unPresidented

By unPresidented Podcast

Welcome to UnPresidented, a podcast that takes an in-depth look at all the American Presidents trying to understand the challenges they face (within the context of their era), how they were viewed by ... more

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FAQs about unPresidented:

How many episodes does unPresidented have?

The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.

unPresidented episodes:

November 06, 2022 UnPresidented: James Madison
Despite being the "Father" of the Constitution, James Madison is less glorified in 2022 than all of the other founder presidencies, and it's difficult to understand why. As someone who was there for most significant revolutionary and early American government events, Madison's influence shaped the nation's trajectory arguably more than all his older and more distinguished colleagues.
Madison's presidency also encompasses the entire War of 1812 -- ending in a stalemate but boosting American pride to all time highs, and even helping to bring down the two-party system for a whole decade. Still, Madison's legacy today is not one of an effective wartime president, either, but more so a sidekick to Thomas Jefferson.
In today's episode, we try to pay Madison his dues and examine how someone who cared so much for preserving a lasting democratic government could be engulfed in war throughout his two terms.

Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
1h
October 23, 2022 UnPresidented: James Buchanan
How bad do things actually have to get before a Civil War becomes a possibility? While the US has had plenty of close and controversial elections, 2020 was different. Peacefully transferring power to the President-elect had only ever not happened just one time in the nation's history, which was in 1861 when James Buchanan failed to stop southern states from seceding before Abraham Lincoln took office.
Comparing 1860 to 2020 may seem over-dramatic and uncalled for, and indeed the nation has changed incredibly between those 160 years. What is similar, though, are that two sides of the country bitterly dislike each other and do not trust one another, nor agree upon a shared reality for many of the crises the nation faces. One of the core differences that exists now is that there is little personal and financial incentive from elected officials and the news media alike to try to ease tensions, something that you can easily observe every day online.
We discuss these implications in today’s episode and whether there is anything we can learn from what went wrong from Buchanan’s presidency to apply to today. We also examine the global consequences that arise from the nation’s divide – something that is far too often overlooked by most Americans.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
51min
September 25, 2022 UnPresidented: Dwight D. Eisenhower
In 1953, few could argue that Eisenhower was not the most logical choice to guide the US through the beginning of the post-WWII era. A major general in the European theater of the war, Eisenhower understood well the horrific sacrifices many war-torn populations had to make in the war's 6-12 years.

With the USSR quickly becoming a threat to entering yet another wide-scale war, Eisenhower essentially helped invent the playbook of inserting US power into global affairs without sending an army to de-escalate a World War risk. Covert operations -- actions carried out to affect world events in secret and deny responsibility once uncovered, were the most ethical path in Eisenhower's mind to reducing death and suffering while expanding US global influence.

Ironically, Eisenhower warned of this expanding model of his creation of a "military-industrial complex" as he left the presidency, but it was too late. The Bay of Pigs Invasion, Iran-Contra Affair, and dozens more covert operations have taken place since he exited the White House for the same allure of avoiding responsibility when they go wrong. Fortunately, Eisenhower's saving grace is his domestic policies -- growing the US middle class to the strongest socio-economic status in its history.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
1h 6min
September 04, 2022 UnPresidented: Martin Van Buren
Although not a major presidential figure, Martin Van Buren's impact on presidential politics is arguably just as significant as his more famous predecessors. Not many people can claim to be a founder of a modern political party, but Van Buren's efforts to break the brief period of a one party system in American politics changed the landscape of elections that propelled us to where we are today.
Van Buren devoted himself to ensuring Jeffersonian principles were defended and secured in the post founders generation, and while he had success in maintaining policies that were Jeffersonian throughout his political career, his presidency did the most damage to them. For arguably the first time during Van Buren's presidency, the American government learns a lesson of how difficult it is to solve an economic crisis when the government is given very limited options to respond to one. Van Buren did not have a good one term, and it wasn't necessarily because of the things he did in office, but more so for his actions before winning the 1836 election.

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Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
45min
August 21, 2022 UnPresidented: Side-episode - The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court is becoming increasingly more ideological, as it is seizing opportunities as of late to change the legal precedents of policies that cause significant political divides in the United States.

While the Court has always had a significant role to play in settling constitutional crises that state and federal laws have created, its power as a branch of the government has probably never been higher in the past 20 years. The legislative branch has become essentially inactive when Congress is politically divided or even unified if the President in power is from the opposing Party. Since political polarization has taken off since the 1990s, the Supreme Court has had a higher policy influencing responsibility to fill the void of more traditional forms of enacting new laws.

