In this episode, we discuss vacuum espionage, election polling, voter bias, and the persistence of the “hidden Republican” phenomenon, before turning to the Foolishness of the Week on Barack Obama’s shifting racial politics. We then speak with historian David Beito, author of FDR: A New Political Life, about Franklin D. Roosevelt’s lasting impact on American governance. We examine how FDR reshaped the federal government through progressivism, centralized planning, and the expansion of executive power, connecting his presidency to modern debates over welfare, economic rights, and political authority. We also explore the contradictions of FDR’s leadership, his charisma and pragmatism alongside his willingness to suppress dissent, and how his policies continue to influence government and public trust today.
00:00 Introduction and Overview
00:53 The Smart Vacuum That Spied
04:25 Off-Year Elections in California and New York
06:55 Polling Bias and the Hidden Republican Vote
09:15 Foolishness of the Week: Barack Obama
10:21 Race, Identity, and Political Opportunism
15:36 Guest Introduction: Historian David Beito
16:58 Debunking the FDR Myth
18:20 FDR’s Progressive Ideology and Power Mindset
26:45 Central Planning and the New Deal
29:09 Comparing FDR to Modern Presidents
31:09 What If FDR Hadn’t Died in Office?
34:53 FDR’s Second Bill of Rights
40:18 Why the Great Depression Lasted Longer in America
43:24 FDR’s Legacy of Surveillance and Bureaucracy
48:10 Emergency Powers and Modern Parallels
52:26 Closing Reflections and Book Plug
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