Best Michael Bailey With Dale Mcconkey Podcasts (2025)

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Election Results and Shutdown Breakthrough: Who Won the Week? 58:59

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4h ago58:59

58:59

In this episode of American Angst, Michael Bailey briefly updates us on the apparent breakthrough in the government shutdown. The deal reopens the government and restores furlough pay, but Bailey emphasizes that the underlying fight—especially over Affordable Care Act subsidies—remains unresolved. In his view, the shutdown ended without Democrats g…

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American Dream on Hold: The Rising Barriers to Homeownership for Young Adults 53:06

8h ago53:06

53:06

Homeownership used to be the on-ramp to the middle-class American Dream. For many young adults, that on-ramp now feels barricaded—by high prices, high mortgage rates, high rents, and student debt. In this episode, Michael Bailey and Dale McConkey trace how the starter-home drought ripples outward, negatively affecting: Wealth-building: Years of ren…

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The Government Shutdown: Why Our System Fails on Purpose 1:11:24

6d ago1:11:24

1:11:24

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 brinkmans…

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Democratic Backsliding: How Democracies Erode (with Dr. Sam Call) 1:06:11

22d ago1:06:11

1:06:11

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 explai…

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Faith & the Founders, Part 2: The Godless Constitution Thesis 1:08:44

18d ago1:08:44

1:08:44

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 frame…

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Faith & the Founders, Part 1: The Christian Commonwealth Thesis 1:04:47

1M ago1:04:47

1:04:47

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 …

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San Francisco De-Angstified: A Father-Daughter Conversation 1:01:47

1M ago1:01:47

1:01:47

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 a…

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Climate Change and Glimmers of Hope: A Conversation with Courtney Cooper 1:13:20

2M ago1:13:20

1:13:20

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 th…

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Trump Loyalty Shakedown: Free Speech’s New Fault Line 51:58

2M ago51:58

51:58

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, bu…

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Why Don't We Trust the Experts? Science and the Crisis of Authority 49:57

2M ago49:57

49:57

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 …

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Charlie Kirk's Tragic Death and the Temptation of Collective Blame 51:28

2M ago51:28

51:28

Political philosopher Dr. Michael Bailey and host Dale McConkey reflect on the public murder of Charlie Kirk and a week already heavy with 9/11 remembrances. With humility about their limits and the fluid facts, they focus not on speculation but on what our reactions to this tragedy reveal about us as a people. Michael outlines three tensions—legal…

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Trump Derangement Syndrome: Sincerity, Bulls**t, and the Death of Dialogue 45:29

2M ago45:29

45:29

Political philosopher Michael Bailey joins host Dale McConkey to unpack “Trump Derangement Syndrome” as a window into America’s fractured political discourse. They begin with how shifting cultural guardrails have normalized dismissive rhetoric and redefined what counts as acceptable in public conversation, creating an environment where team loyalty…

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American Inequality: From Gilded Age Tycoons to Tech Oligarchs 56:19

3M ago56:19

56:19

In this episode of American Angst 101, host Dale McConkey hands the reins to Michael Bailey, political philosopher at Berry College, for a thoughtful deep dive into the growing problem of inequality in America. With historian Christy Snider joining the conversation, the trio explores the widening gap between rich and poor, comparing today’s digital…

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Campaigns, Congress, and Cattle: A Conversation with Candidate Shawn Harris 1:06:09

3M ago1:06:09

1:06:09

In this special episode of American Angst, political scientist Michael Bailey and host Dale McConkey welcome retired Brigadier General Shawn Harris, a Democratic candidate for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. The conversation ranges across key issues including veterans’ care, agriculture, healthcare, border security, and foreign policy, as Ha…

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End of an Era? Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 4 1:02:50

3M ago1:02:50

1:02:50

In our fourth and final installment of our "Democrats in the Hot Seat" series, political scientist Dr. Michael Bailey shifts the focus squarely onto the Democratic Party—its historic dominance since the New Deal, the vision it set forth, and the serious challenges it faces today. Bailey examines how Democrats built an era defined by international c…

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Patriarchy in the Pulpit and the Pentagon: Pete Hegseth and Doug Wilson 56:35

3M ago56:35

56:35

CROSSOVER EPISODE! In this first-ever crossover episode between Church Potluck and American Angst 101, host Dale McConkey, political scientist Michael Bailey, and historian Christy Snider dive into a hot-button political and theological controversy surrounding Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s recent social media post endorsing ideas from pastor …

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Limits to Pluralism? Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 3 49:05

3M ago49:05

49:05

Political scientist Dr. Michael Bailey leads this episode of American Angst 101 with a sweeping exploration of how the United States’ founding-era vision of a liberal federal government—meaning one grounded in Enlightenment ideas of individual rights, consent of the governed, and limited purposes for government—continues to shape modern politics. B…

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Elitism, Crime, and Borders: Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 2 58:33

3M ago58:33

58:33

In this follow-up to the previous conversation on MAGA critiques of the Democratic Party, Political Scientist Michael Bailey dives into the final three charges: (1) being elitist cultural snobs, (2) soft on crime, and (3) favoring open borders. Bailey examines how charges of cultural condescension, fueled by moments like Hillary Clinton’s “basket o…

