Ask Know Your Enemy Anything
Added 2023-10-19 20:20:09 +0000 UTCIt's that time of year again, when your beloved co-hosts answer your questions in a mailbag episode. In the past, these episodes have been some of our favorites to record—owing, of course, to the exceptional quality of your questions. And this time around, there's certainly no shortage of topics to ask about.
We take questions from all of our listeners, and will post a call for questions on our Twitter account shortly. But we do pay special attention to questions that come from our subscribers. To ask a question, you can put it in the replies below, DM it to us, or email us at knowyourenemypodcast@gmail.com. We plan on recording this episode on Monday in the afternoon or evening, so please submit your questions by Sunday night—and the sooner the better. Thank you!
Update: we genuinely appreciate suggestions for possible episode topics, but those aren't the kinds of queries we answer in mailbag episodes. For new subscribers, our most recent mailbag episode was last November, and you can listen to it here.
Comments
Hey Johnny - fellow North Carolinian here who also works in rural NC (my work is mainly in the northeastern part of the state). Here for support!
Phillip Sheldon
2023-11-09 21:02:30 +0000 UTCYou cats need to read my chaper 6...
Rick Perlstein
2023-10-29 22:21:55 +0000 UTCRight wing invocations of the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer are intended to threaten, justify and excuse violence. This is a revolting perversion.
Adam Lewis
2023-10-29 19:48:12 +0000 UTCStill unanswered: Are you ready to rock?
Adam Lewis
2023-10-29 19:44:29 +0000 UTCCheck out the publication date. :)
Jeff
2023-10-28 03:17:37 +0000 UTChttps://shop.harvard.com/book/9781788736671
Adam Sarvana
2023-10-28 01:12:42 +0000 UTCLiberalism, as a pluralistic identity, allows one to adapt aspects of conservatism with no problem.
Rick Perlstein
2023-10-27 18:49:59 +0000 UTCNaw, they'll just find something else to be terrified of. That's how conservatism works: fears are fungible.
Rick Perlstein
2023-10-27 18:37:20 +0000 UTCWhy do birds suddenly appear every time you are near?
Rick Perlstein
2023-10-27 18:31:14 +0000 UTCThis isn't exactly a KYE question, but: whatever happened to Pat Blanchfield's book Gunpower? The Gunpower episode of KYE is among my favorites; it's one I often listen to in the wake of the (all too frequent) mass shootings that plague the nation, the latest having been in Maine a day ago. I've probably listened to it a half-dozen times by now. I was looking forward to Pat's book, but it seems nowhere to be found. Any chance you could get him to speak to it?
Jeff
2023-10-27 18:22:06 +0000 UTCMy question is asking about how to foster a democratic culture that goes deeper than just vote counting. I only mention ranked-choice voting because it is the most tangible reform that seems to be having any meaningful success in the moment. I do think that when most people feel like their votes don’t count (which is honestly most Americans) , that will impact the political culture in profoundly negative ways
John O'Hagan
2023-10-27 06:22:09 +0000 UTCHi Matt & Sam! Do you think there's any overlap between far right nationalism and the "multiculturalism" vs "liberal universalism" debate? Aka would it be fair to say that Steve Bannon is in some ways a "multiculturalist"? Does that mean that as a "good leftist" I shouldn't be? Of course these are gross over-generalizations, just a bit confused by the issue and wondering if that's an evocative or useful framing Thanks for all you do!
Anthony Gabriele
2023-10-26 17:18:41 +0000 UTCHi Matt and Sam, I’m curious about what poems, plays, novels, or films you find yourself returning to again and again, either to reread/rewatch, or that simply come to you unprompted, as lines of verse, images, or voice. What do you find so compelling about them? “Come, come, no time for lamentation now, / Nor much more cause; Samson hath quit himself/ Like Samson, and heroic’ly hath finished / A life heroic . . .” Samson Agonistes
Jason Bircea
2023-10-26 04:37:10 +0000 UTCAgree, this could be a good one.
monoclaw
2023-10-25 11:12:16 +0000 UTChttps://youtu.be/5eHuwmbsK2I?si=ttJ5AphfwR1Qcykh
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:52:23 +0000 UTCWhat are your thoughts on the documentary War Room?
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:51:38 +0000 UTC🤮
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:51:21 +0000 UTCJust like with any good friends, it has to be something about a particular music group
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:51:05 +0000 UTCI also want to know what they think about electric bikes
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:50:40 +0000 UTCVery very interesting question
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:50:12 +0000 UTCThis is not a Willy song. This is a Townes song. And still not that good
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:49:28 +0000 UTCRelatedly I wonder what they think would have happened in an alternative timeline where Biden crushes Trump in a landslide in 2016
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:48:29 +0000 UTCI’d like to see this question broken down into paths as well as hopes (and hopes could mean being a less Trump like republican party, or a Republican Party that’s easier to defeat)
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:46:18 +0000 UTCAny thoughts on the Jeremy Levick and Rajat Suresh round table parody?
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:44:52 +0000 UTCHow about a few words on Nick Adams?
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:44:03 +0000 UTCMy thought would be that it’s a paradoxical statement and these people don’t deserve any support, unless they are doing it out of political necessity. And political necessity is pretty easy to calculate.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:43:40 +0000 UTCGreat question. I think there are so many gradients here to talk about around sincerity and grifting and things like that. me personally, I love what Yglesias provides. Is he our modern day lite-trilling? But I’d still like to hear the critique and discussion.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:41:05 +0000 UTCWould be very cool -most podcast hosts don’t talk about this, but I understand why they might pass on it. Personally, I don’t like personal questions ha ha.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:38:45 +0000 UTCRemember that sin is at the base of Christianity, and that means that it’s at the base of every single individual living in the world, including your church and yourself, and that the world is full of sin. make that the heart and the starting point of writing all of your sermons
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:37:55 +0000 UTCProbably the biggest party in history of the world
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:36:04 +0000 UTCYeah, I’d like to hear a lot on this. I’d also like to hear whether you think Biden had a playbook when he released that horrific Twitter message about standing with Israel. I wonder if that was on purpose to show support strongly only to the go into Israel and say you better cut the other shit out. And then at the same make the diplomatic back channels run with the Middle Eastern countries who are mostly Muslim and tell them look we need to win this election in order to prevent trump from winning and when that happens trust us we are going to make something good happen with Palestine.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:35:47 +0000 UTCWealth begets right wing politicians
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:33:51 +0000 UTCGreat question. As pretentious as it sounds, I find it hard to talk to anyone who has not gone through a doctoral program.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:33:15 +0000 UTCDude, if you contact me, I can give you a lot of insight- just saying - bc of NDA can’t say more than that but I happen to work with someone very closely tied to this group in a critical way. I don’t know if you can message me here privately blah blah, etc. but I’d love to talk.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:31:49 +0000 UTCOh, God, I did not come to this thread to read that John Fetterman is going all Israel on us Jesus Christ I guess I have not been following
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:30:07 +0000 UTCThe curb your enthusiasm end music clip of trump speaking at the hall of presidents in Disney World and the camera panning to Abe Lincoln’s face
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:29:38 +0000 UTCI’m reading a bit about the Spanish Civil War, and the themes you mention are huge there. I’ve heard great things about the Spanish holocaust book.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:27:54 +0000 UTCI think like David Brooks. He is a sincere figure who just is motivated by this feeling of a need to correct excesses. I think it’s a simple as that. I think he’s probably a very good dude and he’s written a lot of great stuff. A lot better than Brooks.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:27:12 +0000 UTCCan they also talk about kombucha?
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:26:00 +0000 UTCEager to hear this question. They are one for one in my book with middle of the journey. It’s an all timer for me. I’m hoping when they answer this that they also talk about the question of accessibility. I hate experimental shit
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:25:06 +0000 UTCJust allow them to License the podcast audio to an artificial intelligence program and give it some pedagogical prompts and see what comes out. I’d love to hear their thoughts on this too but honestly their thoughts will be limited given the time. just giving you some advice.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:24:22 +0000 UTCI have thought about this too. As someone who has struggled with this as well, and has finally gotten past it in my mind, but has never had the pressure they’ve had as podcast host…. My guess is that their increasingly wide reading has increased their confidence in the ability to ask questions and find passages and enter conversations with humility, which allow them to enter with the confidence they need to host a great podcast.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:23:14 +0000 UTCGreat question. My two cents is that I limit my media intake to just one social media platform (twitter) and only go off of people and friends that I trust and then find recommendations through the media that I am consuming itself rather than going to some aggregation website or some website that makes me just go along with the trends. I would love to hear others responses to this to.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:21:42 +0000 UTCI think this question has a lot of assumptions, such as the innate superiority of democracy, as well as the notion of a functioning democracy being somewhat equivalent to votes counting, people getting to vote equally, or something like that. It is very nebulous and complex. I hate with the greatest possible political passion trumps anti democratic election denial ism, and his overall anti-democratic impulses, but at the same time, I’m more interested in the discussions around alternative political systems than I am about glorifying voting and democracy as sacred or something like that.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:20:25 +0000 UTCI honestly just want to hear Matt’s elevator pitch response to people who say that Biden is anti-life. I’m talking about people who to put it lightly have been totally swept up by the Fox News media universe.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:17:20 +0000 UTCI love this question by the way. Reading her published private letters, post death, it was obvious that Flannery O’Connor was fascinated by Weil, I’d be interested if they also had thoughts on her
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:16:15 +0000 UTCGod, I hate returning to Thomas Merton after finding some inspiration in him in college from his memoir. Absolutely disgusting dude.
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:15:07 +0000 UTCYou are likely referring to the "Moynihan Report," officially titled "The Negro Family: The Case For National Action." This 1965 report was written by Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who was then an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor. The Moynihan Report drew attention to the rising number of black single-mother families and connected fatherlessness to a range of social problems in black communities. The Moynihan Report was and remains controversial. It was criticized by many who felt that it pathologized black families and overlooked systemic factors such as institutional racism and economic obstacles. One of the notable counter-arguments to the Moynihan Report is the work of sociologist Joyce A. Ladner. Her 1971 book, "Tomorrow's Tomorrow: The Black Woman," offered a response that emphasized the resilience and adaptability of black women and families. Another important counter-narrative comes from the Combahee River Collective's "A Black Feminist Statement," which critiques both racism in the feminist movement and sexism within the civil rights movement. Throughout the years, many scholars have entered the debate, supporting, critiquing, or expanding upon the ideas presented in the Moynihan Report. The topic of fatherlessness in black communities and its social implications is complex and multifaceted, with multiple perspectives contributing to the ongoing discussion. Thanks GPT
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:13:48 +0000 UTCI’ll answer this one. Key west philosopher pirate (the song)
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:10:32 +0000 UTCIf you know people who who have lost friends over Sam’s Fauci article (I lost 2).
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:06:17 +0000 UTCSafest place to live in the US if trump wins, all major possibilities of his ambitions considered
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:05:05 +0000 UTCWhether you’ve seen Bluey and if its politics pass the test (pros and cons)
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 10:00:34 +0000 UTCFavorite section of Middle of the Journey and Why
Michael Mannix
2023-10-25 09:59:52 +0000 UTCIt seems you often get the question about what the right wing has gotten “right” about leftist or overall politics, but as someone who has worn both labels but styles themselves as more of a “shitlib” with lefty sympathies these days, do you think there are any contemporary liberal thinkers who have critiques of the left you agree with or see truth in? Some of this came up in the Dreyfus affair episode related to nihilism and actionism, but generally as someone who agrees with many of your criticisms of contemporary liberal politics, I’m curious if you see any that go the other way. Keep up the great work, by far my favorite podcast!
Ethan Stern
2023-10-24 23:01:57 +0000 UTCI'd like to sacrifice any question of my own to +1 this one. Would love an episode on this.
John Ford
2023-10-23 12:31:16 +0000 UTCCan the Left reach the hearts and minds of a populist Right through a class-centered messaging, without betraying itself? Is there even the possibility for a working class politics that can move through the divide wielded against us in its collective casting of one another as social enemies?
