43.) George W Bush 2001-2009
"I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." - George W Bush, World Trade Center Site, September 14, 2001 George W. Bush did not get the presidency he thought he would. He expected to be the tax, entitlement, and education reform guy. Not the war on terror guy. But the deadliest attack in World History will do that to you. Follow along as Bush rides a privileged upbringing to the Texas Governorship, wins the Wh...
6 Jan 59min
42.A) Bill Clinton's Economic Legacy, an interview with Nelson Lichtenstein
"It's the economy, stupid" - Clinton advisor James Carville, 1992. Bill Clinton left office with a 66% approval rating. This was in large part because 81% of Americans approved his handling of the economy - 71% said the 1999 was the best economy of their lifetimes (according to Gallup). But how much credit does a president really deserve for an economy? And how does Clinton's record on free trade, welfare reform, and deregulation hold up today? Labor historian Nelson Lichtenstein, author...
16 Des 202459min
42.) Bill Clinton
“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.’” — Bill Clinton's inaugural address, Jan. 20, 1993. Bill Clinton has the highest end-of-term approval rating of any president in modern history - 66%. But that doesn't mean things came easy. It doesn't even mean he succeeded in what he set out to do! Follow along as Clinton rises from Arkansas poverty to become the youngest governor in the country and a dark horse presidential candidate on his way to th...
2 Des 20241h 1min
BONUS! 2024 Friendsgiving History Podcast Spectacular
For the third consecutive year, four podcasters got together to record their annual Friendsgiving History Podcast Spectacular. Tune in as I'm joined by three fellow history podcasters and friends for a roundtable discussion on U.S. and presidential history. The other podcasters are:Howard Dorre, Plodding through the PresidentsJerry Landry, Presidencies of the United StatesAlycia, Civics & Coffee Happy Thanksgiving!Support the show
18 Nov 20241h 1min
41.A) George Bush & the end of the Cold War, an interview with Jeff Engel
George H.W. Bush presided over 4 of the most consequential years in world history. Before he entered office, a Cold War divided East and West: Democratic Capitalism vs Dictatorial Communism. After he left office, Democratic Capitalism had won. How did Bush usher in an age of American hegemony? And what role did he play in dramas ranging from the reunification of Germany to the independence of former soviet states like Russia and Ukraine? Jeffrey Engel, Director of SMU's Center for Pres...
11 Nov 202440min
41.) George H.W. Bush
“The Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again. And I’ll say to them: ‘Read my lips, no new taxes.’” — George Bush's GOP Nomination Acceptance speech, Aug. 18, 1988. "Poor George [Bush], he can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." - Texas Governor Ann Richards at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. George H.W. Bush may have lived one of the most personally moving stories in all of presidential hi...
7 Okt 202456min
40.A) Reaganomics and the anti-tax movement, an interview with Michael Graetz
Americans have long had a complicated relationship with taxes. We don't like paying them, but we love the things they pay for. In the decades after World War II, both political parties agreed - taxes are worth it. Then came Ronald Reagan and the anti-tax movement. Michael Graetz, a Professor Emeritus of Law at Yale University and Columbia University and author of The Power to Destroy: How the Antitax Movement Hijacked America, discusses how an American consensus was shattered and a new era of...
16 Sep 202455min
38.B) The History of the Pardon, an interview with Kimberly Wehle
On September 8, 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned recently-resigned president Richard Nixon of any crimes he may have committed in the presidency, and the pardon has never been the same since. Law Professor Kimberly Wehle, author of the new book Pardon Power: How the Pardon System Works - and Why, discusses the origin and history of the presidential pardon and the danger its potential abuse poses to the future of democracy. If you'd like to read more from Kim, check out her Substack at ht...
2 Sep 202435min
