Episode: The Crisis of the Two Constitutions, with Charles Kesler

This week's Power Line Classic format show features Prof. Charles R. Kesler, editor of the Claremont Review of Books, talking about his brand new book, Crisis of the Two Constitutions: The Rise, Decline, and Recovery of American Greatness.

Crisis collects several of Kesler's old and new essays and details how we got to and what is at stake in our increasingly divided America. In addition to explaining the three waves of liberal-progressive thought over the last century, Kesler also covers the significance of Trump's emergence, and what it portends for the future. He also responds to the attack Boston College Professor Shep Melnick made on the book, so there's an element of Fight Club in this episode, too.

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RufusRJones@RufusRJones5y

Stop the tape. This is really good. I cannot believe there aren't more comments on this.

Two things about Reagan. At least, lol.

He was really into Friedrich Hayek. You need to think about how Reagan would have analyzed how screwed up everything is right now under that lens and what can be done in actuality. He did what he could given the eight years he had plus the fact that he was dealing with the Soviet Union*. 43 got rid of Paul Volker. This was a disaster. Ronald Reagan was very serious about getting rid of that stupid Federal Reserve dual mandate. That thing totally interferes with libertarianism and conservatism actually working or selling. 43 had to go in a different direction and that is why we are where we are.

The big thing about his time was, he had the guts to stop inflation and after he did that there was a huge baby boom pushing through that. That is why you had all of that prosperity. This is a completely different era with completely different problems. You have to be realistic about how you give agency back to individuals like he would want.

* Stephen got this covered after I started again, lol.

Discussion (3)

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RufusRJones@RufusRJones5y
Stop the tape. This is really good. I cannot believe there aren't more comments on this.
Two things about Reagan. At least, lol.
He was really into Friedrich Hayek. You need to think about how Reagan would have analyzed how screwed up everything is right now under that lens and what can be done in actuality. He did what he could given the eight years he had plus the fact that he was dealing with the Soviet Union*. 43 got rid of Paul Volker. This was a disaster. Ronald Reagan was very serious about getting rid of that stupid Federal Reserve dual mandate. That thing totally interferes with libertarianism and conservatism actually working or selling. 43 had to go in a different direction and that is why we are where we are.
The big thing about his time was, he had the guts to stop inflation and after he did that there was a huge baby boom pushing through that. That is why you had all of that prosperity. This is a completely different era with completely different problems. You have to be realistic about how you give agency back to individuals like he would want.
* Stephen got this covered after I started again, lol.
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RufusRJones@RufusRJones5y
Government Is How We Steal From Each Other™
You are just stupid if you don't use government to steal from your fellow citizens. That's what every single government actuarial system is.
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RufusRJones@RufusRJones5y
This was mentioned earlier on, but I think it's a disaster that the media and the education system is so far left. Can you really turn the country enough to the right or libertarian in this situation?