Voices of Freedom

An Interview with Peter Berkowitz The US Constitution is one of the greatest governing documents in history. No other charter has so deliberately advanced the belief that the government’s main purpose is to protect the individual rights of its citizens. The founders, recognizing the natural rights of mankind, created a seminal document that protects an individual’s unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.   Despite the exceptionalism of the Constitution and its battle-tested endurance, there are grave threats that could severely undermine and weaken it.  As we continue our 20th anniversary celebration of Bradley Prize winners, our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Peter Berkowitz, one of the country’s leading political thinkers and Constitutional scholars. Berkowitz warns that a decades long movement to distort the meaning of rights, the weaponization of the legal system, and a general lack of understanding of our rights, pose serious challenges to the preservation of the Constitution.     Topics Discussed on this Episode:  ·         What drew Berkowitz to the study of the Constitution and America’s founding principles  ·         Current threats to the Constitution  ·         Politicization of the Supreme Court  ·         Expansion of the administrative state  ·         Differences on the right about the role of government and foreign policy  ·         America’s role in the world  ·         Pro-Palestinian protests and anti-American sentiment  ·         Opportunity for higher education reform  ·         Will the Constitution endure?  Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He previously served as the Director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, executive secretary of the department's Commission on Unalienable Rights, and senior adviser to the Secretary of State. Berkowitz is a columnist for RealClear Politics and is a 2017 Bradley Prize winner.   

An Interview with William Barclay Allen America’s founders are revered for creating a structure of governance that values individual rights and promotes human flourishing. Nearly 250 years after they took the first steps toward creating a more perfect union by drafting and adopting the US Constitution, the nation continues to be a beacon of hope and opportunity around the world. That the Framers could so eloquently articulate the principles of ordered liberty that guide us today results in part from their own careful examination of the great thinkers of the 17th and 18th century.   Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Dr. William Barclay Allen. A 2024 Bradley Prize winner, he has dedicated his life’s work to studying the Founders and the philosophers who influenced the Western tradition. He is also committed to instilling an understanding and appreciation of that tradition among the next generation.  Allen is the Emeritus Dean of James Madison College and Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. He is a former member and chairman of the US Commission on Civil Rights and has been a Kellogg National Fellow, Fulbright Fellow, and a member of the National Council on the Humanities. Topics discussed on this episode:  How Allen’s experience growing up in the segregated south influenced his life’s path The story of his intellectual journey Why Allen translated Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws His decision to focus on America’s founders and the US Constitution Why Allen believes Washington is the most important founder and America’s first progressive Teaching history in a way that reflects the words and experiences of those who lived it Advice to young scholars who are just starting out What it means to Allen to win a Bradley Prize 

An Interview with Jay Bhattacharya Four years ago this past March, America followed the direction of public health officials and went into lockdown mode due to the emergence of Covid-19. Yet by the fall of 2020, it became clear to some in the medical community that the soundest approach to the pandemic was to let healthy individuals resume daily life, while protecting the most vulnerable.  Medical experts from Stanford, Harvard, and Oxford led the way in promoting this approach by issuing The Great Barrington Declaration.  What happened next is a case study in government overreach and censorship. The Declaration’s authors were cast aside by their peers, shut down by the US government and threatened by the public.  Courageously, they continue to speak up.  Dr. Jay Bhattacharya is one of those experts and is our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom. A 2024 Bradley Prize winner, he joins us to share his experience and what’s at stake for a free society, and science and research, when free speech is denied. Bhattacharya is Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University, Director of the University’s Center for Economics and Demography of Health and Aging, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research. Topics Discussed on this Episode What drew Bhattacharya to economics, medicine and health policy and why these fields are complementary The point at which he realized that continued lockdowns were devastating Why scientists felt compelled to self-censor during the pandemic The reaction to the Great Barrington Declaration Key takeaways from oral arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, a landmark free speech case Where Americans can go to learn perspectives that the media doesn’t cover The state of scientific integrity and debate What it means to Bhattacharya to win a Bradley Prize

Interview with Samuel Gregg America’s entrepreneurial spirit is part of what defines its national character. Americans celebrate the notion that one can build a business from the ground up by virtue of sheer determination and perseverance, whether it’s a neighborhood ice cream shop or a global auto company. This zeal for free enterprise quickly catapulted the country into an economic powerhouse and continues to captivate dreamers and innovators throughout the world. Yet America faces real obstacles to sustaining an environment that’s ripe for entrepreneurship. Burdensome red tape, a dire debt crisis and the vast expansion of the administrative state are barriers to entry and growth for businesses.  Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Samuel Gregg, one the country’s preeminent free enterprise scholars and a 2024 Bradley Prize winner. He shares his thoughts on how to keep America’s entrepreneurial vitality strong, as well as insights into current economic debates. Samuel Gregg is the Friedrich Hayek Chair in Economics and Economic History at the American Institute for Economic Research. He has written and spoken extensively on questions of political economy, economic history, monetary theory and policy, and natural law theory. He's the author of 16 books, including his most recent book, The Next American Economy: Nation, State and Markets in an Uncertain World.  Topics Discussed on this Episode: America’s support of free enterprise compared to other countries How entrepreneurial success stories have shaped Gregg’s perspective Improving the climate and outlook for American industry Big Tech, woke capitalism and the weakening of the family How proponents of limited government can address the breakdown of civil society China’s economic outlooks and lessons for the US The intersection of markets and morality The conditions that will allow the next generation of entrepreneurs to succeed What it means to win a Bradley Prize

Interview with Allen Guelzo What would Lincoln do? Leaders and historians often ask this question when America is in a time of crisis. It’s understandable, considering Lincoln’s extraordinary leadership during the darkest and most fragile period in the country’s history.  Today, our nation confronts a vast array of serious challenges that threaten to undermine its strength and the trust of its citizens. Underscoring this point is a recent poll showing that only 28 percent of Americans are satisfied with the way democracy is working in the U.S. Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Dr. Allen Guelzo, a preeminent authority on President Lincoln. As America navigates another time of strife, we turned to him for answers to the perennial question – what would Lincoln do?  Allen Guelzo is a New York Times bestselling author, American historian, and commentator on public issues. He is Director of the James Madison Program Initiative on Politics and Statesmanship and Senior Research Scholar in the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University.  Topics discussed on this episode:  Why Dr. Guelzo focused his scholarship on Lincoln The many unexplored angles and aspects of Lincoln Lincoln’s character and complexity Lessons to be learned from Lincoln’s leadership Whether democracy is currently in peril Election integrity in Lincoln’s time compared to today How citizens can restore trust in each other What could have been different if Lincoln wasn’t assassinated How Dr. Guelzo himself became a distinguished orator Previously, he was the Director of Civil War Era Studies and the Henry R. Luce Professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He is a 2018 Bradley Prize winner.

Interview with Lord Andrew Roberts The state of democracy, upcoming elections, the economy and political discord are just a few of the many issues that are top of mind among Americans today. Yet, as history reminds us, these same challenges have confronted the country since its founding. Looking to history can help inform leaders, communities and citizens on how to navigate times of upheaval with greater confidence and even optimism. Our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom is Andrew Roberts, a distinguished scholar who has brought some of history’s most prominent figures to life through his many books, publications, and his podcast. Roberts shares some of the lessons learned from the past and how to apply them to today’s environment. Andrew Roberts is the Roger and Martha Mertz Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, a visiting professor at the War Studies Department at King’s College in London and the Lehrman Institute Lecturer at the New York Historical Society. He has written or edited 20 books and is an accomplished public speaker. Topics discussed on this episode:  How Andrew chooses his topics and his approach to writing about them His latest book, co-authored with General David Petraeus, Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine Vladmir Putin and how history may view him Andrew’s take on the level of engagement America should have in current conflicts Key differences in how war is waged today versus during World War II Universal characteristics of good leaders Andrew’s service in the House of Lords How the study of history has changed his life In 2022, Andrew was elevated to the United Kingdom’s House of Lords as Baron Roberts of Belgravia. He is also a 2016 Bradley Prize winner.

