The Rational Policy Podcast

Mike Coté
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  • Politics
  • Updated Weekly

A historical perspective on policy, international affairs, and geopolitics. Talking current events weekly, ranging from the serious to the absurd, all with a dash of good humor. www.rationalpolicy.com

  1. Aug 19

    Episode 50 - Dog Days Dispatch

    Welcome back to the Rational Policy Podcast! Somehow, we’ve been doing this for a whole 50 episodes (!), so we wanted to thank you for listening in and supporting the show; it means a lot. So, in honor of our milestone 50th episode we……did nothing different. As always, your steady hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay break down the (light) week in news, this time hitting a grab bag of topics ranging from British academia to Korean military exercises. We start off with the former, detailing the most incredible academic scandal in recent memory: the downfall of former Cambridge sociologist Jason Arday. We discuss the scandal’s most ridiculous aspects, the left-wing blame-game firestorm after Arday’s tragic suicide, and how this controversy indicts the whole of progressive academia. Next, we shift to a nigh-inscrutable decision by President Trump to cancel joint military exercises with South Korea, largely in a fit of pique. We explain the nuances around how to deal with the dovish leadership in Seoul, the usefulness of these exercises, and how Trump’s personalist foreign policy is less disconcerting than the ideological isolationism of some in his movement, led by his vice president. Then, we switch gears entirely and go big picture, talking about the significant similarities between the 2020s and the 1970s and what that may portend for our politics over the coming years. Finally, we answer one of your questions from Twitter! Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be on vacation until just after Labor Day. Enjoy the dog days of summer, take a break from the doomscrolling, and head on outside - it would do us all good. Catch you on the flip side! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

  2. Aug 14

    Episode 49 - Fauci Thunderdome!

    Hello listener, and welcome back to the Rational Policy Podcast! In this installment, Episode 49, hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay step into the debate Thunderdome and duke it out over a topic that has been back in the news after a (thankfully) long hiatus: Anthony Fauci and, more broadly, the question of accountability for decisions made during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The subject was resurfaced in congressional hearings in which Fauci was subpoenaed by Republicans to testify on his actions during that time, an effort spearheaded by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination to avoid answering questions, despite a blanket pardon from former president Joe Biden. Listen in to hear your usually-simpatico hosts butt heads on the usefulness of the hearings, the trust crisis in public health, and the question of Fauci himself - hero or villain? Then, we shift gears to discuss a couple of secondary stories related to the war in Iran: the new Pakistan-Turkey-Saudi Arabia “alliance” and President Trump’s clandestine escape from a Turkish sojourn in the face of serious Iranian threats. We discuss whether that ‘Islamic NATO’ is worth anything (it isn’t) and whether the surreptitious switcheroo to safeguard the president was an affront to journalists or the result of falsified Israeli intelligence (it wasn’t). Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with an earlier episode, then will be on vacation until September. See you next time! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

  3. Aug 7

    Episode 48 - The Call is Coming from Inside the House

    Welcome back to Episode 48 of the Rational Policy Podcast! Join your stalwart hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay for another whirlwind tour around the world of news and politics, this time without a stop in the Middle East - we could all use a break at this point. Instead, we talk about three issues where the biggest problems are entirely internal. First, we dive into some rank punditry on the 2026 midterm elections, centered around the far-left antisemitic and anti-American socialist candidates who have seemingly grabbed the reins of the Democratic Party. We discuss the primary victory of Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan, as well as some other recent DSA-aligned triumphs, and debate what it means for the future of the Democrats; will they embrace the radicals or defenestrate them? And what will the voters think? Next, we shift to the political right, focusing on the nascent postliberal movement, a major debate over the “common good,” and what conservativism really means in the American context. We detail how this fringe movement could go mainstream and why that would be a terrible outcome for both the political right and America writ large. Finally, we sail across the Atlantic to talk about the evocative and powerful images coming out of Spain, where Moroccan migrants invaded the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, causing mass chaos and sparking an internal debate in the European Union over migration policy. We explore why this event occurred, why it matters, and how it exposed the deep rot in the very foundation of the EU. Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week, barring another bout of the plague. Until then, get outside and enjoy the summer! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

    Episode 48 - The Call is Coming from Inside the House

  4. Jul 24

    Episode 47 - Tehran Two-Step

    The Rational Policy Podcast is back with Episode 47! Join hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay as we discuss the most important events in geopolitics over the past week. We start this episode off with a return to the biggest topic of discussion we’ve had for the first half of this year: the Iran War. We detail the recent return to outright hostilities, the recurring messaging problems of the Trump administration, the broader ramifications of escalation, and whether there is any strategic core at the base of the conflict. Will Trump have the patience and wherewithal to carry out his threats? Does America have the ability to stomach war anymore? And are there any politicians in this populist moment who would be brave enough to buck the electorate and do the right thing for the country’s long-term security? Next, we swing back to the Western Hemisphere, talking about one of the only near-unblemished aspects of this administration’s foreign policy record: the reassertion of American primacy in the Americas. We discuss how Marco Rubio is the perfect man for the job, why this strategic approach makes sense, the problems with the regimes in Cuba and Nicaragua (among others), and how far-left, anti-American agitation can be confronted and defeated in our own backyard. Finally, we go after New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani for a despicable antisemitic stunt that he pulled regarding arresting Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with another show. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

