DIA-Today: Democracy in America Today

We continue our series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by discussing the principle of prudence and its application to contemporary politics. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:52) - We discuss big news for the Corbin family and our expanded social media presence.

The Fifth Principle: Prudence (3:23) - We discuss the role of prudence in statesmanship, contrasting the prudent statesman with grandstanders and conceders. Link: Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club.

Lincoln’s Prudence (17:21) - We discuss Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” and his prudence in addressing the fundamental divide that led to the Civil War and his efforts to rebuild the nation after it. Link: Abraham Lincoln, “Second Inaugural Address.”

Prudence in the Debate Over Citizenship (33:13): We discuss ways to make progress in our national debates concerning DEI and immigration through the lens of forming a common understanding of American citizenship. Link: James Hankins on assimilation.

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (40:11) - We predict how many games the New England Patriots will win this season and make our picks for five games from the opening week of the NFL.

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

YouTube: @DIAToday

Intagram: @DemocracyinAmericaToday

Keeping Our Republic at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We continue our series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by discussing the principle of lawfulness and its application to contemporary politics. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We discuss Dave’s trip to New England and the approach of another school year.

The Fifth Principle: Lawfulness (3:07) - We discuss the importance of the rule of law as well as the limits of the presumption in favor of obedience to the law. Links: Abraham Lincoln, Young Men’s Lyceum Address, Federalist 62.

Lawfulness Applied (26:59) - We discuss how the principle of lawfulness has been challenged by the dueling gerrymandering threats, executive-decreed tariff policies, and the recent deal between the Trump Administration and Nvidia and AMD concern microchip exports to China. We also consider the tension between justice and lawfulness and the tension between necessity and lawfulness. Links: WSJ on Ford’s domestic manufacturing investment, CNBC on the Nvidia/AMD deal, John Puri on the Nvidia/AMD deal, John Locke, Of Prerogative.

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (49:24) - We review Dave’s success at Saratoga, the Red Sox’s deadline deals, and make our picks for five big college football season openers. 

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Keeping Our Republic at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We continue our series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by discussing the principle of justice and its application to contemporary politics. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:52) - We discuss Dave’s upcoming trip to New England and the heat wave hitting New Jersey.

The Fourth Principle: Justice (4:25) - We discuss the founders’ understanding of justice and contrast that with the factious behavior that is so common and dangerous in a republic. Link: Federalist 10.

Justice Applied (30:30) - We discuss the way that faction has undermined justice in recent public policy decisions and debates. Links: the Trump-EU trade deal, Christian Schneider on the 2005 Social Security debate; AEI study on Social Security reform.

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (44:29) - We review our picks for the British Open, talk about the Red Sox new star Roman Anthony, predict the Sox’s trade deadline day action, and forecast Dave’s prospects for his weekend at Saratoga. Link: Roman Anthony stats at BaseballReference.

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Keeping Our Republic at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We continue our series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by discussing the principle of honor and its application to contemporary politics. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We discuss our summer vacations and the Red Sox’s great run of win heading into the All-Star break..

The Third Principle: Honor (4:12) - We discuss the difference between a statesman on the one hand, and three corruptions of the political idea: the demagogue, the office-seeker, and the Caesar. Link: Cook Political Report on competitive House seats.   

Restoring Honor (28:42) - We discuss the place of honor in an orderly society with help from Waller Newell’s book, The Code of Man. Links: Waller Newell, The Code of Man.

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (38:03) - We review our recent picks and make our predictions for The British Open. Links: WSJ on Tommy Fleetwood. 

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Keeping Our Republic at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We continue our series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by discussing the principle of moral responsibility and its application to contemporary politics. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We discuss plans for the 4th of July and some very American ways to honor the country.

The Second Principle: Responsibility (3:05) - We discuss what it meant for the founders and what it means for us to live under the authority of God and His law. Link: WSJ article on the proposed AI state law moratorium..   

AI Unbound? (21:53) - We discuss the government’s role in enforcing moral limits on technologies like Artificial Intelligence and contemporary proposals to protect human dignity from technological advances unmoored from ethical norms. Links: Toscano and Hayden on the proposed AI regulation moratorium; A Future for the Family.

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (37:40) - We anticipate Joey Chestnut’s return to the Nathan’s 4th of July hot dog eating contest and make our picks for the men’s and women’s finalist and champions at Wimbledon. review our picks for the Kentucky Derby and predict how many hot dogs Joey Chestnut will eat on July 4. Link: Grand Slam results for Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alvaraz, Aryna Sabalenka, Emma Navarro, Elena Rybakina.

