, assumes the office of the presidency, armed with a battle plan to bring down the institutions he blames for the corruption of the republic: America's National Bank. In this episode of Liberty vs. Power, Dr. Patrick Newman and Tho Bishop look at the Jacksonians' embrace of executive power and their battle against Nicholas Biddle of the Second...

Bob has Steve Patterson back on the show, to concede that Steve’s skepticism of higher mathematics was right all along. Specifically, Bob explains how his recent discovery of a theorem from Riemann showed that something is indeed rotten in the way mathematicians typically handle infinite sets. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: The YouTube version of this interviewSteve Patterso...

A recent New York Times article featuring economist Stephanie Kelton and her (disastrously misguided) book on Modern Monetary Theory garnered criticisms, but not from the usual sources. No less than economist Larry Summers, former Treasury secretary and Harvard president, weighed in to criticize the Times for giving credence to MMT (he likened it to "quack cancer cures").  Reliably leftwing e...

The election of 1824 pits the Old Republicans against the entrenched interests of one-party rule in America. In this episode of Liberty vs. Power, Dr. Patrick Newman and Tho Bishop discuss the collapse of the first party system of the United States, the corrupt bargain that haunts the political career of John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay, and the rise of a new political movement inspired by Jeffers...

Virginia's stranglehold over American politics continues with President James Monroe. While high school textbooks refer to this period of one-party rule as the "Era of Good Feelings," the reality is the Second Bank of the United States offers some of the most vulgar examples of corruption the American people have seen. In this episode, Patrick Newman and Tho Bishop discuss the Panic of 1819 and th...

Bob continues his series on Klaus Schwab, explaining the WEF’s plans for redesigning the world, and providing quotes from Schwab’s book on the fourth industrial revolution. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Part 1 of this seriesThe WEF’s bio for its founder, Klaus SchwabSchwab’s books The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Covid-19 and the Great ResetThe WEF’s Global Redesign Sum...

Bob starts a series looking into Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum and, along with Prince Charles, proponent of the “Great Reset.”  Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Klaus Schwab and Prince Charles promoting the “Great Reset”The World Economic Forum’s page on the Great ResetAn example of a session from the WEF’s Davos Agenda 2021 conferenceThe WEF’s bio for...

The transformation of Jeffersonians into National Republicans continues under President James Madison. Following the Louisiana Purchase, the new administration sets its eyes on Florida and Canada for new American expansion. The result is the disastrous War of 1812 and the rise of a new central bank. Recommended Reading "The Feds Before the Fed" by Scott Trask — Mises.org/LP6_A "Our Oligarchs Can T...

Bob critiques a Guardian article from an economist favoring price controls, and explains his argument with Joe Weisenthal about the social benefit of saving actual cash. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Dr. Keith Smith (of the Surgery Center of Oklahoma) contact page. The Guardian article advocating price controls. Murphy Mises.org critique of Weisenthal. Murphy article on the...

The Revolution of 1800 removed the Hamiltonians from power, and in Jefferson's first term, America witnessed a major reduction of federal power. In his second term, however, an offer by French Emperor Napoleon to purchase the Louisiana territory would mark the fall of the Old Republicans. In this episode, Patrick and Tho look at how dreams of conquest in Canada, Spanish Florida, Mexico, and beyond...

To kick off the New Year, Jeff recently had the opportunity to address a Discord channel dedicated to Austrian Economics. His talk focused on the state of economics generally, whether the profession is serving society, how economists failed us throughout the Covid hysteria, and especially the health and relevance of the Austrian school. This is a great survey of the role economics (and economists)...

In this episode of Liberty vs. Power, Patrick and Tho look at the success of the Jeffersonians following the corruption of Hamilton's Federalist Party. With the support of Treasury Secretary Albert Gallatin, the Jeffersonian Administration is able to slash the size of the federal bureaucracy. Unfortunately, the influence of Republican moderates — like James Madison — undermined a true restoration...

With the Constitution in place and George Washington made president, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton was empowered to make the new government in his image. Unsurprisingly, a man who celebrated the corruption of the old European order was quick to install a regime inspired by mercantilists like Jean-Baptiste Colbert. In this episode, Patrick and Tho pinpoint the special interest that benefitt...

