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THE

EPISODE

ARCHIVE

Conversations with Leaders, Entrepreneurs, Artists and Thinkers

​The Bill Walton Show

EPISODE ARCHIVE

Episode 82: Assessing Beijing’s Power with Klon Kitchen and Dean Cheng
46:02
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 82: Assessing Beijing’s Power with Klon Kitchen and Dean Cheng

China presents a vastly different challenge from anything America has confronted before. The United States economy has never been as deeply dependent on an oppositional government the way we are with China. We have outsourced significant portions of virtually every important supply chain to China. America has even lost its manufacturing capabilities to make aspirin, penicillin and a lot of essential antibiotics. Chinese Communist Party leaders are fundamentally similar to its old emperors. In 5,000 years of Chinese history, it has never seen the development of democracy, or the development of an independent judiciary. China is not a “rule of law” society and views the law as an instrument for keeping the Chinese Communist Party in power. It has neither a civil society or an independent press. And today, they are leaning heavily on their technology sector as a tool to enable a type of “techno-totalitarianism.” So explain Dean Cheng Senior Research Fellow, Asian Studies at Heritage Foundation, where he oversees Chinese security and economic issues and, Klon Kitchen who leads technology policy at Heritage Foundation as Senior Research Fellow for Technology, National Security and Foreign Policy We are learning that we have big problems with China. Join me as I talk with Klon and Dean about how we work our way through this mess. We will, but as they say, “it’s going to be complicated.” #China
Episode 83: Calling for the Return of American Conservative Economics with Oren Cass and Wells King
35:10
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 83: Calling for the Return of American Conservative Economics with Oren Cass and Wells King

“There is more to life than economic freedom. And there is more to economic freedom than economic freedom. A society that attempts to maximize everyone’s freedom at every moment will fail miserably in preserving individual liberty and limiting government over time.” What is missing from our policy debates is a distinctively conservative approach to economics. So argues my guest Oren Cass, founder and executive director of American Compass, whose mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation's liberty and prosperity. Also joining me is Wells King, the research director of American Compass. Cass points out that the libertarian right and the progressive left have polarized our political debate, with one side favoring fewer government programs and less regulation, while the other advocating more, and that there is a more attractive middle course. “Neither prioritizes the traditional structures of family and community that provide the foundations of a flourishing society, or the capacities that a nation must nurture and sustain to remain strong. Consensus views across the political, business, and academic elite have enormous blind spots, from the dangers of globalization, to the costs of a college-for-all education system, to the value of belonging to a particular place. At home, the data on collapsing families, shuttering communities, stagnating wages, and declining life expectancy are well known. Abroad, America’s capacity to protect and advance its national interests is likewise waning.” Making these our priorities would form the bedrock of a return to what Henry Clay called the “American System” and a distinctively conservative guide to statesmanship and economics. This is a fascinating take on today’s policy debates. Well worth a listen. And well worth taking a hard look at.
Episode 81: “Life After the CoronaVirus: Planting the Seeds of Growth and Resilience”
31:08
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 81: “Life After the CoronaVirus: Planting the Seeds of Growth and Resilience”

The outbreak of the CoronaVirus has created a health crisis. But federal, state and local governments’ reactions to this challenge - however well intentioned - have created an economic crisis that will linger past any recovery from or stabilization of the spread of the disease. The economy’s been broken and government action cannot bring it back, only alleviate some of the pain. It’s the private sector that will provide lasting solutions to restoring a vibrant America. Of course businesses will play a significant role, but often overlooked is how our civil society non-profit institutions will also be making a big difference. Joining me to talk about this are Lawson Bader CEO of DonorsTrust which directs donor dollars to highly promising conservative and libertarian nonprofit groups throughout the country and Tracie Sharp CEO of The State Policy Network which works with public policy and activist groups in all 50 states. They are leaders of the newly formed Growth and Resilience Project resiliencenow@donorstrust.org, which is bringing together donors to fund civil society solutions to the problems brought about by the CoronaVirus. Tracie and Lawson have some of the best windows into what's working and what isn't working throughout the United States. One surprising conclusion that we reached is that are actually good reasons for optimism. As Tracie points out, “after the Black Plague, a renaissance occurred” and a silver lining to this pandemic may be that we rethink a lot of our institutions, the way we do things. For example, schools have been shut down, and it's forced a lot of people into either homeschooling in the case of K-12 or computer-based, Zoom-based classes in the case of colleges. There’s over 100 of these kind of solution ideas on the State Policy Network website spn.org/coronavirus of private, voluntary action that really show America at its best. “We’re seeing neighbor helping neighbor.” This is where philanthropy can step up and help really alleviate the suffering that's going on, get our economy going again, and getting people back to work. #COVID-19 #Philanthropy #Economics
Episode 80: China Rx: America’s Dependence on China for Medicine w/Rosemary Gibson and Frank Gaffney
38:31
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 80: China Rx: America’s Dependence on China for Medicine w/Rosemary Gibson and Frank Gaffney

