It's Monday, December 8th, 2025, and welcome back to Goodfellows, the Hoover Institution

broadcast examining history, economics, and geopolitics.

I'm Bill Whalen.

I'm a distinguished policy fellow here at the Hoover Institution, and I'll be the moderator

today of a conversation featuring three of my colleagues we refer to as the Goodfellows. I'm talking, of course, about the historian Sir Neil Ferguson, the economist John Cochran, and former Presidential National Security Advisor, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster, Neil John and HR are Hoover Senior Fellows. So gentlemen, good to see you, and before you get off the show, I have a sartorial question to ask the three of you.

Last time we're on this show, the three of you were in coats and ties. I was not. I was not. I felt ashamed. I made a point to wear a coat and tie. Brother Cochran's wearing a coat and tie. We shamed HR into wearing a coat and tie. but here is Sir Neil Sons coat and tie.

So can we get a good fellow's dress policy here once and for all?

My policy is very much. coat and tie, but here is Sir Neil's son's coat and tie. So can we get a good fellow's dress

policy here once and for all? My policy is variety is the spice of life. And you know, hey,

the colonials, the colonials are, you know, are dressing up more than, you know, than Sir Neil.

It's a question of context.

The last show I was in London and I'd been doing very Londony thing.

So I was in town and in town I wear a suit and tie and black polished shoes.

The day you find me in my study at home in the country,

a man would be very unusual to put a tie on

in that setting. So I think one just has to adopt horses for courses, as they say over here.

John, what do you think?

I'm in Silicon Valley, so I'll go get my black turtleneck.

Well, we're joined today by someone who is also not wearing a tie, but we're honored to have him nonetheless.

He is here to talk about the sad state of Congress and the dubious question of higher education in America.

He's uniquely in a position about this because he has experience with both institutions.

Join us today making his Goodfellow's debut is former Senator Ben Sasse.

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