National Treasures, October Surprises, and Silly Walks with Michael Auslin

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Much like the fragile parchment on which a new republic’s principles and grievances were outlined, America’s Declaration of Independence endures to this day – quite the accomplishment given a Continental Congress struggling to help George Washington wage war and a few Founding Fathers who’d rather not have been in Philadelphia that summer (beginning with Thomas Jefferson). Michael Auslin, a Hoover Institution distinguished research fellow and author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, discusses whether the “spirit of ‘76” is alive and well in 2026. After that: the fellows address the possibility of a disruptive “October Surprise” in advance of America’s…