An Interview with Judge Janice Rogers Brown The U.S. Constitution has held our Republic together through wars, the Great Depression and civil unrest. Yet for all that it has helped us endure, the Constitution faces great challenges.  Will Americans cherish and defend it, or bend to efforts to weaken and undermine it?  Our guest on this episode of Voice of Freedom is Judge Janice Rogers Brown. She shares her thoughts on whether citizens have the “discipline and toughness” required to safeguard the Constitution and addresses other significant Constitutional matters. Brown was confirmed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 2005, where she served until 2017. Before that, she was an associate judge of the California Supreme Court. Topics Discussed: What drew Judge Brown to a career in law and the principles of the Constitution Why she believes the Constitution’s teachings are tough The significance of originalism and how to defend it The impact of partisanship on the justice system Her thoughts on whether racial set asides are constitutional How independent thinking and an inquisitive nature shaped her judicial philosophy She has received numerous awards and honors throughout her distinguished career, including a 2018 Bradley Prize. 

An Interview with Dr. Ed Fuelner, a Conservative Institution Builder What does it mean to be a conservative? That question has long been debated, but the foundational principles of conservativism have been more sharply challenged in recent years. Focal points of discussion have centered on the role of government and America’s approach to global conflict. Few have as much insight into the development and growth of conservatism and its current state than our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom. Dr. Ed Feulner, a renowned leader and institution-builder, shares his own path towards the ideals of freedom, describes what it took to build a movement, and offers his thoughts on the principles upon which conservatives can coalesce.  Dr. Ed Feulner co-founded and built Heritage in the late 1970s from a small policy shop into an American powerhouse of conservative ideas. Feulner has authored nine books, played a prominent role in dozens of organizations, and speaks frequently both in the United States and abroad. Topics discussed on this episode: The books that influenced his ideological perspective and shaped his life Feulner’s role in building institutions of the modern conservative movement How he transformed ideas into policy that have impacted America What it means to be a conservative Whether conservatives can coalesce around the restoration of civil society America’s role in the world and the state of our country Are we in a new Cold War? The role of free markets and free enterprise in today’s conservatism How he continues to remain a happy warrior Over the years, he has consistently been listed as one of the 100 most influential conservatives in America and his service has been recognized with numerous accolades and honors, including the 2012 Bradley Prize. 

An Interview with General Jack Keane, a Retired Four-Star General and Commentator The expanding turmoil in the Middle East and the ongoing war in Ukraine indicate that 2024 will be one of global unrest and uncertainty. The unease comes at a time when the U.S. is wrestling with its role in the world. The ideological divide over America’s posture when it comes to global conflict has transcended party lines, creating greater nuance to our foreign policy. How that impacts our engagement on the world stage, particularly in a presidential election year, remains to be seen. General Jack Keane, a leading figure on national security and foreign affairs, is our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom. He shares his thoughts on the geopolitical environment, how the U.S, should approach international hotspots, civil society’s role during conflict, and the issues confronting the military. General Jack Keane is a retired four-star general and commentator, whose 37 years of public service culminated in his appointment as acting Chief of Staff and Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army.  He is the Chairman of the Institute for the Study of War, a Senior Strategic Analyst for Fox News, and a member of the Secretary of Defense Policy Board.   Topics discussed on this episode:  Whether we’re on the precipice of World War III The latest developments in the Middle East  How the U.S. should approach the ongoing war in Ukraine The surge in support for Palestine among Americans How civil society impacts countries with sustained conflict America’s role in the world The challenges facing the U.S. military Gen. Keane has received numerous awards and accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  He was also a 2015 Bradley Prize winner.     

An Interview with John Cochrane, the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University While the staggering levels of post-pandemic inflation have gone down, Americans continue to say they feel pinched by high prices. All eyes are on the Fed for hints at what they may do to reduce inflation and ease the cost of housing and consumer goods. Adding to the economic uncertainty is the backdrop of an election and a looming debt crisis. Stanford economist John Cochrane is our guest on this episode of Voices of Freedom. An expert on the drivers of inflation, his recently published book provides vast insight into the economic consequences of the government spending money it doesn’t have. He shares his thoughts on what 2024 has in store for the economy. Topics Discussed on this Episode: ·         What economic data indicates vs. how Americans feel about the economy ·         The impact of the 2024 election on the economy ·         Why home ownership isn’t the best investment ·         America’s debt crisis and how to rein it in ·         Why the income tax should be eliminated and the tax code simplified John Cochrane is the Rose-Marie and Jack Anderson Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He also pens the popular blog, “The Grumpy Economist,” on Substack and is the author of numerous publications and articles on monetary policy, finance, the economy and other topics. His latest book, The Fiscal Theory of the Price Level was named one of the Economist’s Best Books of 2023. John is also a 2023 Bradley Prize winner.