“Millions of Americans are taking prescription and over-the-counter drugs made in China and don’t know it and neither do their doctors. These are prescription drugs in the legal supply chain that are distributed to U.S. hospitals, sold in corner drug stores and grocery store pharmacies, and distributed to military hospitals and clinics around the world,” explains Rosemary Gibson. We cannot make aspirin in the United States. We cannot make penicillin in the United States. Nor can we make generic antibiotics. China’s aim is to become the pharmacy to the world, and it is on track to achieve it. Join me as I talk with Rosemary Gibson, author of “China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine” and Frank Gaffney Vice Chairman of the Committee for the Present Danger: China about the existential risks posed by the United States’ dependence on China for drugs and essential healthcare supplies. “And I'm sure you may have seen the statement from the Chinese government media actually threatening to withhold drugs and to throw the United States into the ocean of hell of coronavirus. And there were threats before, but this the most brazen.” “So, here we have a situation where you have a global pandemic and the whole world depends on a single country for those core chemicals to make critical drugs.” If China shut the door on exports of medicines and their key ingredients and raw materials, U.S. hospitals and military hospitals and clinics would cease to function within months, if not days. China produces 10% of our generic drugs but more critically, almost 90% of the core chemicals and drug ingredients are controlled by China. The Global Pandemic is bringing home many unpleasant truths and this is one of the harshest. Learn more here. (We had some technical issues with the Zoom app, I occasionally couldn’t hear Rosemary or Frank. But the subject matter is so timely and vital we’re going ahead with publishing our conversation.) #China #Coronavirus #COVID-19
Episode 79: Masks and Scarves and Overdraft Protection with Arnold Kling
36:02
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 79: Masks and Scarves and Overdraft Protection with Arnold Kling

This week I sought out Arnold Kling to learn more about some of his innovative ideas to deal with the health, economic and social fallout from the Covid-19 crisis. Arnold, who blogs at arnoldkling.com/blog, author of “Specialization and Trade” and “The Three Languages of Politics” and with a PhD in Economics from MIT is one of America’s more original and penetrating thinkers. Some of what we talk about: “Masks and Scarves” How do we know that we are getting the right data and smart science from our health authorities? We’re relying on computer models, not real world experiments. The best evidence we have of what slows/halts the virus spread, is what’s happened in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Rather than lockdowns, they have limited the disease’s spread by allowing people to go to work and school wearing surgical masks that help prevent sick people from infecting others. If the purpose of social distancing is to keep sick people from infecting others, you could accomplish the same thing by mandating that everyone wear a mask and stop killing the economy with the blunt instrument of lockdowns. “Less Fiscal Stimulus, Instead Overdraft Protection” Mandated stay at home lockdowns have shuttered the U.S. economy creating personal and business liquidity problems. We’re not in a typical business-cycle recession that requires fiscal or monetary stimulus. The solution: every bank account in the U.S., personal or business, would have added to it a line of credit, at low interest, backed by the federal government. “It would work like government-backed overdraft protection. It’s administratively about as simple as you could get and gets relief directly to those who most need it.” “Normal is not an option” “We have to resist the temptation to benchmark the future economic outlook against “normal,” where normal means what would have happened had the virus never appeared. Pre-crisis, our patterns of specialization and trade were optimized for efficiency at the expense of fragility. Expect supply chains, especially in our trade with China, to have a lot more redundancy and to be less driven by cost minimization. So do we end up with a smaller new “normal” economy or a different economy? “I think a different economy. I like to use the analogy of the Second World War as an example of what's the economic precedent for this? So the Second World War we had to reallocate a lot of resources very quickly, both getting into the war and then at the end of the war as these millions of troops, the GIs come home and the factories no longer need to produce tanks. It was amazing how rapid and how relatively painless that readjustment was. That aspect makes me fairly optimistic.” #Economics #Big Ideas #Politics
Episode 78: The health and economic crisis created by COVID-19 with Steve Moore and Jay Richards.
28:35
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 78: The health and economic crisis created by COVID-19 with Steve Moore and Jay Richards.