Benjamin Pletcher
2023-10-23 06:36:23 +0000 UTCYes! Sometimes I've felt that I need a KYE cheat sheet when listening.
Seth K
2023-10-23 01:12:17 +0000 UTCThere are so many books written about Dylan. Do you have a favorite?
Seth K
2023-10-23 01:10:07 +0000 UTCWhat are your takeaways from the 2024 GOP Primary? Mostly interested in how it shapes your expectations for the Post-Trump GOP and how it affects future plans for your podcast. It seems that as the parties have more efficiently sorted around policy positions, primaries are more about attention, name ID, and personal identity. The GOP primary field is light on policy differences, so they have to focus on euphemisms for electability or try to drive down opponents’ favorability with personal smears. When Trump does engage with primaries opponents, it has very little to do with policy differences, aside from hitting DeSantis on social security and Medicare—and that policy different doesn’t seem to matter to voters, focus group seem to point to Desantis’ drop being more about negative media narratives and earning Trump’s ire generally for running against him (VERY DISLOYAL). Given this situation, what do you think KYE should focus on in the future (i.e. what will be the organizing principle for the GOP)?
Matthew Ormsbee
2023-10-23 00:12:55 +0000 UTCAsking a second question: Is nationalism always right-wing? How do you think about nationalism of oppressed peoples? For example, labor Zionism might have looked like a left-wing movement in the early to mid 20th century, but we see that the Zionist project has led to a right-wing ethnostate. In most cases, the nationalism of a disenfranchised people will fight against existing power structures, but that same nationalist movement's goals once they gain power might be incompatible with left-wing values, for example if they oppose integration with other groups.
Matthew
2023-10-22 20:24:26 +0000 UTCNot to detract from the particular way conservatives use black fatherlessness to avoid talking about structural racism, but an episode on the conservative obsession with "family issues" in general would be fascinating. Conservatives use concern for the family to explain away racism, discourage professional careers for women, condemn gay marriage and adoption, and even advocate against no-fault divorce. Were conservatives always so fixated on the family unit, or did they only start using it as a talking point against the social changes of the 60s and 70s, and in particular against second-wave feminism?
Matthew
2023-10-22 20:10:03 +0000 UTCI have an acquaintance who used to work for the Heritage Foundation. She was always quick to bring up fatherlessness in the black community to explain away any and all structural racism issues. Would love a whole episode on this talking point. Invite Jamelle Bouie for it.
Tim Combes
2023-10-22 14:04:37 +0000 UTCAs a podcast with one Catholic host & one Jewish host, I’d love to hear yr thoughts about why the most famous, public theologians of the mid-20th century seem to now be embraced equally by the Left & the Right? To name just a few, I’m thinking of folks like Abraham Joshua Heschel, Reinhold Niebuhr, Mordecai Kaplan, Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Paul Tillich, Simone Weil, Henri Nouwen, & Dorothy Day.
Kathleen P. Lamothe
2023-10-22 04:51:45 +0000 UTCThis is a question for Matt. I’m a pro-choice Catholic, and, since Dobbs, I have found myself having more conversations with people in my faith community about abortion. You mentioned you used to be pro-life; what changed your mind about abortion? Also, how can pro-choicers do a better job talking to pro-lifers about abortion rights?
Kimmy
2023-10-22 03:00:01 +0000 UTCI would love to hear an episode about the emerging cross-party consensus about a Cold War with China. On one hand, I have a deep consternation with the way the US has behaved as a superpower (essentially prioritizing its own material interests under the pretext of championing democracy and human rights). But I extremely worried by the prospect of a unipolar world led by an authoritarian state, particularly in a time of increasing democratic backsliding worldwide. I think the US should do what it can to avoid such a situation, and I think this the dominant opinion in the liberal spaces where I circulate. However, I suspect that the right has different reasons for supporting this conflict given its willingness to embrace other authoritarian regimes abroad. What is the idea of a Cold War with China doing for the right? Also, I’d be interested in hearing your own opinions on this as I sense that you are more hostile to this project than I am.
