Power Line

Steve Hayward, just back from a regional meeting of the National Association of Scholars, sits down with Warren Treadgold, author of brand new book, The University We Need, which offers a bold idea: because colleges and universities are so far gone and likely unfixable, the time has come to found a brand new elite university that not only departs from the dreary orthodoxy of campus leftism, but also departs from the standard modes of university structure and governance. Treadgold, a professor of Byzantine Studies at St. Louis University, also offers a brief introduction to that fascinating field.

In this very special episode, Steve Hayward uses some unaired material from a long interview with the late Peter Schramm of the Ashbrook Center. Peter passed away in August 2015, and left a legacy of brilliant and inspirational teaching to a generation of students at Ashland University. This Hungarian immigrant is best known from his lecture and essay on how he became an American, “Born American, But in the Wrong Place.” In this wide-ranging conversation, Steve and Peter talk about education, classroom teaching, great books, American exceptionalism, and also immigration, where Peter offered some prescient thoughts about the incompetence of Republicans in handling the issue—very timely meditations for today.

If a thuggish regime fell in the forest and the New York Times didn’t report it, did it make a sound? This week Steve Hayward talks with Kelly Jane Torrance of the Weekly Standard about what is going on in Iran, where the Trump Administration’s heavy pressure may be straining the regime to the breaking point. But the mainstream U.S. media seem to be ignoring the tidings of increasing unrest and instability. Kelly Jane keeps close tabs with the Iranian resistance in Europe and the U.S. and is well positioned to fill in the gaps.

Steve Hayward and his pseudonymous mystery guest “Lucretia” return for the second half of their conversation about the meaning and interpretation of the 14th Amendment. Building on last week’s analysis of the “equal protection clause,” this episode goes on to the other three important clauses in Section 1—the “citizenship clause,” the “privileges and immunities clause,” and the “due process clause.” Steve and “Lucretia” devote special attention to the controversy over “birthright citizenship,” which is freshly back in the news right now.

This month marks the 150th anniversary of the enactment of the 14th Amendment, which has been abused perhaps more than any other part of the Constitution. Steve Hayward welcomes back to the show the pseudonymous mystery guest from last week, “Professor X,” who knows more about the 14th Amendment than the Power Line crew has forgotten. In this first of a two-part series, Steve and “Prof. X” take you inside the classroom to untangle the “equal protection” clause—what it was intended by the Congress that wrote the Amendment, and how it has been twisted by modern courts. And “Prof. X” will get a new moniker going forward at the end of this show. You’ll just have to listen to find out what it is!

With the ascent of “democratic socialism” in the Democratic party and a Supreme Court confirmation fight commencing this week, Steve Hayward checks in for the latest on how this may play out in the midterm election with Henry Olsen, and also introduces us to a new special, anonymous (and soon to be regular) mystery guest, “Professor X.” She teaches at a major public university, and argues that we aren’t arguing broadly enough about what is wrong with the Supreme Court these days. (Bonus: we also talk guns and shooting!)

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Steve Hayward talks with two proud Yale bulldog alumni—James Kirchick of the Brookings Institution and Jeremy Carl of the Hoover Institution, about the mess in higher education and the mess at our border. It’s a coin flip between which is the bigger mess today—immigration or college campus madness, and maybe there is a connecting thread. But stick around, we have a side dish of energy policy included, because this is a high energy podcast!

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What could the cult-camp classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” have to do with the electricity grid? A lot, as it turns out, and Steve Hayward ponders this gonzo crossover topic with three experts on energy policy, Lynne Kiesling of Purdue University, author Robert Bryce, and author/activist Tisha Schuller. Not only does this episode feature killer garden produce, but it also has Steve Martin references. Who says energy policy wonkery can’t be fun!

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Steve Hayward is joined this week by Power Line’s own John Hinderaker and Power Line’s eminence grise behind the curtain, Joe Malchow, to dissect the key takeaways of the Inspector General’s findings about the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton. The second half of this episode features Henry Olsen with his latest “surf report” about where the Democrats’ “blue wave” stands at the moment. Hint: Democrats shouldn’t be waxing up their longboards just yet.

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This week’s episode offers a conversation between Steve Hayward and Charles Copeland, president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) about the crisis of the university, especially Steve’s favorite theme that universities are slowly committing intellectual suicide. This discussion took place at the recent Western Conservative Summit in Denver.

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Steve Hayward talks this week with author Michael Walsh about his new book, The Fiery Angel: Art, Culture, Sex, Politics, and the Struggle for the Soul of the West. Walsh has encyclopedic knowledge of high culture from Homer to Rocky IV, with detours to opera, novels, fine art, and classical music along the way, revealing deep layers of political and cultural meaning and explaining why the cultural struggles of our time are the key to winning our political battles. He also throws down on the defects of the modern conservative movement.

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Steve Hayward caught up with the noted author Matt Ridley and energy entrepreneur Chris Wright in a hotel lobby in Denver last week, and decided to make a podcast of it! Matt Ridley (nowadays Lord Ridley!) is the author of many fine books, including The Rational Optimist and The Evolution of Everything: How New Ideas Emerge. Ridley is one of the leading “lukewarmers”—the band of people who believe climate change is exaggerated and possibly a benefit to the planet, and we cover some of the latest scientific findings about our changing climate that the media don’t want you to know. Chris Wright is one of the leading innovators in oil and technology, and explains what’s going on—namely, that we’re still in the early stages of the worldwide fracking revolution.

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Steve Hayward sits down with Rebecca Heinrichs of the Hudson Institute to survey the scene with regard to defense spending, middle defense, what Russia and China are up to, how the North Korea talks may go, and why Trump, like Mark Twain’s comment on Wagner’s music, is better than he looks when it comes to foreign and defense policy. Special shout out to Peter Schramm, our mutual teacher and mentor.

Steve Hayward and John Hinderaker interviewed Michael Anton, former senior staffer at Trump’s National Security Council and author of the controversial “Flight 93 Election” article from September 2016, at the Ricochet Podcast Summit in Washington. Anton revisited the infamous article, shared his insights about Trump’s political character, and also regaled the live audience with a great tale of what it’s like to be a chef for a White House state dinner.

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This week Steve Hayward talks with . . . Steve Hayward! Well, not exactly. This special edition of the Power Line show features a keynote lecture Steve delivered at Arizona State University back in February on “The Suicide of the University.” Maybe coming next as a book and feature film.

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Who can make the connection between an obscure and bizarre British kids TV show and contemporary U.S. political analysis? The Power Line Show, that’s who! “Henry, were helping Henry and were telling Henry everything we know, Henry, were helping Henry, but we’ve still got a long long way too go!”—is the refrain of “Helping Henry,” but in this episode, Henry Olsen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center helps us keep up to date on the latest tea leaves of the political scene.

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The controversies surrounding free speech and academic freedom opened a new front last week with the execrable comments about the late First Lady Barbara Bush from Fresno State University professor Randa Jarrar. Steve Hayward talks here with Keith Whittington of Princeton University, author of a new book, “Speak Freely: Why Universities Must Defend Free Speech.” But as Whittington is also a leading scholar of constitutional law, Steve and Keith also talk about other constitutional issues—especially impeachment, the dream of liberals everywhere just now.

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Steven Teles of Johns Hopkins University is a rare liberal who writes with great perception and fairness about conservatism and conservative ideas. In this episode, Steve Hayward talks with Teles about his fine new book (co-authored with Brink Lindsay) “The Captured Economy,” and also about liberalism, intellectual history, and especially about the need for more conservatives in higher education.

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Claremont Institute fellow Joseph Tartakovsky is out this week with a fascinating new book that illuminates the Constitution with a unique approach: “The Lives of the Constitution” explores the meaning of our central political document through the stories of ten important figures in the story—some familiar, like Alexander Hamilton, but some less well known, like James Wilson and Stephen Field. Steve Hayward explores four of the 10 important thinkers and doers that Tartakovsky selected for a closer look. You’ll just have to listen to find out which four.

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Steve Hayward talks with Ed Whelan, president of of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, author of “Bench Memos” on National Review Online, and co-editor of “Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and a Live Well Lived.” In addition to recalling the rich legacy of Justice Scalia, Steve and Ed talk about the problems of jurisprudence today, and in this season of new controversy over the 2nd Amendment, Steve even asks the bold question—was the Bill of Rights a mistake?

The Power Line Blog's Podcast

Ep. 83: The University We Need?

Ep. 82: “Born American, But in the Wrong Place”—Remembering Peter Schramm

Ep. 81: Iran Primed for Revolution?

Ep. 80: The 14th Amendment at 150, Part 2

Ep. 79: The 14th Amendment at 150, Part 1

Ep. 78: Here Comes Da Judge!

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Ep. 77: Bulldog Edition

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Ep. 76: Killer Tomatoes and the Electricity Grid

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Ep. 75: The IG Report, and the Latest Big Wave Surf Forecast

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Ep. 74: “The Suicide of the University” Revisited, with Charles Copeland

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Ep. 73: Michael Walsh’s Fiery Angel

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Ep. 72: Is Progress Making Progress?

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Ep. 71: A Hard Look at Hard Power

Ep. 70: The “Flight 93 Election” Comes in for a Landing

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Ep. 69: The Suicide of the University

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Ep. 68: Helping Henry

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Ep. 67: Speak Freely, and Other Heresies

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Ep. 66: The Telos of Teles

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Ep. 65: The Lives of the Constitution

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Ep. 64: Finding Nino: A Celebration of Justice Scalia

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