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Keeping Our Republic at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We begin a new series based on our 2010 book, Keeping Our Republic: Principles for a Political Reformation, by reviewing the first principle discussed, equality. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We discuss the arrival of summer in Colorado and New Jersey.

Introducing Keeping Our Republic (2:17) - We discuss the vision behind Keeping Our Republic and our plan to revisit its arguments 15 years later. Link: Charles C. W. Cooke on Normalcy.   

The First Principle: Equality: (23:18) - We discuss the founders’ understanding of human equality and its application today. Link: Joseph Pieper, Abuse of Language, Abuse of Power. 

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (46:58) - We review our picks for the Kentucky Derby and predict how many hot dogs Joey Chestnut will eat on July 4. Link: Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest Results.

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We review the first 100 days of President Trump’s second term and talk about the origins and trajectory of the Trump coalition. 

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:54) - We discuss Dave’s recent visit to Green Bay for the NFL draft.

President Trump’s First 100 Days (2:27) - We respond to President Trump’s speech marking the end of the first 100 days of his presidency. Link: Transcript of President Trump’s speech.   

President Trump’s Movement and Self-Understanding: (23:49) - We discuss Dave’s understanding of how the ascendance of what David Brooks called the “BoBos” led to the coalescing of President Trump’s coalition of Workers and Believers (WoBels). Link: David Brooks, Bobos in Paradise. 

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (53:23) - We make our picks for the upcoming Kentucky Derby.

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We discuss the case for and against President Trump’s tariffs in the broader context of American economic and moral prosperity.

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We talk about spring skiing and avoiding mishap on the slopes

Tariffs in Context (2:28) - We discuss the historical and philosophical context of President Trump’s tariff with help from Alexander Hamilton’s “Report on Manufactures” and Plator’s Republic. Links: Hamilton, “Report on Manufactures”; Plato, The Republic, Book 2.   

The Case For and Against President Trump’s Tariffs: (26:25) - We discuss thoughtful arguments made for and against President Trump’s tariffs. Links: Paul Mueller and the case against; Noah Rothman and degrowth; Shane Harris on elites and tariffs; Park McDougald on Tariffs and China; Julio Rivera on a blue-collar renaissance; Spencer Morrison on job growth; Angelo Codevilla’s Advice for War Presidents. 

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (42:21) - We review our poor NCAA tournament picks and project the winner of the Master’s Tournament. 

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.

We continue our discussion of the first 100 days of President Trump’s second administration by focusing on his plans for the Department of Education and a program for education reform.

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:54) - We discuss the arrival of March weather and March Madness.

Ending the Department of Education? (2:03) - We discuss President Trump’s plans to close the Department of Education along with the current staffing and spending of the department. Links: President Trump’s pending executive order; Plans to reduce Department of Education staffing; Blue State Attorneys General lawsuit.    

Education Ancient and Modern: (8:07) - We reflect on classical models of education, the significance of Christianity in refining those models, and the contemporary American focus on career preparation in education. Links: Aristotle, The Politics, book VIII; Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, Book II. 

Reforming Education (21:49) - We address three problems in the contemporary approach to school community and culture, correctives of each, and the prospects for operationalizing them in our day. 

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (36:01) - We make our picks for the Final Four of the NCAA tournament and the low seed that will make the deepest run. 

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of his present or former employers.

We continue our examination of the first 100 days of the second Trump Administration by discussing the constitutional and political questions around DOGE.

Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.

Opening and closing music from “2020 Vision (Worse than Blind)” by Fred Lancia. Used with permission.

Opening (0:53) - We discuss what we did last week in light of Elon Musk’s email to federal employees asking them the same and the overall question of government accountability. Links: Donald Trump statement; Federal Debt.

DOGE (4:28) - We discuss the constitutional objections that have been raised to DOGE, the political resistance that has arisen, and the prospects for getting control of the federal deficit and debt. Links: Alan Charles Raul on the unconstitutionality of DOGE; WSJ on DOGE; Who let the DOGE out?; Andy McCarthy on the Dellinger case; House Budget Resolution; DOGE homepage.   

Tocqueville’s Crystal Ball (33:19) - We make our predictions for the Red Sox and Yankees this year. 

Email: DemocracyinAmericaToday@gmail.com

Matt Parks and David Corbin both taught politics at The King’s College in New York City and have written together on reviving American republicanism, The Federalist, and Democracy in America. All views expressed in this podcast are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of their present or former employers.