Kimmy
2023-10-22 02:57:41 +0000 UTCWhat democratic reforms do you believe would be good to not only increase democratic participation (and faith in the democratic process like voting) but also foster a better culture and reverence for democracy in the US? Right now people feel as if their votes don’t count (which they kind of don’t unless you live in a purple state). How can the US break out of this depressing situation and actually have a functioning democracy? How can we live in a country where people don’t feel like the game is rigged and vote for a fucking insurrectionist? What about ranked-choice voting? To me that has a lot of promise. Thanks guys! Your podcast rules!
John O'Hagan
2023-10-22 00:28:29 +0000 UTCIn the modern attention economy, with seemingly infinite options for content and media consumption, especially for curious minds, how do you decide what media [journalism, newsletters, social media, theater, fiction/nonfiction books, films, TV shows, video essays, etc.], is worth your limited time and energy to consume whether relevant to your work and intellectual interests or just for fun without feeling like you're falling behind on what's culturally relevant or topical?
Eddy Torres
2023-10-21 23:14:48 +0000 UTCHow do you guys think the circles of (primarily domestically concerned) intellectual conservatism you explore intersects with conservative International relations/foreign policy thought? Particularly the rise of IR 'realism' in the post-war era and post cold-war 'liberal internationalism' as it was adopted by many of the neo-con intellectuals. Many of them possess the same ideological delusions both of a permanent paranoia around threats to a constantly endangered West in the realist case, and Promethean civilisational progress in the liberal internationalist case, that you guys explore so well on the podcast. Except often radically scaled up and with the potential to consume millions of lives, especially in the Cold War/War on Terror. Love the podcast!
Ewan Jones
2023-10-21 22:23:16 +0000 UTCReally great question. I’d love for y’all to weigh in here.
Benjamin Pletcher
2023-10-21 20:09:01 +0000 UTCHi Matt and Sam! Thanks for your work on the show. I grew up conservative (parents reading national review and all that) and hearing about British politics from their perspective as American conservatives. How important do you think Britain's neoliberal turn under Thatcher was to the Reagan-era conservative turn in the same direction? It seems to me that Britain and America were both quite negative influences on each other (from a leftist perspective) from the late 70s on.
Helena Latimer
2023-10-21 19:51:52 +0000 UTC"Sympathetic" or "more than superficially appealing" might be more apt than "persuasive."
Adam Lewis
2023-10-21 16:39:12 +0000 UTCApologies in advance for what is perhaps a somewhat boring, technical question. But: I would love to know how you both approach reading in preparation for the pod. As a current undergrad, I often find myself caught in an inherent tension between wanting to just sit down and absorb a particular book, and the practical demands of note-taking, skim-reading etc that get in the way. Is this a problem either of you have encountered? Even if not, I'd be interested more generally in how you approach preparation for the pod. Thanks so much for all your great work!
Luke Jensen-Jones
2023-10-21 16:10:16 +0000 UTCHi Matt and Sam! To what extent do you think MAGA opposition to US involvement in the war in Ukraine might transfer over to Israel in the coming months, if/as the war continues? How ironclad really is right-wing support for Israel, in our changing landscape? Will the paleocon view make further inroads, especially among young conservatives? If so, to what degree might a counterintuitive brand of right-wing anti-Zionist antisemitism gain traction as well? How should Leftists navigate all this?
Ben Lorber
2023-10-21 15:44:20 +0000 UTCIn a previous AMA episode you read an intriguing question from someone on the Right who asked what, if anything, you found persuasive in arguments from the enemy. Unfortunately, the question included a laundry list of incendiary rightwing talking points as "examples" which detracted from the response I was curious to hear. So, I'd like to reopen the question without qualifiers: Are there arguments on the Right you find persuasive? Further, are there arguments on the Right that give you pause about your own views?
Saving Elephants Blog
2023-10-21 15:43:43 +0000 UTCHi Sam and Matt, your episode on Bob Dylan made me curious. Is there a chance we could get an exploration of Phil Ochs as well?
Keith Morse
2023-10-21 15:10:37 +0000 UTCMatt!!! (And also Sam if you’ve been following it!!!) Follow up question to Brannon’s: What reactions to do you have to the synod so far? And whose commentary about the synod are you learning the most from?
