The Defiant Citizen

Gary Mullins | The Publius Project

The Defiant Citizen is a podcast for ordinary Americans who still believe the republic belongs to them. Drawing from philosophy, the American founding, and the ideas of Publius, each episode explores the principles citizens must understand to preserve a free society. Through philosophical discussions, breakdowns of the Restoration Papers, and real-world analysis of current events, the show challenges listeners to reclaim the spirit of self-government. Because a republic does not survive on institutions alone. It survives when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

Episodes

  1. 4d ago

    Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas

    Episode 11: Flawed Men, Enduring Ideas Phase II of the Restoration Project begins here. For generations, Americans have argued about what the Founders believed, what they meant, and which modern political movement they would support. But before we can understand the Constitution, we have to understand something even more important: What assumptions were the Founders making about human nature when they built the American system? In this episode, Gary Mullins explores the foundation beneath the Constitution—the belief that human beings are capable of both greatness and corruption, and that government must be designed accordingly. You'll learn why the Founders intentionally built a slow and restrained system of government, why checks and balances exist, and why liberty requires constant vigilance. You'll also confront one of the most common objections raised against the Founders: their personal flaws and contradictions. Can flawed people create enduring ideas? From Washington and Jefferson to Lincoln, Roosevelt, and other influential figures throughout history, this episode examines why judging ideas solely by the imperfections of their creators may leave us with nothing worth preserving. Topics Covered: The Founders' view of human natureWhy the Constitution was built around restraintSeparation of powers and checks and balancesThe danger of concentrated powerSlavery and the Founders' contradictionsHabeas corpus and civil libertiesWhy flawed people can still create lasting institutionsThis episode serves as the gateway into Phase II: The Founders' Framework, where we'll begin examining the principles that shaped the American Republic and whether they still have something to teach us today. The Defiant Citizen is the podcast companion to The Publius Project—a nonpartisan exploration of citizenship, constitutional government, and the restoration of the American Republic.

    12 min

  2. May 13

    The Cost You Never See

    Episode 10: The Cost You Never See What if the biggest cost of government isn’t what you pay… but what you stop trying to do? Episode 10 explores the hidden “mental tax” of the modern managed state — the delays, approvals, paperwork, compliance systems, and endless hoops that slowly train ordinary Americans to hesitate instead of build. Through real-world stories of permits, small businesses, contractors, denied applications, and everyday bureaucracy, this episode examines how a culture of citizens gradually becomes a culture of applicants. Not through force or dramatic crackdowns… but through friction. Quietly. Constantly. Until people begin regulating themselves before the system ever has to. Building on Restoration Paper No. 9, The Cost of the Managed State, and the companion essay From Citizen to Applicant, this episode asks a difficult question: What happens to a free society when people stop asking “What can I build?” and start asking “Am I allowed?” This is an episode about initiative, responsibility, self-government, and the invisible cost of living inside systems that slowly discourage action itself. If you’ve ever looked at an idea and thought, “Yeah… probably not worth it,” this episode is for you.

    25 min

  3. Apr 29

    It's a Great Big Club...And We Ain't In It!

    Episode 9: It's a Great Big Club..And We Ain't In it! You don’t have representation. You have the illusion of it. In this episode, we pull back the curtain on how the system actually works—and why your vote doesn’t carry the weight you think it does. From the “Wealth Primary” that decides who gets to run…to the donor networks that shape decisions behind the scenes…to the closed loop that protects the people inside it… this isn’t a broken system. It’s a system that’s doing exactly what it was built to do. The question is— who was it built for?

    26 min

  4. Apr 19

    Who Governs? The Citizen, The Expert, or The System

    Episode 8: Who Governs? During COVID, businesses closed, movement was restricted, and millions complied. But here’s the question no one asked: Who actually had the authority to do it? In this episode, I examine how “experts” moved from advising decisions to making them - and what that means for a system that was designed to be governed by citizens. This isn’t about left vs. right. It’s about whether the American people still control the system - or if we’ve handed it over without realizing it.

    26 min

  5. Apr 12

    A Nation of Citizens...Or a System of Clients?

