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.

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 individual responsibility, our deep cultural formation, and our tendency toward selective outrage—urging listeners to reject collective guilt while owning the culture our words help create. The episode models nuance over performative anger, invites local, relationship-level work across differences, and shares classroom practices that honor opposing views. Throughout, the tone stays pastoral and gentle: they acknowledge grief plainly, encourage civility without naiveté, and hold hope alongside lament. 

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

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 often matters more than truth. From there, they explore why labels like TDS, “deep state,” “woke,” or “snowflake” shut down dialogue, trace their roots in a long tradition of demagoguery warned about by Aristotle, Cicero, and Hamilton, and turn to philosopher Harry Frankfurt’s book “On Bullshit” to show why sincerity has replaced accuracy in our politics. Along the way, they consider Trump’s outsized gravitational pull on national and global discourse, the postmodern crisis of authority, and how performative language manipulates impressions rather than clarifies facts. The episode closes with practical habits for resisting dismissive shorthand, asking better questions, and keeping alive the possibility of honest, nuanced conversation. 

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

 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 tycoons with the industrial giants of the Gilded Age. Bailey unpacks the numbers behind income and wealth disparities, examines why Americans often overlook inequality, and raises concerns about its effects on democracy. Snider adds historical perspective, from Carnegie’s “Gospel of Wealth” to the impact of Reagan-era tax cuts, while McConkey steers the discussion toward both structural causes and the everyday anxieties inequality creates. The result is a rich, accessible conversation that blends data, history, and contemporary angst with flashes of humor—including a game of “Capitalist or Communist?” 

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

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 Harris reflects on his 40 years of military service and his current life as a cattle farmer. He shares lessons from his 2024 campaign, explains why pragmatic, results-driven leadership matters more than partisan labels, and emphasizes long-term thinking, common-sense solutions, and a hopeful vision for Northwest Georgia. 

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

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 cooperation, inclusion, regulation, and a social safety net, but questions whether those pillars can endure in the age of globalization, inequality, debt, and climate change. Along the way, he unpacks whether Hillary Clinton’s “smugness” was tied to gender, explores why Democrats often stumble in cultural battles, and considers how Trump is disrupting the political order. The episode closes with a playful round of “One State, Two State, Red State, Blue State,” putting Bailey’s knowledge of oddball state laws to the test. 

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

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 Doug Wilson, a leader in the Confederation of Reformed Evangelical Churches. The trio unpack the historical and ideological roots of Wilson’s views on Christian nationalism, household voting, and the role of women in leadership and public life—views that include the repeal of the 19th Amendment and opposition to same-sex marriage. Along the way, they explore the tension between personal religious convictions and the exercise of political power in a pluralistic democracy, compare contemporary rhetoric with historical suffrage and prohibition-era debates, and add some lighthearted moments, including a “Patriarchy Then or Patriarchy Now?” game show. The conversation blends sharp political analysis, historical context, and wry humor while raising deeper questions about truth, authority, and the future of American public life. 

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