In this episode of American Angst, Michael Bailey briefly updates us on the apparent breakthrough in the government shutdown. The deal reopens the government and restores furlough pay, but Bailey emphasizes that the underlying fight—especially over Affordable Care Act subsidies—remains unresolved. In his view, the shutdown ended without Democrats gaining meaningful policy concessions, making this more of a pause than a resolution.

The primary focus of the episode, however, is the recent off-year elections. Bailey notes that Democrats performed well in several key statewide and local contests, but he cautions against over-interpreting the results. Rather than signaling a grand defense of democracy, he argues the outcomes likely reflect everyday affordability pressures—housing, groceries, healthcare—more than ideological alignment.

Bailey highlights a divide within the Democratic wins: moderates gaining ground in statewide races and a democratic socialist gaining momentum in a major city. He sees this as a strategic crossroads. While the moral concerns behind social-democratic policy are real, he warns that leaning too far into ideological purity may be risky in a culturally center-right nation. He argues that pragmatic centrism may remain the most broadly viable approach.

Finally, Bailey raises a concern about political character and restraint. In resisting authoritarian tendencies on the right, he stresses that Democrats must avoid mirroring the same “win-at-all-costs” approach. The challenge, he suggests, is to protect democratic norms without becoming what one opposes.

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

Homeownership used to be the on-ramp to the middle-class American Dream. For many young adults, that on-ramp now feels barricaded—by high prices, high mortgage rates, high rents, and student debt. In this episode, Michael Bailey and Dale McConkey trace how the starter-home drought ripples outward, negatively affecting:

• Wealth-building: Years of renting replace decades of equity, widening generational gaps.
• Life milestones: Delayed ownership nudges later marriages, fewer or later kids, and less geographic mobility.
• Community & civic life: Fewer roots can mean lower local engagement and turnout, thinner neighborhood ties, and more loneliness.
• Culture & politics: Rising cynicism (“the game is rigged”) meets nostalgia (“we’ve lost something essential”), fueling new coalitions and tensions.

Michael also proposed some possible solutions: zoning reform (more duplexes, ADUs, mid-rise), YIMBY approaches to mixed-income neighborhoods, right-sized incentives for first-time buyers, and pragmatic “yes-and” policies that different ideologies can actually share. Maybe, just maybe, we can find new pathways to the American Dream.

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

Boo! In this Halloween edition of American Angst, political philosopher Dr. Michael Bailey leads a brisk, illuminating tour of the current government shutdown and what it reveals about our constitutional machinery. Michael lays out why both parties share blame in different ways, but, more importantly, why the structure itself incentivizes brinkmanship over basic governance. He explains how the Senate filibuster concentrates leverage, why “who’s actually in charge?” is maddeningly opaque to voters, and how that erodes democratic accountability.

Moving beyond the headlines, Michael compares the U.S. system to parliamentary models that either compel compromise or trigger new elections—mechanisms that keep the lights on. He analyzes the human stakes (unpaid federal workers, SNAP risks, ACA premium credits) and unpacks why shutdowns persist: party primaries, committee gatekeeping, leadership dynamics, and the political rewards of dysfunction. The result is a clear, digestible framework for understanding not just this shutdown, but our recurring cycles of stalemate.

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