My History Can Beat Up Your Politics

Latest Episodes:

This is William Rufus King w/ Thomas Balcerski - The Forgotten VP, His Role in The Compromise of 1850, His Relationship with James Buchanan and More Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

The 13th Vice President of the United States remains obscure. Where King's name does come up, it's often with the wrong picture. Or he's confused with Rufus King. According to our guest, Thomas Balcerski, Associate Professor of History at Eastern Connecticut University, he should be in the discussion. Balcerski is author of Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (Oxford University Press, 2019). We get into the Presidential Ratings Game too.

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MCMXCIII: Bill Clinton's Year One (2nd part) Feb 19, 2026

Show notes

Healthcare, Bosnia and Belief In The President.

All are in doubt.

The second part of our series on Bill Clinton's first year, 1993.

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MCMXCIII: Bill Clinton's 1993 - Part One Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

It's 1993. A new President jogs through his first year, with an unexperienced staff and a hostile White House press corps.

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BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP, WONG KIM ARK, THE CHARMING BETSEY AND THE SAND LOT PROTESTS Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

When it comes to citizenship decided by birth, the story of Wong Kim Ark, a young man born in the US of Chinese descent who was denied entry to his country, should be on a few minds. We tell that story in this episode, along with the Sand Lot protests that led to his change in status, and the 1804 about a ship that helped reinforce their thinking. This and thoughts about early Trump Presidency.

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LBJ 's "CELL PHONE" AND HIS DECISION TO JUMP ON THE TICKET IN 1960 Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

In answering a question about JFK's health and its role in Lyndon Johnson's decision to accept the Vice Presidency, Bruce takes a look at the people and factors surrounding Johnson's decision, Kennedy's motivations, Eisenhower's indirect role, and the confusing hours in a Los Angeles hotel that changed history.

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WHY TALK ABOUT LBJ TODAY? Feb 05, 2026

Show notes

Why talk about LBJ? There's a few reasons.

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RUSHING PELL-MELL INTO MADNESS?: The Twenty-Fifth Amendment and its Critics Feb 02, 2026

Show notes

On the surface, the 25th Amendment is a perfect mechanism for providing a stable transition of Presidential power. But that's not what early state ratification critics thought. And it's not how Hollywood writers oft envision it. When debating the 25th amendment to the US Constitution, one state legislator called it rushing "pell-mell into madness." Another said it did not complete the very purpose it intended and should go back to Congress for fixing. And still another said it has a huge hole around the vice presidency.

These state quibbles were enough for a scare, but the states ratified anyway, in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis and a bipartisan push. But were the arguments valid?

Although the 25th is designed to potentially remove a President, it is also designed to avoid doing that if at all possible. It was written by politicians to avoid politics, and as several TV and movie writers have found, it could create lots of politics.

If you find it confusing, you aren't alone. Some opponents during its ratification took a look at what came out of the hard work of Sen. Kefauver and Bayh and said - why was it written this way? And not all their criticisms were answered.

In this episode we look at the 25th and objections raised in Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Colorado that might have sunk the amendment.

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"YOU ENSLAVED ME!" - LEFTOVER NOTES FROM THE ZACHARY TAYLOR SERIES Jan 26, 2026

Show notes

From a town in California named for Zachary Taylor, to a famous letter sent by Frederick Douglass, we tell a few stories that didn't make it in to the series.

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WAR POWERS,AND WHY IT COULD BE BROKEN Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

It was passed to stick it to Nixon. A look at Presidents and Congress and use of military. A look at history. Presidents and Congresses, and a specific legislation that applies that is used, ignored, lightly used, skirted, enforced, unenforced and criticized throughout its 53 year history.

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VANCE AND ORBAN in CONTEXT Jan 04, 2026

Show notes

Based on a listener question, POTUS and VPOTUS making speeches.

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