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Wokeness, Patriotism, and Religion: Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 1 50:54

3M ago50:54

50:54

In this episode of American Angst, political philosopher Michael Bailey analyzes the first three of six major criticisms often leveled against the Democratic Party by conservatives and MAGA supporters: that Democrats are (1) “woke” and obsessed with identity politics; (2) unpatriotic and ashamed of America; and (3) hostile toward religion. With ins…

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The Phrase That Won’t Die: “We’re a Republic, Not a Democracy" 1:02:19

4M ago1:02:19

1:02:19

In this thought-provoking episode of American Angst 101, Michael Bailey and his longtime friend and fellow political scientist Dr. Steven Taylor join forces to examine the phrase “We’re a republic, not a democracy”—a line increasingly echoed in American political rhetoric. What do people mean when they say it? Where did the phrase originate? And mo…

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Why July 4th? The Truest Meaning of Independence Day 53:36

5M ago53:36

53:36

In this episode of American Angst 101, political historian and resident expert Michael Bailey takes center stage to explore a deceptively simple question: why do we celebrate Independence Day on July 4th? With Dale McConkey hosting, Bailey delivers a captivating, wide-ranging treatise that combines historical insight, political theory, and cultural…

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The Mandate Mirage: When Presidents Stretch Thin Margins into Sweeping Claims 37:38

5M ago37:38

37:38

In this episode of American Angst 101, political scientist Dr. Michael Bailey unpacks one of the most pervasive myths in American politics: the presidential mandate. With insight, clarity, and a touch of dry wit, Bailey walks through why claims of sweeping public endorsement—often made by presidents right after elections—are both analytically weak …

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No Kings, New Terrain? Is Today's Political Climate Unprecedented? 56:42

5M ago56:42

56:42

Political scientist Michael Bailey brings his deep knowledge, sharp wit, and characteristic humility to this episode of American Angst 101, hosted by sociologist Dale McConkey. Launching from the massive “No Kings” protest—which coincided with a military parade and President Trump’s birthday—Bailey unpacks the historical, constitutional, and cultur…

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Truth Decay, Part 2: Democracy as Pro Wrestling 46:55

5M ago46:55

46:55

In this second episode of American Angst 101, political philosopher Dr. Michael Bailey and host Dale McConkey continue their dig into the nature of political truth in the age of Trump—and what it means for democracy today. Bailey argues that Trump's rhetoric, far from being random or merely outrageous, functions more like pro wrestling: it’s not ab…

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Truth Decay: Our Inaugural Angst 1:14:58

6M ago1:14:58

1:14:58

Political philosopher Michael Bailey has spent years thinking carefully about American democracy—its roots, its ideals, and its increasingly shaky relationship to truth. In American Angst 101, he sits down with his friend Dale McConkey to reflect on what’s happening in our political culture, what’s changed, and whether anything can be done about it…

Michael Bailey With Dale Mcconkey Podcasts

1
American Angst

Michael Bailey with Dale McConkey

1
Election Results and Shutdown Breakthrough: Who Won the Week? 58:59

1
American Dream on Hold: The Rising Barriers to Homeownership for Young Adults 53:06

1
The Government Shutdown: Why Our System Fails on Purpose 1:11:24

1
Democratic Backsliding: How Democracies Erode (with Dr. Sam Call) 1:06:11

1
Faith & the Founders, Part 2: The Godless Constitution Thesis 1:08:44

1
Faith & the Founders, Part 1: The Christian Commonwealth Thesis 1:04:47

1
San Francisco De-Angstified: A Father-Daughter Conversation 1:01:47

1
Climate Change and Glimmers of Hope: A Conversation with Courtney Cooper 1:13:20

1
Trump Loyalty Shakedown: Free Speech’s New Fault Line 51:58

1
Why Don't We Trust the Experts? Science and the Crisis of Authority 49:57

1
Charlie Kirk's Tragic Death and the Temptation of Collective Blame 51:28

1
Trump Derangement Syndrome: Sincerity, Bulls**t, and the Death of Dialogue 45:29

1
American Inequality: From Gilded Age Tycoons to Tech Oligarchs 56:19

1
Campaigns, Congress, and Cattle: A Conversation with Candidate Shawn Harris 1:06:09

1
End of an Era? Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 4 1:02:50

1
Patriarchy in the Pulpit and the Pentagon: Pete Hegseth and Doug Wilson 56:35

1
Limits to Pluralism? Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 3 49:05

1
Elitism, Crime, and Borders: Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 2 58:33

1
Wokeness, Patriotism, and Religion: Dems in the Hot Seat, Part 1 50:54

1
The Phrase That Won’t Die: “We’re a Republic, Not a Democracy" 1:02:19

1
Why July 4th? The Truest Meaning of Independence Day 53:36

1
The Mandate Mirage: When Presidents Stretch Thin Margins into Sweeping Claims 37:38

1
No Kings, New Terrain? Is Today's Political Climate Unprecedented? 56:42

1
Truth Decay, Part 2: Democracy as Pro Wrestling 46:55

1
Truth Decay: Our Inaugural Angst 1:14:58