In another engaging Far Middle installment, Nick takes “constant listeners” on a journey through American football history and political philosophy.
George “Papa Bear” Halas, a titan of professional football whose influence extended far beyond the gridiron, is honored with episode 183’s sports dedication.
Born in 1895, Halas lived a remarkable life that spanned nearly nine decades. He was not only a professional football player, coach, and executive but also the founder and owner of the Chicago Bears. Halas’s contributions to the sport were immense, including co-founding the NFL’s predecessor in 1920 and introducing numerous innovations such as daily team practices, film analysis of opponents, and radio game broadcasts. His legacy in football is unparalleled, with 63 years as an owner, 40 as a coach, 324 wins, and eight NFL titles.
But Halas was more than just a football legend. He briefly played for the New York Yankees, earned a civil engineering degree from Illinois, and served in the Navy during World War I, where he was named MVP of the 1919 Rose Bowl (that’s right, the 1919 Rose Bowl was played between the Mare Island Marines and the Great Lakes Navy).
Halas’ life story embodies the potential of America and serves as a fitting dedication for the episode, which then takes a turn to explore the complexities of American political philosophy. Nick explains the discussion is inspired by Matt Wolfson’s recent essay, “Two Forms of American Liberalism.”
Nick challenges the oversimplified binary view of conservative versus liberal, arguing for a more nuanced understanding of political ideologies. He distinguishes between progressivism, libertarianism, classic liberalism, conservatism, and leftism, emphasizing the significant differences between being liberal and being leftist.
Delving deeper, Nick examines Wolfson’s two categories of liberalism: classic and managerial. Classic liberalism advocates for representative government strengthened by associations close to people, free markets with limited government intervention, and non-interventionism in foreign policy. In contrast, managerial liberalism promotes centralized government and large institutions, relying on expert administrators, academia, and judges for policymaking.
Nick traces the evolution of these two forms of liberalism throughout American history, from the early debates between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton to the shifts that occurred during the New Deal and post-World War II era.
“Somewhere between the Great Depression and Lyndon Johnson’s policies, between say 1930 and 1970, managerial liberalism superseded classic liberalism, and managerial liberalism now dominates American politics and policy,” says Nick. The result has been an erosion of free speech, inconsistent respect for property rights, and expansion of bureaucratic control.
Nick emphasizes the need for classic liberalism to regain a stronger footing in America. And, in closing, connects order to political philosophies with Dmitri Mendeleev’s creation of the periodic table in chemistry, highlighting the importance of clarity and organization in understanding complex systems.
Far Middle Connections: The November 20th premiere date of episode 183 coincides with the passing of Russian author Leo Tolstoy over a century ago, on November 20, 1910. Revisit the close of episode 181 for Nick’s reflection on Tolstoy’s short story “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”