Join me as I talk with economist Steve Moore and Dr. Jay Richards about the health and economic crisis created by the coronavirus. And how to respond without all of our freedoms and civil liberties being trampled. Yes we need to move decisively to address the virus. But by focusing too narrowly on just disease control, we risk losing much or most of what makes America great. As always, I learn a lot from Jay and Steve. For example, I had thought the coronavirus death rate comparable to that of the seasonal flu, but Jay explains it’s more complicated than that. And as Steve explains, the tradeoffs are much more complicated than simply “kill your grandma or boost the Dow Jones Industrial Average.” We explore the many policy proposals driven by partisan politics, China’s role, the World Health Organization, the Left’s agenda, and what this crisis mean for President Trump’s re-election prospects. This is a fast moving issue with a lot of moving parts. Steve and Jay do a great job putting this all into perspective. #Economics #COVID-19 #China #Politics
Episode 77: "Countering the Lethal Narrative of the 1619 Project”.
55:32
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 77: "Countering the Lethal Narrative of the 1619 Project”.

“The most effective way to destroy a people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.” George Orwell According to the New York Times, the true founding of the United States of America did not begin with the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Rather, the Times informs us, it occurred in 1619, the year 20 or so African Slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia and the American Revolution occurred primarily because of the American's desire to keep their slaves. Consequently, “America is irrevocably and forever rooted in injustice and racism.” My guests Robert Woodson and Kenneth Blackwell emphatically do not agree, and Mr. Woodson has launched the “1776 Project” to refute the Times claims. “I was particularly outraged that the New York Times would exploit America's birth defect of slavery and weaponize race and use the conditions of the black community as a bludgeon against this country's character, almost defining it as if it's a criminal organization,” says Mr. Woodson. “What they are doing is insulting by implying that all blacks are victims and should be pitied.” Ken Blackwell goes on, “the 1619 project is nothing but a group of apologists for the expansion of the welfare state. What we should be doing, and what Bob’s “1776 Project” is about, is the creation of opportunities and individual empowerment in society. As Frederick Douglass said, we all have to be agents of our own well-being." Join me as we dig into the competing narratives of the 1619 vs 1776 projects. As Bob and Ken make clear, the side who wins this debate will likely steer the future course of America. #Culture and Society #Conservative #Politics #Freedom vs. Coercion #Faith and Religion #Progressive #Social Justice #Profile #History
Episode 76: Steve Moore on the Trump Economy
31:26
The Bill Walton Show

Episode 76: Steve Moore on the Trump Economy

Last week I interviewed economist Steve Moore at a conference with conservative leaders. While the capital markets selloff and bad coronavirus news had not yet had hit galeforce levels, as it has this week, they were looming. I'm posting this to remind us that even in the face of fierce headwinds, the United States has entered this troubling time riding on top of a booming economy. Steve details the Trump administration’s progress in improving the U.S tax system, regulatory regime, household income, job creation, energy independence and productivity growth. As Steve adds, “The amazing thing is we've been growing at a time when the rest of the world isn't … Europe is growing at less than 1% … Japan is practically in a recession. So is Germany. China's economy has been declining even before this virus erupted.” In my view, the coronavirus is shutting down too much economic activity to avoid a mild recession. But it’s useful to remind ourselves about the strong base from which we have to rebound. And we will. And as always, it’s worth listening to Steve on America’s economic prospects. #Economics #Trade #Politics #Policy #Taxes #Regulation #Trump
Transcripts

EPISODES

Episode 72

January 2020

“The Red Thread: Inside the Anti-Trump Conspiracy”

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Guests:

Diana West and Frank Gaffney

The anti-Trump conspiracy is not about Democrats versus Republicans. It's not about the ebb and flow of political power lawfully and peacefully transferred. It is about globalists versus nationalists, and they're locked in the old and continuous Communist versus anti-Communist struggle, and fighting to the end whether we, the anti-Communists, recognize it or not."  Read more ...