  5. Jul 17

    Episode 46 - Deja Vu, All Over Again

    Welcome back to Episode 46 of the Rational Policy Podcast! In this installment, your intrepid hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay break down the most recent week of current events, running the gamut from politics to war. We start with some truly sad news: the sudden passing of South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham, a stalwart conservative and a true titan of the institution. We lament his death as heralding the end of an era of serious statesmen and public servants in Congress, while also detailing how his lifelong support for liberty and America’s global role in defending it is unfortunately becoming less popular every day. We then shift gears to talk about the return of outright hostilities in the US-Iran conflict, debating whether it is a good or bad thing and what might come next. We discuss how the US can deal with the Strait of Hormuz, what sort of outcome we should be looking for here, and how weakening our various enemies around the globe will help us in our grander rivalry with the Chinese. Finally, we touch on the terrible ICE-involved shootings in Texas and Maine, explaining how the administration has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory with its reckless and hamfisted approach to immigration enforcement, as well as how this faulty approach is entirely due to the extreme and myopic focus on base voters – a much broader problem in our politics today. Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with another show. Until then, be sure to tune into the World Cup final this Sunday; it’ll be an absolute banger. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

  6. Jul 9

    Episode 45 - Transatlantic Tribulations

    The Rational Policy Podcast is back with Episode 45! We have returned to our regularly-scheduled programming, with hosts Mike Coté and Art Vandelay breaking down the week in current events. In this slightly longer than usual episode, we hit on the biggest topics of the past week and the week to come. We lead off with geopolitics, previewing the NATO summit this week in Ankara, Turkey. We use that meeting as a jumping-off point to hit on the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran, the role of Turkey in NATO, and how the alliance may evolve into the future. We also contrast the disparate approaches of Marco Rubio and JD Vance when discussing our issues with Europe. Next, we swing to the home front, recapping the fascinating and important past few weeks at the Supreme Court. We talk immigration, executive power, campaign finance, and more, plus the future impacts of these influential judgments. Finally, we celebrate the Downfall of the Democratic nominee for the US Senate from Maine, Graham Platner. We talk about how this was all predictable for anyone who has a modicum of sense or a moral compass - as well as how a good deal on the left seem to lack either. Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with another show. Until then, enjoy the World Cup while it is still here; you won’t regret it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

  7. Jul 3

    Episode 44 - America 250!

    Welcome back to the Rational Policy Podcast! You’re in luck, as this Very Special Episode is our America 250 Extravaganza, a paean to America so awesome that you’ll involuntarily grow a mullet. In all seriousness, though, this is the greatest nation that has ever existed, the greatest triumph for human freedom that mankind has ever created, and the most incredible, dynamic, creative society full of the most generous, welcoming, resilient, and entrepreneurial people on Earth. Your hosts, Mike Coté and Art Vandelay, do their level best to give our nation its proper due on this auspicious anniversary. We discuss why America is so great, how our dedication to individualism was radical in 1776 and remains so in 2026, and how Americans have worked tirelessly to maintain our Union for a quarter of a millennium. We touch on the best and worst presidents, our favorite amendments to the Constitution, and the best recent federal legislators. We then shift to broader cultural topics, detailing our favorite American cities, monuments, food, sports, traditions, historical eras, music, and more. It is a podcast eminently befitting such an exceptional nation on such an awe-inspiring and glorious anniversary. Happy birthday, America. We love you. Check it out, follow us on Twitter/X (Mike / Art), and share the podcast with anyone you think might appreciate it. Thanks for listening. We’ll be back next week with our regularly scheduled programming. Until then, go out and celebrate the most successful experiment in personal liberty that has ever been tried. Happy Independence Day! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

    Episode 44 - America 250!

  8. Jul 1

    Episode 43 - Founder's Fire

    Welcome to a Very Special Episode 43 of the Rational Policy Podcast! In this installment, host Mike Coté interviews Dr. Arthur Herman, a Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling historian, about his new book Founder’s Fire: From 1776 to the Age of Trump. We discuss the idea of the founder’s fire – the risk-seeking, action-oriented, visionary strain in American life – and how it characterizes our nation’s past and could come to do the same in the future. From Tocqueville’s early America and the politics of Abraham Lincoln to the Gilded Age industrial magnates and Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights movement, American history is rife with this particular impulse, often tied directly to our original founding 250 years ago. We touch on how government can supercharge or hamper this spirit, how capitalism and individual liberty intersect, and how American culture has fully embraced the founding mindset. We also detail some of the threats to this exceptional attitude, notably the rising tide of socialism, and how we can ensure that the founder’s fire is kept alight for future generations. On top of all that, we hit on how the proliferation of social media will impact future historiography, the immense complexities and opportunities of the Iran War, and what our nation’s 250th birthday signifies. Tune in for a wide-ranging discussion of American history, modern politics, and more. Thanks so much to Dr. Herman for joining us for this Very Special Episode. Be sure to follow him on Twitter/X and pick up a copy of the excellent Founder’s Fire, either on Amazon or anywhere great books are sold. We’ll be back with another Very Special Episode later this week. Thanks for listening! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.rationalpolicy.com

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A historical perspective on policy, international affairs, and geopolitics. Talking current events weekly, ranging from the serious to the absurd, all with a dash of good humor. www.rationalpolicy.com

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