Is Statesmanship Obsolete? – with Dr. David Bobb
Dr. David Bobb is one of the nation’s foremost experts on statesmanship and the American founding fathers. He joins us today to examine the nature of statesmanship, it’s component virtues and whether they’re obsolete in 2019.
Today we’ve got a unique conversation to share. Once again I’ll be talking to an expert in politics and campaigns but the focus of our conversation is going to be different than most. In nearly every other episode, we talk about strategic or tactical campaign issues. And while we do discuss those in this interview, our focus, more broadly is Statesmanship.
Dr. David Bobb was a professor of mine at Hillsdale College and a couple months ago we caught up at a political conference. The event was a good one but midway through the weekend, I grew frustrated with some of the more esoteric panels and asked him to come out and talk for a while. We ended up spending quite a bit of time together, talking about our nation’s current state and what it is going to take in order to positively influence her future.
After having such a great time talking with him, I had to get Dr. Bobb on the podcast.
I hope our conversation today gets you thinking from a big picture about how you can be a statesman in your community.
Before we jump into the conversation, here’s a bit more about our guest:
Dr. David Bobb joined the Bill of Rights Institute as President in late 2013. Working with teachers and parents across the country, the Institute educates students about the freedom and opportunity made possible by the ideas of the American Founding.
Previously, David was the founding director of two national centers for Hillsdale College, including the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship. From 2001 to 2013 he was also a lecturer in politics at Hillsdale College, where he taught courses on American politics and public policy.
David is the author of the book Humility: An Unlikely biography of America’s Greatest Virtue and a contributing editor to the U.S. Constitution reader from Hillsdale College. He’s widely published in numerous national publications and has been hosted to speak on statesmanship, civic engagement and the American Constitution across this great land.
David and his bride Anna have two sons, Walker and Michael and they reside in the Washington, DC area.
What You’ll Learn about David Bobb and Statesmanship In This Episode:
[00:00] Podcast Introduction and Dr. Bobb Bio
[03:00] How Dr. Bobb got started in Politics
[12:45] What is Statesmanship?
[16:05] Is it possible to embody the virtues of statesmanship AND win?
[21:10] The dangers of dehumanizing our political opponents
[36:10] Does Dr. Bobb think I need to always roll over when my opponents attack? (Hint: no)
[51:35] How do you run as a statesman when so many have used that line to lie to voters?
[1:00:25] Final thoughts and conclusion on Statesmanship
Links from the Podcast:
Connect with Dr. David Bobb on Facebook and LinkedIn. Learn more about him at The Bill of Rights Institute website and watch him in Youtube.
