Ep. 321 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Dan Mahoney | Madison vs. Marx: The Slippery Slope of Socialism to Authoritarian Rule
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Release Date: 10/03/2026
Ep. 321 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Dan Mahoney | Madison vs. Marx: The Slippery Slope of Socialism to Authoritarian Rule
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Today, we contrast the political philosophies of two of history’s most influential thinkers: James Madison and Karl Marx. Their core philosophies could not be more different. Madison believed concentrated government power posed a fundamental threat to liberty. Marx argued against private property and capitalism, arguing both created fundamental inequalities. With the current rise of socialism and Marxism, especially in younger Americans, this conversation could not be more pertinent. To lead this conversation with our student panel, we are honored...
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Ep. 321 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Dan Mahoney | Madison vs. Marx: The Slippery Slope of Socialism to Authoritarian Rule
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Today, we contrast the political philosophies of two of history’s most influential thinkers: James Madison and Karl Marx. Their core philosophies could not be more different. Madison believed concentrated government power posed a fundamental threat to liberty. Marx argued against private property and capitalism, arguing both created fundamental inequalities. With the current rise of socialism and Marxism, especially in younger Americans, this conversation could not be more pertinent. To lead this conversation with our student panel, we are honored...
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Ep. 320 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Denisa Traboini | From Albania to Freedom: A Firsthand Account of Communist Rule with Denisa Traboini
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Sometimes we take for granted the freedom and liberty we are born with. It is good to be reminded that we should not take our country and its history for granted. One of the best ways we can be reminded to remain grateful is to hear first-hand experiences from those born into oppressive regimes who now get to enjoy America’s liberty. Our guest today is one such example. Denisa Traboini was born in communist Albania in 1977 and shares her memories of growing up under that system and how her son gets to enjoy a very different childhood here than what she experienced in...
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Ep. 319 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Timothy Sandefur | The Constitution vs. Socialism: America’s Built-In Safeguards
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Socialism isn’t new. Plato’s “The Republic” outlines an ideal state with elements of socialism. The Founding Fathers were well aware of the concept and purposefully wrote safeguards against it in our founding documents. Case in point: the Bill of Rights protects private property and Article 1 of the Constitution protects patents and intellectual property. Please join our special guest, Timothy Sandefur, Vice President for Legal Affairs at the Goldwater Institute's Scharf-Norton Center for Constitutional Litigation, and our student panel for this...
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Ep. 318 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Shruti Rajagopalan | What Happens When a Country Tries Socialism
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
Socialism sounds good in theory — but what does it look like in practice? From centralized economic policies to government control over markets and private enterprise, our guest today explores the real-world consequences of nations that have experimented with socialism — and the promises compared to the results. Dr. Shruti Rajagopalan is a Senior Research Fellow at the Mercatus Center and a Fellow at the Classical Liberal Institute at New York University School of Law and is our guest expert this week.
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Ep. 317 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Lawrence W. Reed | What Is Socialism?
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
This week we kick off a new Constitutional Chats Podcast series on socialism. In our first episode this week we address the basic concept of socialism: what defines it, what is it not and how does it compare with capitalism? Young Americans are embracing socialism in record numbers. A recent survey by the Cato Institute and YouGov finds that 62% of Americans aged 18–29 say they hold a “favorable view” of socialism, while a recent Gallup poll shows that 39% of ALL Americans have a positive view of socialism. To help us understand this trend and the dangers of it, we...
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Ep. 316 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Matthew Skic | The Declaration’s Journey: 250 Years of America’s Founding Document
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
It’s no secret, we at Constituting America are big fans of the Declaration of Independence. What Thomas Jefferson so eloquently wrote quite literally changed the world. But have you stopped to think exactly how it changed the world? How did it influence other countries who were perhaps seeking independence? Did you know in the time since our Declaration of Independence was written, over 100 countries have adopted similar declarations, inspired by our Declaration? To discuss this global impact beyond just words on paper as well as their fantastic landmark exhibit...
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Ep. 315 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Christopher Burkett | Breathing Life into the Law: How the People Ratified the Constitution
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
“Consent of the governed.” It’s such a powerful phrase in our Declaration of Independence and truly speaks to the heart of the American Experiment. But what does consent mean? To dive into this notion of consent and how it is derived and utilized in the creation of our founding documents, we are pleased to welcome long-time friend of Constituting America, Professor Christopher Burkett. Dr. Burkett is an associate professor of political science and director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program at Ashland University.
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Ep. 314 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Luke Hopely | The History of Independence Hall
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
If we were to recognize one physical location as the birthplace of our great nation, it would undoubtedly be Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA. Originally serving as the Pennsylvania State House, this is where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and adopted. To share more information on this magnificent and historic structure, Constituting America is honored to welcome National Park Service Ranger Luke Hopely to our chat this week. Luke serves as a park ranger at the National Park Service’s Independence National Historical Park.
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Ep. 313 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Gary Porter | America 250: The Signing of the Declaration of Independence August 2, 1776
Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America
We all know the Fourth of July is when we adopted the Declaration of Independence to formally sever ties with the British Crown. But the physical act of signing the Declaration, and thus affixing the signers’ personal oath to that document happened nearly a month later on August 2, 1776. To discuss the events of that day, we are honored to have Gary Porter return for a second week. Gary Porter is the founder of former executive director of the Constitution Leadership Initiative and regular contributor to Constituting America.
info_outlineToday, we contrast the political philosophies of two of history’s most influential thinkers: James Madison and Karl Marx. Their core philosophies could not be more different.
Madison believed concentrated government power posed a fundamental threat to liberty. Marx argued against private property and capitalism, arguing both created fundamental inequalities. With the current rise of socialism and Marxism, especially in younger Americans, this conversation could not be more pertinent. To lead this conversation with our student panel, we are honored to welcome Dan Mahoney, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Assumption University and Senior Research Fellow for the Heritage Foundation’s B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies.