Stubborn Things

On this week’s episode, Jay and Sean hypothesize about what Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and even Brutus would have thought about our republic in its 250th year. From Washington’s hatred of partisanship to Hamilton’s love of our energetic national government, our hosts analyze what our founders would have admired and what they would have despised in 2026 America. We’d probably hear lots of “I told you so!” from all sides... Hope you enjoy our podcast and our nation’s semiquincentennial!
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This episode of Stubborn Things comes out a week ahead of schedule, and this one’s for the historiography nerds. This week, Jay and Sean discuss the legacy of historian Gordon Wood, who passed away earlier this month, and the historiography of the American founding. Our hosts lead us on a tour from Charles Beard’s economic interpretation of the founding and framing of the constitution to the “consensus historians” of the mid-20th century who responded to Beard’s theory. Then, they address the shift in the way history was done, with the emergence of Bernard Bailyn, Gordon Wood, and others, all of whom emphasized that the American founding was ideological in nature. Jay and Sean also analyze new histories of the founding, including social histories and critical histories, like the 1619 Project. The episode concludes with a dialogue on how to think about the founders and the founding, 250 years on.
Remember to rate and follow Stubborn Things and stay up to date by following us on X @aei_STpodcast.
Comments? Suggestions? Email us at StubbornThings@aei.org.
Show notes:
Gordon S. Wood, a Historian Who Loved America
Gordon Wood Accepts the 2025 Irving Kristol Award, AEI Annual Dinner 2025
George Bancroft’s History of the United States of America
Charles Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States
Bernard Bailyn’s The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
Gordon Wood’s The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 and The Radicalism of the American Revolution
Joyce Appleby’s Capitalism and a New Social Order: The Republican Vision of the 1790s and Liberalism and Republicanism in the Historical Imagination
Lance Banning’s The Sacred Fire of Liberty: James Madison and the Founding of the Federal Republic
Rogers Smith’s Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History

This week, Jay and Sean welcome Echelon Insight’s Patrick Ruffini to Stubborn Things to talk about how the GOP went from the party of Reagan to the party of Trump. Patrick discussed the Republican Party’s demographic shift and how Trump began to appeal to working class voters during the 2016 election. Jay, Sean, and Patrick also touched on the idea of economic aspiration, potential reversions in the GOP’s demographic gains, and economic and educational indicators of voting patterns. Plus, hear Patrick’s thoughts about the future of the GOP post-Trump and what to watch for in the midterms.
Remember to rate and follow Stubborn Things and stay up to date by following us on X @aei_STpodcast.
Comments? Suggestions? Email us at StubbornThings@aei.org.
Show notes:
Party of the People: Inside the Multiracial Populist Coalition Remaking the GOP
Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream
Steadfast Democrats: How Social Forces Shape Black Political Behavior

The last Stubborn Things episode was so popular that we couldn’t resist doing yet another presidential tiers episode. Take a listen to hear how Sean and Jay rank the first presidents of the twentieth century, from Theodore Roosevelt through Hebert Hoover. And let us know where you’d place these presidents on your own tiers!
Remember to rate and follow Stubborn Things and stay up to date by following us on X @aei_STpodcast.
Comments? Suggestions? Email us at StubbornThings@aei.org.

Back by popular demand, this week, Sean and Jay continue their rankings of America’s presidents. After harshly grading the antebellum presidents, our Stubborn Things hosts sprinkle in a few good grades for the presidents of the latter half of the 19th century. Still, failing grades abound, as Stubborn Things has a strict policy against grade inflation! Let us know in the comments where you agree and where you disagree with Sean and Jay’s tiers.
Remember to rate and follow Stubborn Things and stay up to date by following us on X @aei_STpodcast.
Comments? Suggestions? Email us at StubbornThings@aei.org.