Episode 8: Who Governs? The Citizen, The Expert, or The System

Restoring self-government by challenging the rise of the Expert Class and rebuilding the American citizen

The Defiant Citizen - A Publius Project Podcast: A return to first principles, where self-governance, responsibility, and the role of the citizen take center stage.

There was no vote.
No amendment.
No clear moment where the American people were asked:

“Do you consent?”

And yet – everything changed.

In Episode 8 of The Defiant Citizen, I examine what happened to our Republic when:

• “Guidance” replaced law

• “Trust the science” became a demand for silence

• And citizens stopped questioning authority

Using the COVID-19 pandemic as a real-world case study, this episode breaks down the quiet transfer of power from the citizen to the expert—and what that means for the future of self-government.

We’ve spent a century expanding the right to vote.

But in that same time, we’ve surrendered the will and the ability to hold power accountable.

So the question is no longer just:

Who governs?

It’s whether the citizen still has the capacity – and the willingness – to do it.

A free society does not depend on perfect decisions.
It depends on accountable ones.

In Liberty,
Gary Mullins (Libertas)