    Episode 7: A Nation of Citizens...Or a System of Clients? There was no vote.No announcement.No single moment when Americans chose to become dependent. It happened slowly, through a thousand small, reasonable decisions that traded responsibility for stability. In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, we move beyond structure and into identity. From Social Security and Medicare to Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance, and disability programs, we examine how a system designed to provide support has grown into something much larger, one that doesn’t just help people… but shapes behavior. This isn’t about blaming individuals.If a system exists, people will rationally navigate it. The real question is deeper: What kind of person does that system produce? Because over time, the shift isn’t just in policy…It’s in posture. From citizen… to client. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “What do I qualify for?” instead of “What can I build?” This episode will help you understand why. Because a republic survives only when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

    20 min

  6. Apr 4

    The Permission Society - When Everything Requires Approval

    Episode 6: The Permission Society – When Everything Requires Approval At what point did everyday life start requiring permission? In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, we examine the next phase of the shift—from a system that manages…to a culture that conditions. What begins as regulation gradually becomes expectation.What starts as oversight becomes dependency. And over time, a subtle transformation takes place: A society of citizens becomes a society of permission-seekers. From business and property to speech and daily decision-making, we explore how the need for approval has quietly expanded—and what that means for individual agency in a modern system. If you’ve ever hesitated…not because something was wrong, but because you weren’t sure if you were allowed to act—this episode is for you. Because a republic survives only when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

    14 min

  7. Mar 29

    The System Behind the System

    Episode 5: The System Behind the System You can see the rules. But can you see the system that created them? In this episode, we break down the rise of the administrative state—how power moved from elected representatives to a system that writes, enforces, and interprets its own authority. From Wilson’s vision of expert administration… to the expansion of agencies during crisis… to the legal framework that sustained it for decades, this is the story of how governance quietly gave way to management. Once you understand it…you start seeing it everywhere.

    17 min

  8. Mar 22

    The System You Can't Vote Against

    Episode 4: The System You Can’t Vote Against You can vote for your representatives. But what about the system that actually runs your life? In this episode, we apply Restoration Paper No. 3 to the real world and examine the rise of a system where rules are written, enforced, and interpreted by people you will never vote for—and may never even know exist. From everyday regulations to crisis-level directives, this is the story of how governance quietly gave way to management. And once you see it…you start seeing it everywhere.

    12 min

  9. Mar 18

    The Great Displacement: From Governance to Management

    Episode 3: The Great Displacement — From Governance to Management We’ve been taught that we live in a republic where elected representatives write our laws. But look closely at the rules that shape your daily life—and you may find something very different. In this episode, we explore the quiet shift from constitutional governance to administrative management. Over time, authority has moved away from elected officials and into a vast system of agencies, regulations, and “expert” rulemaking. This isn’t a story about politics. It’s a story about structure. Where does authority reside? Who writes the rules? And what happens to a republic when consent is replaced by compliance? This episode corresponds to Restoration Paper No. 3 of The Publius Project.

    9 min

  10. Mar 15

    Survival Without the State

    Episode 2: Survival Without the State When Washington shuts down, what actually happens to the country? In October 2025, a federal funding lapse brought the machinery of government in Washington to a standstill. News headlines warned of crisis, chaos, and national disruption. But something surprising happened across the country: most communities kept functioning. Trash was still collected. Local police still patrolled neighborhoods. Food banks, churches, and neighbors stepped in where federal programs stalled. In this episode of The Defiant Citizen, we apply the principle behind Restoration Paper #2: The Baseline We Forgot to a real-world event. The shutdown exposed something the founders assumed about a free republic—that citizens and local communities would be capable of solving problems without waiting for permission from a distant central authority. The result wasn’t a collapse of society. It was a reminder of a forgotten truth: the real foundation of American governance isn’t a federal building in Washington. It’s the local relationships, institutions, and responsibilities that exist in every community. What happens when we stop acting like clients of a central system and start acting like citizens again? Because a republic survives only when its citizens refuse to become subjects. New episodes of The Defiant Citizen explore the principles of American self-government and apply them to the events shaping our country today.

    17 min

  11. Mar 11

    When Did Americans Stop Acting Like Citizens?

    Episode 1: When Did Americans Stop Acting Like Citizens? The American system of government was never meant to run on autopilot. It was designed to operate alongside a citizenry that understood how it worked and accepted responsibility for preserving it. In this first episode of The Defiant Citizen, we introduce the Publius Project and explore the principle behind Restoration Paper No. 2: The Baseline We Forgot — the founding assumption about citizenship that once sustained the American republic. #citizenship #republic #constitution #selfgovernment #civicresponsibility

    13 min

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About

The Defiant Citizen is a podcast for ordinary Americans who still believe the republic belongs to them. Drawing from philosophy, the American founding, and the ideas of Publius, each episode explores the principles citizens must understand to preserve a free society. Through philosophical discussions, breakdowns of the Restoration Papers, and real-world analysis of current events, the show challenges listeners to reclaim the spirit of self-government. Because a republic does not survive on institutions alone. It survives when its citizens refuse to become subjects.

Information

  • Creator
    Gary Mullins | The Publius Project
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    12
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Gary Mullins | The Publius Project
  • Show Website
    The Defiant Citizen