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Executive Dysfunction

Amanda Nelson 2 Episodes Aug 13, 2026

What if the biggest stories in American history weren't ancient history at all? Hosted by creator and political storyteller Amanda Nelson (Amanda's Mild Takes), Executive Dysfunction is a narrative podcast exploring the most fascinating chapters of American political history and why they still matter today. From disputed elections and political corruption to constitutional crises, government overreach, and unexpected heroes, each 30-minute episode blends investigative journalism, archival research, and cinematic storytelling to reveal how yesterday's dysfunction continues to shape today's headlines.

Episodes

Hateration in the Democracy [ Hamilton vs. Jefferson ] Aug 13, 2026 00:35:48 In this episode of Executive Dysfunction, Amanda Nelson traces the birth of America's two-party system, from the bitter feud between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson to newspaper propaganda, congressional brawls, the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the first constitutional crisis over a presidential election. Along the way, she reveals how fights over slavery, wealth, and foreign policy harden

Woodrow Wilson's (literal) War on Free Speech Jul 30, 2026 00:33:33 Who was America's most anti-First Amendment president? It wasn't Richard Nixon. It wasn't Donald Trump. It was Woodrow Wilson. In this episode of Executive Dysfunction, Amanda Nelson traces how the Espionage Act, government propaganda, postal censorship, and political prosecutions turned criticism of the government into a crime and why the legal framework Wilson built still echoes in America today

ABSCAM Jul 16, 2026 00:29:42 What if the FBI invented a fake billionaire just to see which politicians would sell their office? In this episode of Executive Dysfunction, Amanda Nelson tells the unbelievable true story of ABSCAM, the undercover operation that caught members of Congress accepting bags of cash on hidden camera. It's a story about corruption, accountability, and the uncomfortable question that still haunts Americ

Bush v. Gore Jul 2, 2026 00:29:58 Welcome to Season 1, Episode 1 of Executive Dysfunction: a deep dive into the presidential election of 2000, in which a butterfly ballot, a discriminatory voter purge, a staged riot by dorks in khaki, and a Supreme Court ruling that its own authors said should never be used as precedent combined to hand the presidency to George W. Bush...by 537 votes in Florida. Oh, and did we mention his brother

Executive Dysfunction - Trailer Jun 30, 2026 00:01:00 History doesn't stay in the past—it keeps shaping the present. Hosted by creator and political storyteller Amanda Nelson (Amanda's Mild Takes), Executive Dysfunction is a weekly narrative podcast exploring the most fascinating chapters of American political history and why they still matter today. From disputed elections and political corruption to constitutional crises, government overreach, and

Executive Dysfunction

Episodes

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