In this episode of Unpresidented, we talk about the foundation of the court's power and why the current polarized dynamics are a problem for our democracy.

Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
47min
August 07, 2022 UnPresidented: Chester A. Arthur
If you were to look at any list put together by anyone of the greatest American Presidents, would you expect to see Chester Arthur on it? Probably not, but you should. Arthur became the fourth VP to take over after a president died in office, and the second after a president was assassinated. Unlike his predecessors, though, Arthur recognized the importance of maintaining the former administration's policy agenda, and respected the wishes of the American people who elected James Garfield partially for his ambition to accomplish civil service reform.
Though Arthur was hardly a saint, he respected the presidency enough to not let partisanship and ideology influence his decision making, a rare achievement in any administration, especially considering he had little incentive to do so. Disappointing his allies who got him as far as the vice-presidency while also angering Garfield loyalists pushing for anti-monopoly legislation to lower tariffs, Arthur is a model for any president who wishes to achieve an apolitical reputation throughout their presidency.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
57min
July 24, 2022 UnPresidented: Woodrow Wilson Part 2
Today we focus on Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy decisions, as he keeps the US out of WWI long enough for him to get re-elected to a second term before sending 2 million troops across the Atlantic by 1918. The end of the War provides the opportunity for Wilson to make himself internationally admired, but he comes up short in keeping up his momentum at home in the latter half of his term.
Listen in as we wrap up the ups and downs of Woodrow Wilson's legacy -- someone who had the ability to be our greatest president but moralistically fell way short.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
1h 3min
July 10, 2022 UnPresidented: Woodrow Wilson Part 1
Woodrow Wilson established himself as one of the most influential and effective Presidents of his time -- becoming one of the most celebrated American figures by the time of his death and quickly attaining a top 5 pedigree on many historians' presidential rankings.

Like Thomas Jefferson, though, Wilson is facing a similar backlash to his legacy, as Princeton University (the school where Wilson was once President) removed his name from their colleges and campus building names, with their board of trustees stating "racist thinking and policies make him an inappropriate namesake for a school or college whose scholars, students and alumni must stand firmly against racism in all its forms."

In today's episode, Jusef and I discuss the tension in Wilson's legacy and the disappointing moral record that he maintains, while also examining what policies made Wilson so popular for nearly a century. Episode is out now!
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
1h 1min
June 26, 2022 UnPresidented: John Quincy Adams
We move from one political dynasty to another with the first child of a former to become president themselves 1825. John Quincy Adams was made fully aware from his parents that he had all of the advantages and privileges in the world, and because of that he had no reason to not excel as an exceptional public servant.

JQA excelled in almost every political office he was elected/appointed to, leading to a political career that was longer and more successful than even his father. The only political office in which he struggled to thrive under, however, was the presidency.

As a brilliant but stubborn and uncompromising man (again, much like his father), along with a controversial election that gave him the presidency – JQA became one of the most ineffective presidents of his era, as he was shut out of enacting any of his agenda from Congress. Andrew Jackson showcased what was to come, as the Democratic Party was formed and quickly became popular enough to compete in Congressional seats throughout the country. JQA unfortunately serves as a disappointing bridge from the founders era into the next 9 presidents that do little to stop the nation from heading towards a Civil War.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
59min
June 12, 2022 UnPresidented: The Bush Family - Part (George W. Bush)
The presidency of George W. Bush was supposed to be a return to the Reagan era of compassionate conservatism presidential leadership, as he called on the United States to “act with humility” in foreign affairs and not to engage in the process of “nation-building” in war-torn regions of the world at the 2000 general election debates.

What unraveled in our post 9/11 was anything but a return to humility, as our nation would soon be in the midst of two wars, while passing legislation to limit civil liberties domestically in the Patriot Act and creating of a new Department of Homeland Security. The Bush administration also proceeded to open up prisons around the world to torture suspected terrorists – all with the justification to keep Americans and the world at large safe from more terrorist attacks.

Was the world any safer at the end of W’s presidency than on the day before 09/11 attacks? How are we dealing with the consequences of the Bush Years today? We close our 3 parter Bush series with this final episode focusing on the W. years.
Keywords:
Presidents
American Presidents
America
USA
United States
Politics
History
Biography
Biographical
Republicans
Democrats
Political Parties
Senate
House of Representatives
Constitution
American Anthem
White House
American Flag
...more
1h 5min

FAQs about unPresidented:

How many episodes does unPresidented have?

The podcast currently has 59 episodes available.