Episode 71

November 2019

“Behind the Scenes of the Conservative Movement and The Republican Party.”

MATT & MERCEDES SCHLAPP - Episode 71
The Bill Walton Show

Guests:

Matt and Mercedes Schlapp

Matt and Mercedes Schlapp give us a behind-the-scenes look at the conservative movement. Mercedes is the current Communications Director of the Trump/Pence re-election campaign and Matt is the Chairman of the American Conservative Union (CPAC).

Episode 69

November 2019

“Dick Bodman's Remarkable Career and Life Lessons.”

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Guests:

Dick Bodman and John Tamny

What do you do with a good friend who has had a successful career in many fields, who seems to be good at everything, and is interesting on a wide range of topics? Well, in my case, I bring him on my show.

​

Richard S. Bodman, founder of AT&T Ventures, joins me with John Tamny, editor of Real Clear Markets, and Editor for Forbes Magazine and the author of "The End of Work" and "They're Both Wrong."

​

Episode 68

October 2019

An Impeachment Behind Closed Doors

Jenny Beth Martin
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VIEW EPISODE 68
DOWNLOAD EPISODE #68 TRANSCRIPT

Guests:

Jenny Beth Martin and Sarah Walton

Jenny Beth Martin discusses politics, the Trump impeachment and why she co-founded the Tea Party Patriots. *Special guest Sarah Walton joins the conversation.

Episode 67

October 2019

Why It's OK to be a Black Republican.

Star Parker
Winsome Sears

Guests:

Star Parker and Winsome Sears

Star Parker and Winsome Sears discuss race, religion, poverty, and our addiction to government.

Episode 66

October 2019

They're Both Wrong, But Wait Aren't There Three Languages of Politics?

Arnold Kling
John Tamny

Guests:

John Tamny and Arnold Kling

John Tamny and Arnold Kling discuss the problems of political parties in the US - and why are political elites still buying oceanfront property if the world climate crisis is so dire.

Episode 65

October 2019

“We're in the midst of a Cold War. An Economic War”

Robert D. Atkinson
The Bill Walton Show

Guests:

Robert D. Atkinson

Robert D. Atkinson, founder and president of ITIF, describes the United States role in the war for influence and control.
 

Episode 63

October 2019

Part 1: The Power to Reengineer Humanity- Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn

Dr. Robert Epstein
Reggie Littlejohn

Guests:

Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn

Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn describe how a leaked internal Google video describes their goal of impacting the beliefs, attitudes, purchases, and votes of 2.5 billion people around the world.

Episode 63

October 2019

Part 2: The Power to Re-engineer Humanity- with Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn

Dr. Robert Epstein
Reggie Littlejohn

Guests:

Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn

Dr. Robert Epstein and Reggie Littlejohn describe how a leaked internal Google video describes their goal of impacting the beliefs, attitudes, purchases, and votes of 2.5 billion people around the world.

Episode 62

October 2019

Is Climate Change Really a Planetary Emergency? - with Myron Ebell

Myron Ebell
The Bill Walton Show
VIEW EPISODE 62
DOWNLOAD EPISODE #71 TRANSCRIPT

Guests:

Myron Ebell

Is the climate debate fueled by overheated climate models, inflated CO2 emission scenarios, disregarded basic data on human health and well being, and relentless exaggeration by political interests claiming to speak for "the science”?

