A favorite libertarian parable, I, Pencil, portrays the market as a mystical force beyond human control, an “invisible hand” that government must never try to steer. This conversation tells a different story: how Sharpie manufacturing returned from China to America, and what we can learn about how policy can shape markets in the national interest.Chris Griswold, policy director at American Compass, joins Oren to discuss his Commonplace essay, I, Sharpie, and what the marker’s story reveals about reindustrialization, automation, and worker power. They trace how tariffs and long-term investment helped bring Sharpie production back to Tennessee, explore why automation need not threaten good jobs, and explain how technology and labor can advance together in a high-wage, high-innovation economy.Further Reading:“I, Sharpie,” by Chris Griswold
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38:24
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38:24
The Geography of Political Belonging with Salena Zito
While the nation’s cultural curators cluster in a few wealthy zip codes, the voters who decide its elections remain rooted in towns where family, church, and work still bind community together. The result is a political and media class increasingly alien to the country it claims to represent, a dynamic cast in stark relief by the recent memorial for Charlie Kirk.Salena Zito, author of Butler and political reporter for the Washington Examiner, joins Drew to explain how rootedness, not ideology, drives much of American politics. They discuss the divide between “placed” and “placeless” citizens and why that distinction is fundamental to understanding the rise of President Trump, before focusing on how increasing energy demands from AI data centers could revitalize jobs for “placed” Americans.Further Reading:Butler: The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America’s Heartland, by Salena Zito“Down In a Pennsylvania Mine, I Saw Coal’s Future,” by Salena Zito, Washington Post“New Survey Upends Conventional Wisdom About the American Dream,” American Compass
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31:35
Trump's Media Pushback with Emily Jashinsky and Haisten Willis
President Trump's second term has brought with it a more combative approach to the American press. Supporters have cheered it as overdue payback for the media's bias, but have the president's recent actions—from threatening broadcast licenses to million-dollar lawsuits against outlets—crossed a line?Emily Jashinsky, DC correspondent for UnHerd and host of the Afterparty podcast, and Haisten Willis, editor of Commonplace, debate whether Trump's recent actions are what a uniquely hostile legacy media deserves, or worrying developments in press freedom. They dive into the history of how the press and the president have historically done business, share stories from their own time spent in the White House press pool, and end on the positive impact of new and alternative outlets for an industry where public trust is in free fall.Further reading:"How Far Is Too Far on Trump's Media Pushback?" by Haisten Willis
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50:16
Labor's Realignment in the AI Age with Sean M. O'Brien
Efforts to modernize labor law have stalled in Washington for decades, leaving workers vulnerable to delayed contracts, retaliation, and corporate maneuvers. Meanwhile, a new challenge looms for workers: rapid advances in automation and artificial intelligence, which could threaten not only blue-collar jobs but also white-collar professions once thought untouchable.Sean M. O’Brien, general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, joins Oren to discuss labor’s realignment in the Trump era and amid technological change. They discuss the Faster Labor Contracts Act, a new bipartisan proposal to guarantee workers a faster first contract. Additionally, they explore the pitfalls of all-or-nothing union strategies, what it takes to build coalitions across party lines, and how organized labor can and should respond to the coming wave of technological innovation.Further Reading:“Unlock American Prosperity by Passing the Faster Labor Contracts Act,” by Sean M. O’Brien
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41:17
Is Abundance Just Neoliberalism? with Matt Yglesias
The abundance agenda claims to offer a new path, one centered on housing, energy, and expanded state capacity. But are advocates of abundance offering a genuine political shift? Or are they just repackaging neoliberalism for the Trump era?At the Abundance 2025 Conference, Oren debated Matt Yglesias, editor of Slow Boring, in a session moderated by Marshall Kosloff, host of The Realignment. During the debate, Yglesias framed abundance as a renewal of liberalism, centered on rebuilding capacity in areas long neglected by former generations of liberals. Oren pushed back, arguing that adding a new gloss on a political agenda that can be reduced to mere consumption is no different than a return to the stale establishment consensus that Americans have rejected since 2016.
Our mission is to restore an economic consensus that emphasizes the importance of family, community, and industry to the nation’s liberty and prosperity. The American Compass Podcast features conversations on a wide variety of policy issues aimed at helping policymakers and the broader public navigate the most pressing issues that will define the future of the conservative movement in America.
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