My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

The Constitution contains two possible forms of presidential removal outside of election, one is the much-discussed impeachment process. The other is the 25th Amendment's fourth section. We discuss 25 Section 4 with Professor Brian C. Kalt, Professor of Law & Harold Norris Faculty Scholar at Michigan State University, including how the amendment works, its uses and its common misunderstanding by the public and Hollywood writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1892, a dreaded disease caused a President to navigate local health situation and created a new law. We look at the precedent-setting quarantine order of the 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison. While we are at it, we look at Harrison's presidency, policies, his influence on future events, his failed attempt to obtain fair elections for both African Americans and city dwellers, and how he annoyed Theodore Roosevelt. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who was Chester Arthur's secret pen pal?  How did Herbert Hoover spend his last day in office?  What was McKinley's obscure accomplishment?  What was Rutherford B. Hayes passionate hobby? What event hurt Taft's Presidency from the get-go? How did Martin Van Buren contribute to today's politics?  For Presidents Day, a conversation with Jeremy Anderberg of The Art of Manliness website and podcast and ReadMoreBooks.co newsletter. Music -"Swallow" by Pistol Jazz  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Eugene Debs to Richard Nixon, from a previously run episode, the President's power to pardon is examined.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We speak often of Democracy, but do we really know what it is? We point to Athens as an example. But what was Greek Democracy really like? A conversation with Dr. Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, author of "Democracy: A Life."   A lot of topics here and while we chose not to break it up in 2 parts, you might want to listen to it in 2 parts.  Music from Lee Rosevere on this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Bruce Carlson reflects on 14 years of the podcast, provides a show update. Plus some listener questions on masks then and now, Presidents leaving (or not leaving) the Oval, and Kennedy's 1960 election and allegations of fraud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Weisberg has traced Ben Franklin's early advice-writing, read the "Lord Chesterfield" letters that early Americans read to learn how to act, attended Dale Carnegie workshops and spoke with Miss Manners all in a quest to track down why Americans are so obsessed with advice. We speak with Jessica about her book "Asking For a Friend" and discuss whether we've gotten far away from Dale Carnegie or Chesterfield, the selfless advice of our early American ancestors. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's fascination then and now with sea rebels, sea dogs, privateers, smugglers, and pirates by other names is pretty clear. Books, movies and video games with pirates sell. We talk with pirate expert and historian Rebecca Simon, Ph.D. and author of "Why We Love Pirates: The Hunt for Captain Kidd and How He Changed Piracy Forever"  We talk about connections between the American Revolution and piracy, and the different ways pirates were viewed in Britain and America.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode we look at an enduring mystery, one that didn't matter too much in the 1960 election but has since taken on significance. Could it be that Kennedy lost, and Nixon won, the popular vote nationally in 1960. We looked at it a decade ago, and at that time MHCBUYP declared that Richard Nixon may have won the pop vote.  Now, we think it's complicated. But still possible. This, plus the "Gumps of History" and other listener questions.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We discuss the tight election that elected the first Democratic President in 25 years and some comparisons and contrasts to the current election. A President's umbrella, salutes for his "big foot," chain-armor clad parades, and the importance of a concern for the "general weal." all in this episode. Music by Stephan Siebert, About Life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1880 election was close, with Democrats and Republicans seeking an advantage in its waning days when a letter hits a major city newspaper purporting to be in the hand of a candidate. It is a letter that could turn the election. With Todd Arrington, a historian at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio, we discuss James A. Garfield's surprise nomination and the Morey letter. We also discuss what could have been had Garfield lived. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A bit of an American political story about politics, corn, common sense.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eagle Claw, popularly known as Desert One, was the unsuccessful attempt to rescue hostages in Iran in 1980, hostages that had been held since the storming of the embassy in 1979. Replaying two previous podcasts on the topic, we look at the hostage-taking and the rescue attempt. How the plan may have worked? What went wrong? Also, why the embassy was stormed in 1979 and why it was the second time that year. Why one hostage was mad that he was rescued. These topics are discussed and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Baltimore in the 1850's was a fearsome place where politics and gangs were hard to separate. Yet it was the connecting stop for new Presidents and Union Soldiers getting to Washington D.C. We speak with Josh Mensch. Josh is the co-author with Brad Meltzer of the New York Times bestselling nonfiction history book The Lincoln Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President—and Why It Failed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Newark N.J. suffered a brutal and consuming riot, or rebellion, depending on how you see things, in the hot summer of 1967. Through the voices of history, we hear about those events, what caused it, and the musician who got caught up and became an unlikely spark. Caught off guard, police and National Guard and a scuffle became a war. How the '67 events caused a change in government, was noticed in national politics, and how it remains an influence even for today's events. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Washington did not get a Cabinet as President. He created it. His precedents forged the institution and the President's relationship to the Executive Departments. Washington didn't fire a cabinet member, but he set the precedents in this area and in others. We are joined by Lindsay M. Chervinsky, a historian with the white house historian Her book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution has been published by Harvard University Press. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We talk Idi Amin, Kim Jong-il and other despots with Scott Rank of History Unplugged Podcast joins us to talk about his book History's Nine Most Insane Rulers. We get into Amin's awful suppression of opposition, deportation of Indian and Pakistani Ugandans, and extra judicial killings. Other insane rulers were more amusing, and we talk about that too.  Lee Rosevere provides music on this program - check out his music on bandcamp.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Godwin's Law is Not a Law. And yet, it probably should be followed in most cases. (re-do of past episode that contained an error). The surprising history of the rule that one should not discuss Nazis in debates, and the person who is not a scientist nor a lawmaker who came up with it. Also, when you can violate the rule and what the rule says about meme-driven discussions in 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The May 4, 1970 shootings at Kent State killed 4 students and wounded 9. Paula Stone Tucker was a student going through her work and studies on campus when she witnessed a historic event. We talk about Kent State, how the 4 days unfolded, and get Paula Stone Tucker's take on events. She is the author of the book Surviving a Kent State Memoir. We are grateful to Ohio vs. the World Podcast for lending the story of another Kent State shooting survivor Dean Kahler. Sign up for Alex's podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We speak with Laura Spinney, science journalist and author of "Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How It Changed the World" and discuss the dreadful disease that claimed 50-100 million lives, more than the Great War that preceded it. The so-called 'Spanish Flu' caused global damage but also caused scientists to reflect and develop bettter science and public health strategies. But how much have we learned those lessons? We discuss these topics.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices