Dr. Michael Bailey closes out the American Angst year with a holiday-season conversation that’s equal parts warm, witty, and razor-sharp about American civic identity. Starting with a few Christmas-movie confessions (including some truly astonishing gaps in Dr. Bailey’s viewing history), the episode quickly pivots into the real theme: why the phrase “We’re a republic, not a democracy” is not just misleading, but often politically weaponized.

Bailey breaks down the difference between republic, democracy, and liberal democracy in plain language—showing how political scientists actually use these terms and why the “republic vs. democracy” framing is frequently a rhetorical sleight of hand. Drawing from his work published at Outside the Beltway (and from a recent talk he gave to the League of Women Voters), he traces how the slogan has been used historically—from the John Birch Society to modern partisan messaging—to justify restrictions on participation, normalize minority-rule structures, and minimize the moral weight of broad voter inclusion.

Along the way, Dr. Bailey makes his core argument: the United States has long been a republic, but over time it became a democracy in the modern sense—especially a liberal democracy, where “liberal” means liberty, not partisan ideology. And that distinction matters, because a republic can exist without robust rights or meaningful participation (he points to global examples), while a liberal democracy is defined by protecting civil liberties, welcoming dissent, and making representative government accountable to “we the people.”

To lighten the mood after an hour of political theory (and to keep the angst appropriately seasonal), the episode ends with a playful holiday “list segment,” where Dr. Bailey shares a few memorable Christmas gifts—including a beloved childhood globe that accidentally taught him a lifelong lesson about language, history, and the power of words.

The views expressed on American Angst are solely those of the participants and do not represent any organization.

In this wide-ranging episode of American Angst, Dr. Michael Bailey and Dale take a deep and sobering look at Donald Trump’s environmental record. Using a “bottom of the ocean to the top of the atmosphere—and into our minds” framework, Michael walks through Trump’s approach to deep sea mining, fossil fuel expansion, weakened clean air and water protections, changes to endangered species rules, and targeted obstruction of wind and renewable energy. The episode also explores Trump’s efforts to dismantle climate policy infrastructure, suppress scientific data, defund research agencies, and erase public reporting on climate change. Together, Michael and Dale examine what it means for a democracy when environmental policy is shaped not just by ideology, but by the deliberate undermining of shared facts and scientific expertise.

The views expressed on American Angst are solely those of the participants and do not represent any organization.

It's a special Thanksgiving crossover episode of American Angst and Church Potluck! Dr. Michael Bailey and Dale McConkey start off-topic with a quick overview of 10 dizzying days in American politics. From there, they pivot to something far older, quieter, and deeper: Thanksgiving! Michael makes a bold claim—that Thanksgiving is the most American of all holidays—and builds his case like a true political theorist, tracing four different “foundings” of America (Puritan, Revolutionary, Civil War, and New Deal) and showing how Thanksgiving brushes up against each one. Along the way, they talk football and Black Friday, parades and turkey pardons, Friendsgiving and “family plus,” Lincoln’s Thanksgiving proclamation and the Gettysburg Address, and why humility and gratitude might be our best hope in an anxious age.

The episode is equal parts engaging civics lesson and cozy kitchen-table conversation. Dale and Michael swap their favorite and least favorite Thanksgiving traditions (including Dale’s “House of Dreams” potlucks and Michael’s annual Birmingham adventure day), lament the commercialization creeping into the holiday, and still find reasons to be stubbornly hopeful about America also previews an upcoming Church Potluck plan: an audio Advent & Christmas "calendar," inviting listeners to share their favorite Advent traditions from around the world. It’s politics and prayer, football and philosophy, social critique and sincere gratitude—seasoned with humor, affection, and a genuine desire to live more thoughtfully in a messy country they still love.

The views expressed on American Angst are solely those of the participants and do not represent any organization.