Episode 61

September 2019

Part 1: Who Owns The World's Art? with CD Dickerson

C.D. Dickerson, III
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Guests:

C.D. Dickerson, III

C.D. Dickerson, III, Curator, and Head of Sculpture Department at the National Gallery of Art, comments on issues around art ownership and repatriation - including art that was taken from Africa in the colonial era that now resides in museums all over the world

Episode 61

September 2019

Part 2: Who Owns The World's Art? with CD Dickerson

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The Bill Walton Show

Guests:

C.D. Dickerson, III

C.D. Dickerson, III, Curator, and Head of Sculpture Department at the National Gallery of Art, comments on issues around art ownership and repatriation - including art that was taken from Africa in the colonial era that now resides in museums all over the world

Episode 60

September 2019

“Social Media Speech Police” with Brent Bozell and Dan Gainor

Dan Gainor
Brent Bozell

Guests:

Brent Bozell and Dan Gainor

Has Facebook corporate become a parody? They banned a Prager University video on the “Ten Commandments.” Their explanation? "Well, it mentioned murder." Maybe next time Prager should do a video on the “Nine Commandments.” There’s much to learn about “social media speech police” on The Bill Walton Show with Brent Bozell and Dan Gainor.

Episode 59

September 2019

Part 1: Why We need to Care About "Space Warfare" with Kevin Freeman and Frank Gaffney.

Frank Gaffney
Frank Gaffney

Guests:

Kevin Freeman and Frank Gaffney

Our military has a disturbing tendency to keep fighting the last wars, not the likely future ones. Now a visionary general is being forced into retirement because he’s advocating a very different approach to counter Chinese aims to achieve dominance in space.

Episode 59

September 2019

Part 2: Frank Gaffney and Kevin Freeman on China’s War with the United States

Frank Gaffney
Kevin Freeman

Guests:

Kevin Freeman and Frank Gaffney

For decades, the U.S. has given China preferred trade & economic status. In a long overdue effort, President Trump is now negotiating new and more balanced trade deals with China, but however effective new trade deals will prove to be, they cannot address the many other dangers posed by China's Communist Party.  After seeing astounding economic growth, the Chinese leaders now show how little they value the liberal world order by threatening unrestricted economic, cultural and kinetic warfare.  Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy and Kevin Freeman, host of the Economic War Room, explain on the Bill Walton Show

 

Episode 56

September 2019

Deconstructing the Federal Reserve 

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Guests:

George Selgin and Norbert Michel

If the Fed brought home a report card reflecting its performance since its creation in 1914, its parents would not be pleased. Its record for stability is among the worst in the developed world, and it has done little to fix the problems it was invented to address. 

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Moreover, the Federal Reserve is far from the only way to assure stability in banking. As George Selgin of the Cato Institute and Norbert Michel of the Heritage Foundation persuasive argue on the Bill Walton Show, it may not even be the best way.  Read more...

Episode 55

September 2019

Chen Guangcheng and Reggie Littlejohn on Human Rights in China with Huchen Zhang.

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Guests:

Chen Guangcheng, Reggie Littlejohn and Huchen Zhang

Americans' theory that more trade with China would open up the country to more democracy has been proven wrong. In fact, say Reggie Littlejohn, Huchen Zhang and Chen Guancheng on The Bill Walton Show, they have backfired. "You cannot tolerate evil. You cannot treat evil with kindness," Zhang said.
 

​The Chinese consider Western countries to be naive and easily manipulated, but if the US will stand up to them in trade deals, it will earn the support of the Chinese people and deprive the government of the money to control the country's social structure, Chen Guancheng said on The Bill Walton Show.

Episode 59

September 2019

Part 2: Frank Gaffney and Kevin Freeman on China’s War with the United States

Frank Gaffney
Kevin Freeman

Guests:

Kevin Freeman and Frank Gaffney

For decades, the U.S. has given China preferred trade & economic status. In a long overdue effort, President Trump is now negotiating new and more balanced trade deals with China, but however effective new trade deals will prove to be, they cannot address the many other dangers posed by China's Communist Party.  After seeing astounding economic growth, the Chinese leaders now show how little they value the liberal world order by threatening unrestricted economic, cultural and kinetic warfare.  Frank Gaffney, founder of the Center for Security Policy and Kevin Freeman, host of the Economic War Room, explain on the Bill Walton Show

 

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