The Brion McClanahan Show

https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com The city of Birmingham thinks it should be a State and is suing in FEDERAL court to determine if it can ignore State law. This would be a disaster for federalism and would produce all kinds of problems. I explain why in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com A listener generated episode. Was Marbury v. Madison a good or bad decision? What are the misconceptions of the case, and what did it mean for the future of American constitutionalism? Get the scoop on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com This is a listener generated episode. Keep sending your requests. If ______ candidate won ________ presidential election, what would have been different, or more importantly, did the wrong man win? Irving Stone wrote a breezy tome on this topic in the middle of the 20th century titled "They Also Ran." His book is popular history at its finest, but like any political history has its biases. I have mine and I focus on three elections, 1824, 1860, and 1896 and what American might have been like had the "also ran" won the election.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Liberty minded Americans might be unaware that there are several different concepts of American liberty all born in the colonial period. This presents a problem when discussing current events and creates the climate of "incompatible things." I discuss liberty in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and Lyndon Johnson should rank at the bottom of every presidential list. Unfortunately, they don't. Of course, I placed them among the 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America. But of those three, who is the worst? Tom Woods made a case for FDR and Michael Malice for Wilson in a recent episode of the Tom Woods Show. They didn't mention LBJ. They should have. I give Landslide Lyndon's reputation the what-for on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com This is a question many people in Western countries ask today. Why are my college professors so liberal? It seems the academy is overrun with hippie has-beens and revolutionary wannabes. How did this happen? Some of it has to do with field and the rest with culture and hubris. I discuss in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. was a court historian of the court historians, the bridge between the Old Left and the New Left. He would also be attacked by the New Left of today for his views on "multiculturalism." His book "The Disuniting of America" is an interesting discussion of history, politics, and more importantly the myth of Lincolnian America. This book was highly influential when I was an undergraduate, and I thought it was a good time to revisit its conclusions and arguments. If you have not read it, it's worth your time.

https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan/com/support http://learntruehistory.com The recent events in Florida had some members of the media suggesting that 16 year old Americans should be able to vote. This is democratic and fair, they say. Why stop at 16? Why not 12? or 5? The American infatuation with "democracy" has led to several interesting debates in American history, most importantly the division between the State and general government over who can and cannot vote, and the impact of "universal suffrage" on American government. I discuss these issues in this Episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com Laura Ingraham created a stir a couple of weeks ago by suggesting that NBA superstar LeBron James leave politics alone and just "shut up and dribble." James, other NBA players, and leftist talking heads in both the sports media and cable news pounced, calling her "racist" and demanding an apology. To her credit, Ingraham didn't back down and instead asked James to come on her show. James refused and the issue died down. But this episode is a case example of several important developments in modern politics: 1. Who should be "allowed" to have political views; 2. What obligations come with citizenship; 3. The Left's propensity to throw down the race card at all times, even if unwarranted; and 4. The necessity for education in the American polity. I discuss all of these points on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Presidents Day. The day dedicated to monarchy worship in America. It also provides an opportunity for every "presidential scholar" to dust off his or her "presidential rankings." 2018 is no different. Boise State produced a survey of "presidential scholars" that is not only laughable but exposes these people for the poor scholars they actually are, at least in regard to understanding the original intent of the executive branch. I take them apart in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. This one was fun to produce.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Very few people, even academics, know anything about the Tuckers of Virginia. This is unfortunate because they were a truly great American political family. I wrote about St. George Tucker in my How Alexander Hamilton Screwed Up America, but a few years back we dedicated a week to the Tuckers at the Abbeville Institute. St. George is perhaps the most important family member but his sons, grandsons, and great grandson should not be ignored, either. I discuss the Tuckers in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Was the United States founded as a "Christian nation?" David Barton will tell you so, and this has become a generally accepting talking point on the American right. But is it true? To be blunt, no, but not because Americans weren't predominantly Christian. They were, but America was never a "nation," and the Union was designed to handle the differences--political, economic, cultural, religious--between the States and sections. This is a nuanced subject and it needs careful attention. I hope to give it that in this episode of the Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com Perhaps no issue is more contentious in the "Civil War" field than that of black Confederates. Did they exist? More importantly, how do we measure "support" during any period of war and what constitutes a "soldier?" Do men who are forcibly drafted into the army "support" the cause? How about non-combat support. Are they soldiers? What about support from the home front? Does non-combat "support" make someone a partisan to that cause? These are important questions and they go a long way to answering the question of did black Confederates exist. I discuss this issue on the episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.

https://brionmcclanahan.com/support https://mcclanahanacademy.com http://learntruehistory.com I have received several emails from listeners asking about the Articles of Confederation. Was it that bad? Did the Constitution fundamentally change the Union? What are the similarities between the Constitution and the Articles? Did the States secede from the Articles? Good news. I answer several of these questions in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. But you'll also want to sign up for McClanahan Academy because the Articles will be part of a course I am designing for release sometime this year. Get your fix now, but the really good stuff is forthcoming.

https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com The American Conservative published a piece last week by David Masciotra titled "The Darker Implications of Trump's Vulgarity." This piece is "never Trump" virtue signaling at its finest, but it is also a clear example of the historical ignorance of modern "political thinkers." Masciotra is a progressive and it shows. His piece is little more than a kindergarten rant, and it displays a complete lack of understanding for the "vulgarity" of American history and the original intent of the executive branch. This episode was fun to record. Enjoy!