Ep 244 | FDR’s War on Civil Liberties | Guest: David Beito

President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is generally lionized as one of the great American presidents, having been elected an unprecedented four times and seeing the nation through the Great Depression and the Second World War, as well as creating some of the most enduring features of the modern welfare state. But was FDR really a hero of the people, or did his policies irrevocably damage the civil liberties and individual freedoms of American citizens? Matt Kibbe is joined by David T. Beito, author of the new book “The New Deal’s War on the Bill of Rights,” to discuss FDR’s enthusiasm for internment camps for Japanese-Americans, domestic surveillance, and homophobic witch hunts. As Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln fall under the scrutiny of modern-day culture warriors, maybe it’s time we took a second look at the complex legacy of America’s 32nd president.

Om Podcasten

Kibbe on Liberty is a weekly podcast with libertarian author and economist, Matt Kibbe. Kibbe believes that honest conversations, driven by intellectual curiosity and mutual respect, can ignite a new revolution of free thinking and a willingness to question the official narrative. That means talking, and listening, to a wide variety of people outside the echo chamber of officially sanctioned experts.  Kibbe on Liberty's guests include politicians, economists, musicians, comedians, writers, radio personalities, activists, journalists, and even magicians—with topics of conversation ranging from current affairs to obscure philosophy, from craft beer to the Grateful Dead. Cold one in hand, settle in for the next brain-stimulating hour of Kibbe on Liberty. As the president of Free the People, Kibbe has decades of experience in the libertarian political sphere. He is the author of three books, including Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff, a #2 NY Times Best Seller. Kibbe is a fanatical DeadHead, drinker of great whisky, and collector of obscure books on Austrian economics.