Government That Doesn't Suck

About Government That Doesn't Suck

The government gets a bad rap. But the roads under your feet, the forecast on your phone, and the letter in your mailbox are all government too. Hosted by Professors Greg Jackson and Lindsey Cormack, Government That Doesn't Suck brings together the sharpest thinkers to reveal the real-world impact of American government, one episode at a time.

Publisher

Rewind Studios

Category

government · history

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

18 Jun 2026

Latest episode

14 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

6 of 7 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   14 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   NASA and the Commercialization of Space

   Host Matthew Yglesias interviews NASA Administrator Bill Nelson about how government investment fuels private space exploration and innovation.

2. 

   31 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Before the First Amendment: The Trial of John Peter Zenger

   Host Bill of Rights and historian Mitchell Kramer explore John Peter Zenger's trial, revealing the early fight for press freedom and the enduring debate over truth and partisanship.

3. 

   17 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   National Weather Service

   Host Ben W. and National Weather Service meteorologist Dr. John Smith explore how the NWS provides essential weather data for public safety and economic benefit.

4. 

   3 Aug 2026TRANSCRIPT

   The Spoils System / Pendleton Civil Service Act

   Host [Host Name] explores how the assassination of President James A. Garfield spurred the creation of the Pendleton Civil Service Act, reforming the spoils system for government jobs.

5. 

   20 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Moonshot / NASA Apollo missions

   Host Dr. Jerry Z. Muller interviews historian Neil Maher about the Apollo missions' surprising connections to environmental, feminist, and civil rights movements.

6. 

   6 Jul 2026TRANSCRIPT

   We The Founders (The Constitution)

   Greg Jackson and Lindsey Cormack explore the U.S. Constitution, revealing how its foundational principles empower everyone to be a founder of a better government.

7. 

   18 Jun 2026

   Introducing Government That Doesn't Suck

   Professor Greg Jackson and Professor Lindsey Cormack explore how government machinery shapes American life, examining its successes and complexities in this interview.

Inside a recent episode

NASA and the Commercialization of Space

Published 14 Sept 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] When you say we're sending the Hubble Space Telescope up, You're saying that's something only government can do because no one commercial entity would be able to bear the costs up front. Or why is that a thing that government can do? It comes down to the returns, right? In terms of this is fundamental scientific research. This is the predicate of our post-World War II era of the role of public investment in science. Fundamental research is enabled by the public sector that may have spinoffs, that may have hardware value, there may be workforce benefits. But fundamentally, the outcomes, no one is going to pay on a commercial sector for what's the atmosphere of Jupiter looking like today. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.6 / 5

141 ratings

Questions about Government That Doesn't Suck