Our guest is Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD, who has made remarkable research contributions pertaining to SARS-COV2 transmission in schools and to vaccine-related myocarditis. She has published her findings in the CDC’s MMWR and has given oral testimony to Congress. SHOW NOTES​ Tracy Høeg, MD, PhD: Twitter Watch the episode on the Accad & Koka Report YouTube channel

The Human Action Podcast wraps up the year with none other than the venerable Professor Paul Gottfried! This is our final show focused on the Old Right, the early 20th century political tradition which animated later libertarian figures like Murray Rothbard. How was this great legacy of peace and freedom on the Right—the Old Republic—lost to Cold Warriors and neoconservatives? Nobody is a better s...

How did a handful of colonies created by the European Old Order establish a unique nation conceived in liberty? In Episode 2 of the Liberty vs. Power Podcast, Patrick Newman and Tho Bishop discuss the lasting tension between the Spirit of 1776 and the Constitution of 1787. The results of America's successful war for independence is one of the most important victories for the cause of liberty,...

In the first episode of the Liberty vs. Power Podcast, Tho Bishop and Patrick Newman take a deep dive into the intellectual framework of Rothbardian historical analysis. This includes looking at the "conspiracy analyst" as a praxeologist, identifying what personal incentives may motivate individual actors that directly influence government policy. Tho and Patrick also discuss the importance of his...

We continue our look at leading figures from the Old Right with guest Tom Woods, who helped publish the late Murray Rothbard's The Betrayal of the American Right. Rothbard admired the courageous and revisionist voices promoting the Old Republic, and shared their antagonism for war and economic intervention. Tom and Jeff discuss great essays like Albert J. Nock's "Isaiah's Job" and Frank Chodorov's...

HL Mencken is the writer you need to read immediately. He was savagely brilliant, caustic, and witty, but also prolific across genres in ways almost unthinkable of journalists today. His skill with the English language was virtually unmatched in the 20th century, as was his deep and abiding contempt for utopian statism in any form. And his broadsides against two world wars were incredibly courageo...

Patrick Newman is a fellow at the Mises Institute who have just published his new book. He talks about Rothbard's approach to history, whether the US revolution was libertarian, and the proper way to interpret Andrew Jackson. Mentioned in the Episode and Other Links of Interest: Patrick Newman’s new book Cronyism: Liberty vs. Power in Early America, 1607-1849Patrick’s previous appearance on ep. 49...

Our guest is Ben Recht, Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley, who recently got hold of and analyzed the raw data from the Bangladesh cluster randomized control trial of masking which made headlines in September. SHOW NOTES​ Ben Recht: Twitter and webpage Ben Recht’s recent blog post: Revisiting the Bangladesh Mask RCT Michel Accad Why N-of-1 is Enough E...

Our guest is Jenin Younes, a Litigation Counsel for the New Civil Liberties Alliance. She joins us to discuss her involvement in advocacy and in legal challenges against vaccine mandates. She holds a B.A. degree from Cornell University and a J.D. from New York University School of Law. She has been featured on several national media outlets for her commentary and she recently penned an op-ed in th...

Garet Garrett was among the most important figures from the literary, political, and laissez-faire economic traditions of the Old Right, but his name is hardly known today. In 1938 he penned "The Revolution Was," a remarkable essay about FDR's revolutionary New Deal and, more importantly, how it was accomplished. FDR's revolution had already happened, though few Americans  understood it or gr...

Tho Bishop, guest-hosting A Neighbor's Choice, interviews Jonathan Newman, author of The Broken Window. Tho and Jonathan discuss the supposedly transitory aspect of inflation, the overshadowing of economics by central planning, Keynesian economics, and more. Purchase The Broken Window online at Mises.org/BWindow.

This week's show features a panel discussion recorded in late October at our annual Supporters Summit. Panelists Ryan McMaken, Jeff Deist, Mike Maharrey, and Tho Bishop lay out real strategies for achieving decentralization.  Includes an introduction by Joey Clark. Recorded in St. Petersburg, Florida on October 22, 2021.