

The American Mind Podcast
The Claremont Institute
The American Mind Podcast uncovers the ideas and principles that drive American political life. The hosts engage Claremont scholars and critics in thought-provoking discussions about the real causes of our current political and cultural reality. claremontinstitute.substack.com
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 27, 2023 • 59min
Deplatformed
Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News following a defamation case between Fox and Dominion, coinciding with other ousters in like Don Lemon's at CNN. In New York, Trump is being sued civilly over rape accusations, but is also being sued by the accuser for denying the claims. Meanwhile, mortgage changes are coming to take from the responsible and give to the irresponsible. Seth and Spencer analyze defamation by design and woke mortgages before recounting their favorite TAM articles of the week and reminding you to read the damn site. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 20, 2023 • 58min
Queer Beer
When Anheuser-Busch inked a deal with Dylan Mulvaney to wokeify their subpar beer, Americans turned on the brand. The company’s stock price has sunk sunk by over $7 billion so far, as executives mouth empty platitudes and shift the blame. Will this controversy serve as a cautionary tale to businesses looking to alienate their core consumer base? Meanwhile, media apparatchiks rush to spin a preposterous narrative out of a tragic shooting. Plus: Elon Musk provides occasion to discuss AI and the end times. Seth and Spencer analyze the news before, of course, reminding you to read the damn site. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 13, 2023 • 1h 5min
Civil Rights LARPing
In record time, Democrats have managed to turn the massacre of Christian children by a transgender woman into a Civil Rights LARP. Two state representatives were expelled from the TN legislature for participating in a riot, allowing them to pose absurdly as victims and freedom fighters. Meanwhile the Wisconsin Supreme Court flips to the left, raising questions about Republicans’ rhetorical strategy on abortion. Plus: the editors recount their favorite articles this week before reminding you to read the damn site. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Apr 6, 2023 • 1h
Anecdictments
Whatever your personal opinion of Trump, his indictment is a somber moment for the trajectory of democracy in America. Ryan and Spencer discuss the dogged pursuit of Trump at any cost, including some hilarious speculation about how the headlines on this topic are getting written. The two then expand the discussion to the selective weaponization of the legal system using the case of Ricky Vaughn as a starting point. Plus: Peachy Keenan set the internet alight when she committed the crime of noticing that college admissions are tilting in a very noticeably woke direction—but of course she was right. Spencer closes by asking Ryan for his favorite TAM article before reminding you to read the damn site. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 30, 2023 • 1h 4min
Tragedy in Tennessee
There's no sugarcoating the horror of what happened in Nashville this week as a disturbed young woman murdered six people, three of them aged 9 years old. The shooter was wrapped up in transgender extremism, a fact which has unveiled a ghoulish relish for the death of Christians in contemporary culture. Meanwhile, as megacorporations charge forth with reckless abandon in an AI arms race, some interesting characters are calling for a national pause on the unproven technology. But is that just a makeshift bandage over a much deeper, festering wound? The editors, with special guest Helen Roy, deconstruct the social contagions at work in the US as well as the potential threat of AI before reminding you, as always, to read the damn site. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 23, 2023 • 1h 8min
Lights, Camera, Indictment?
Sufferers of advanced Trump Derangement Syndrome are frothing at the mouth to think of Trump being indicted by a grand jury in Manhattan. Meanwhile, Republicans are watching intently to see whether the political winds will blow in favor of Don or Ron as we approach primary season. Then the editors take a moment to define the word "woke” and to ask whether doing so is even worth the effort. Finally, in an effort to get you to read the damn site(s), Ryan uses his extraordinary power to take a CRB essay out from behind the paywall just for you! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 16, 2023 • 56min
Banking on Outrage
In a first for The Roundtable, Seth and James alone take the stage. They discuss the stunning righteous indignation displayed by the nobody Democratic Reps. that “interviewed” Matt Taibbi and other journalists who participated in The Twitter Files releases. Meanwhile, Silicon Valley Bank fell victim to a classic run on the bank and has gone under, triggering a chain reaction at other banks. Plus: the editors’ takes on this year’s Oscars. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 9, 2023 • 54min
Livin’ the Meme
As warring factions grapple for power behind an increasingly transparent veneer of control and serenity, everyday Americans find themselves subject to a chaotic and unhinged form of anarcho-tyrannical rule. Our editors analyze newly released footage that challenges the continuing hysteria regarding the events of January 6, 2021, and the rise and fall of both New York and Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot. Is anyone in charge of it all? If not, what is to be done? Plus: the editors remind you to read the damn site, recounting their favorite articles on TAM this week. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Mar 3, 2023 • 1h 1min
Teenage Wasteland
Peachy Keenan joins the editors to discuss the tweet that broke the internet: an anecdote about the effects of racial preferences in admission turned into a Rorschach test and a celebration parallax. It’s not happening, and it’s good that it is! Then, a close reading of the new TikTok filter that confronts users with a vision of their younger selves, forcing many of them to confront the reality of passing time and human mortality. Plus: our editors pick their favorite pieces from the site this week. Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe

Feb 24, 2023 • 55min
Dahl-eted
In a two-man episode of the Round Table (the linear table?), Seth Barron and Spencer Klavan conduct a close reading of Puffin’s changes to the works of Roald Dahl. In collaboration with “Inclusive Minds, a collective for people who are passionate about inclusion and accessibility in children’s literature,” the publishers have decided to tweak Dahl’s work and bring it up to speed with the latest woke nostrums. What could possibly go wrong? Plus: read the damn site! Get full access to Claremont Digital Plus at claremontinstitute.substack.com/subscribe


