Boo! In this Halloween edition of American Angst, political philosopher Dr. Michael Bailey leads a brisk, illuminating tour of the current government shutdown and what it reveals about our constitutional machinery. Michael lays out why both parties share blame in different ways, but, more importantly, why the structure itself incentivizes brinkmanship over basic governance. He explains how the Senate filibuster concentrates leverage, why “who’s actually in charge?” is maddeningly opaque to voters, and how that erodes democratic accountability.

Moving beyond the headlines, Michael compares the U.S. system to parliamentary models that either compel compromise or trigger new elections—mechanisms that keep the lights on. He analyzes the human stakes (unpaid federal workers, SNAP risks, ACA premium credits) and unpacks why shutdowns persist: party primaries, committee gatekeeping, leadership dynamics, and the political rewards of dysfunction. The result is a clear, digestible framework for understanding not just this shutdown, but our recurring cycles of stalemate.

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

We may begin talking about sweater weather and niceties about upstate New York, but we quickly let the angst flow deep and wide. Join us as Sam Call (comparative politics) joins Michael Bailey (political science and philosophy) and host Dale McConkey (sociology) for a fascinating exploration of how democracies erode, or "backslide." Dr. Call explains why today’s threats rarely look like coups; instead, elected leaders chip away at checks and balances, politicize the bureaucracy, blur truth, and normalize “us vs. them.” We contrast the U.S. with Hungary and Turkey, talk courts that are ignored, legislatures that go silent, redistricting as a national power strategy, and why pardoning political violence sends a chilling signal. Then we rank the top 3 warning signs right now, ask where the red lines really are, and close with practical steps: stay informed, have hard conversations, and rebuild community ties. It’s an honest, engaging, and surprisingly hopeful hour—gloom but not doom.

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

We’re back with another crossover of American Angst and Church Potluck—and it’s the middle slice of a three-part series. In Part 1, we explored evidence for a religious impulse at the founding of the United States. Today, we flip the coin and examine the “godless constitution” thesis: why the U.S. Constitution reads secular by design, how the framers imagined church–state separation, and what that meant in practice—from oath vs. affirmation options and chaplains, to presidential proclamations and the Treaty of Tripoli’s blunt line that America is “not in any sense founded on the Christian religion.”

Host Dale McConkey and political philosopher Michael Bailey unpack what “secular” meant to the founders (hint: not automatically anti-religious), how federalism complicates easy slogans (a secular federal blueprint alongside evolving state choices), and why many founders still believed private, voluntary faith undergirds public virtue. We trace the gradual disestablishment of state churches as culture and diversity shifted, and we highlight Washington’s move from mere “toleration” to full religious liberty—rights grounded in conscience, not favors from a majority. Along the way: a birthday shout-out, a candy-aisle cold open (defense of the peanut butter cup!), and a game-show callback. We close by teeing up Part 3, where we’ll examine Christian nationalism today and how competing readings of the founding shape modern politics.

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

It’s a crossover feast: American Angst meets Church Potluck for a lively, thoughtful dive into religion, politics, and the Founders—setting the table for an upcoming conversation on Christian nationalism. This one leans a bit more American Angst in tone, with Michael Bailey taking the lead while Dale McConkey jumps in with sociological insight and good-humored pushback. In this episode, the focus is squarely on the Christian Commonwealth perspective—the idea that America’s roots lie in Puritan covenant theology, religiously infused language in the Declaration, and early public practices that tied faith and politics together. Along the way, they explore why Americans have long seen themselves as “chosen” and exceptional, and why ownership of the national story still feels contested.

The conversation includes playful banter, a round of “Founding Father Faith Jeopardy,” and even a ranking of which founders were most traditionally religious. And while today’s episode emphasizes the Christian Commonwealth thesis, next time the duo will turn to the Godless Constitution perspective—giving both sides of this ongoing debate their due. Smart, curious, and just spiky enough to keep you listening, this crossover sets up a larger series of conversations on Christian nationalism and American identity.

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

San Francisco is often painted as a city in crisis by conservative politicians and pundits, but does that picture hold up when you actually live there? In this special episode, political scientist Michael Bailey sits down with his daughter, Lydia Bailey, for a wide-ranging father–daughter dialogue about her life in the city. Host Dale McConkey is along for the ride, chiming in from the back seat.

Through their conversation, Lydia helps us see whether the lived reality of San Francisco matches the “angsty” narrative we so often hear. Michael frames the issue with a look at crime data versus political rhetoric, then Lydia brings it down to earth—how people actually navigate the city, what it feels like to live in different neighborhoods, and how the weather itself shapes daily rhythms. From the city’s food culture and parks to its delightfully eccentric bumper stickers, Lydia shares the everyday experiences that give San Francisco its character. And while she doesn’t shy away from the real challenges of housing costs and city governance, the picture she paints is far more textured—and far more hopeful—than the caricature we too often hear.

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

Environmental policy professor Dr. Courtney Cooper joins American Angst to untangle climate science, local vs. federal solutions, and why adaptation and mitigation aren’t either/or options. With Dr. Michael Bailey (our resident “Avatar of Angst”) pressing on partisanship, expertise, and the politics of denial, and host Dr. Dale McConkey steering the conversation, we move from Andean glaciers and wildfire smoke to bike lanes, data centers, and why “co-benefits” (healthier cities, better transit) might be the bridge past stalemate. Expect insights on models and evidence, frank talk about costs and tradeoffs, and a grounded hopefulness: we can’t do everything, but we can do a lot—together.

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

Is America’s free-speech problem moving from online pile-ons to state-pressured loyalty tests? Political scientist and philosopher Dr. Michael Bailey makes the case that we’re drifting into a new, internet-era McCarthyism—a “Trump Loyalty Shakedown”—while host Dale McConkey presses on what truly protects expression: not just the First Amendment, but civic norms that resist conformity. We warm up with rectangles on the U.S. map and West Coast daydreams, then trace three classic threats to speech (government coercion, social self-censorship, and the gray zone where politics chills private actors). Along the way: Madison, Lincoln, WWI, HUAC, Tocqueville, and Mill—and practical steps listeners (especially conservatives who value free expression) can take right now.

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

Physicist and astronomer Dr. Todd Timberlake joins the conversation to explore the modern crisis of expertise. What does it mean to trust science when experts sometimes get things wrong? How do peer review, replication, and the broader scientific community create self-correcting systems that still move knowledge forward, even through mistakes? And why has public trust in institutions—including science and medicine—eroded so dramatically in recent years?

Together with our angsty leader, Michael Bailey, Todd unpacks why skepticism toward expertise has shifted from a fringe view to a mainstream force shaping policy and public life. They consider the dangers of dismissing experts altogether, the tension between democracy and authority, and the challenges citizens face in discerning credible evidence from persuasive rhetoric. The conversation also raises a crucial question: what responsibilities do experts themselves bear in making their work transparent and trustworthy?

To end on a lighter note, we close with “Dear Michael Bailey—Give Us a List.” Michael shares his three favorite things about physics, from the vast scales of the universe to the counterintuitive truths revealed by math. Then Todd returns the favor with his list of the three most angsty things about government—highlighting complexity, the problem of uninformed decision-making, and the limitations of what government can realistically achieve.

Hosted by Dale McConkey.

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