Episode 876: The Greatest American – Benjamin Franklin

Newt's World

Gingrich 360

News, Politics

4.7 • 6.3K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2025

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Newt talks with Dr. Mark Skousen, “America’s Economist” about his new book, “The Greatest American: Benjamin Franklin, The World’s Most Versatile Genius.” Their conversation explores Franklin's profound impact on American politics and daily life, highlighting his diverse roles as an inventor, scientist and diplomat. Skousen, who is a direct descendant of Franklin, shares insights into Franklin's unfinished autobiography, which he completed using Franklin's letters and papers. They also discuss Franklin's practical approach to science, his mastery of diplomacy, and his personal philosophies, including his belief in the importance of being useful and educated. Dr. Skousen also touches on Franklin's complex relationships with women, his views on religion, and his legacy as a versatile genius. Skousen provides a comprehensive look at why Franklin is considered one of the greatest Americans, emphasizing his ability to connect with people from all walks of life and his enduring influence on modern society.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is an IHeart podcast.
0:08.7	On this episode of NUTS world, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest of the founding fathers.
0:15.1	He was a generation ahead of George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson.
0:20.3	And yet, he was the most forward-looking of the group and the most modern of the founders.
0:26.0	In his new book, The Greatest American, Benjamin Franklin, the world's most versatile genius,
0:32.4	author of Marks Galson, shows just how much of an impact Benjamin Franklin had on American politics and daily life.
0:40.2	Here to talk about his new book, I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, Dr. Mark Skelson.
0:45.7	He's the editor of Forecast and Strategies, he's a nationally known investment expert,
0:51.0	economist, university professor, and author of more than 25 books.
0:56.1	He's known as America's economist and has been identified as one of the 20 most influential
1:01.2	living economists. And as it turns out, he is a direct descendant of Benjamin Franklin.
1:23.5	Music Benjamin Franklin. Mark, welcome, and thank you for joining me on New World.
1:29.5	Well, it's my pleasure. And as Ben Franklin would say, it pleases my vanity to speak with the former speaker of the House. I don't know about vanity, but we've been good friends for many,
1:34.4	many years, and you've had an important impact on American politics and American economics.
1:40.5	But I'm curious, you know, after so many years of writing books on economics and financial literacy, in 2006, you and your wife decided to write a book about Benjamin Franklin.
1:51.3	How did that come about?
1:53.3	So actually, what that book is about, it's called the completed autobiography by Benjamin Franklin.
2:00.6	So it's actually in his own words. And what
2:02.5	my wife and I did, we went through the 50 volumes. There's 50 volumes of the papers of Benjamin
2:09.2	Franklin that are being compiled at Yale University. And they're continuing to still put together
2:15.2	these papers. We thought one of the unfortunate events in Ben Franklin's
2:21.6	life was that he started writing his autobiography late in life, and he never finished it.
	...

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