Tommy Sullivan
2023-10-20 23:06:11 +0000 UTCHi Matt and Sam, Thanks very much for the chance to ask a question, I love the podcast and have been listening since 2020. I am a historian, I teach courses in modern US history, and would love someday to teach a course on post-1945 American conservatism. Have either of you given any thought to how you might structure such a course? For instance, what histories or historians would be most useful, and what conservative writers or documents would be essential to assign so that students get a full and accurate sense of the American right? I'd want the course to be one that took the American right seriously, without shying away from its worst elements. One final note for Matt - this summer on a bonus episode you talked about teaching as a role or a performance, something you step into and out of. As a professor, I thought that your description was spot-on! Love the podcast, keep up the good work!
Sean Scanlon
2023-10-20 20:39:42 +0000 UTCWhat do you guys make of the tendency of some right-wingers (I'm thinking specifically of Rod Dreher) to collect a kind of leftist anti-fandom that finds them both repulsive but fascinating? What is it specifically about these guys that distinguishes them from other right-wing writers with the same opinions? Have there been similar figures in past eras of conservatism?
Hannah
2023-10-20 20:19:09 +0000 UTCHello Sam and Matt, You’ve talked a lot about the nonfiction books that have influenced you (politically, philosophically, etc), but what about works of fiction? What works of fiction have had the most impact on you?
Andrew Hoppe
2023-10-20 19:41:40 +0000 UTCCan you talk about the figures on the right most involved in America’s support for Israel? Whether presidential advisors for America’s military support through Israel’s militarily history, monetarily with American funding for Israel, or politically through the UNSC or congress. You’ve touched on it before, but in light of world events, a refresher would be good.
John Davis
2023-10-20 19:31:33 +0000 UTCDo either of you have a favorite scotch? If so, do you like Islay-smokey/peaty, or do you go for Highlands-sweeter?
John Davis
2023-10-20 19:25:02 +0000 UTCHow influential are post-liberal thinkers such as Patrick Deneen on today’s conservative movement? JD Vance and Josh Hawley are the only ones that seem to be positioning themselves adjacent to his idea of “common good conservatism”, but it seems like they’re simply keeping their options open. It almost seems like Deneen and other Compact-associated conservatives are more popular among disaffected leftists (like myself) rather than actual conservatives.
Taylor
2023-10-20 19:00:14 +0000 UTCWho won in Bari Weiss' sexual revolution debate?
Joel
2023-10-20 18:52:21 +0000 UTCHow about the anti-communist league, it’s through line to fascist take overs in Latin America. Right wing propaganda, current demonization of the democrats as “commies” , and the various fingers through media like the Moonies. Or in the “deep state” like the CIA. Or some back ground on the Dulles brothers or the Bush family.
dacin white
2023-10-20 18:44:04 +0000 UTCTrueAnon did a great episode in August about the Coors family. There's a similar reactionary strain among pizza chain barons: Papa John most recently, Herman Cain, the founder of Domino's is Opus Dei.
drizzly_november
2023-10-20 18:01:54 +0000 UTCConservatives regurgitate the arguments from the Moynihan Report to this day to excuse racial inequality, it's sad. Even though it's demonstrably false. Bllack poverty has more than halved since the passage of the Civil rights act, even as single parenthood had skyrocketed - clearly poverty is not just a dependent variable of single motherhood. One notable outcome though is that I believe the pillorying of Moynihans use of awkward anthropological terminology and "patriarchy/matriarchy" spread its way into radical feminist communities and by the 70s patriarchy was being used precisely as the term for the system that must be overthrown. Somewhat ironic that Moynihan would accidentally coin the term, although his use is patriarchy was actually positive I believe because it was the thing being undermined by single mother's in his view.
John Smith
2023-10-20 15:55:18 +0000 UTCI think one thing that happened is the move from postmillenial theology, that of building a utopia in the "new Israel", to the abandonment of postmillenial theology for premillenial theology largely centered around streams of an apocalyptic war with Israel. In postmillenial theology, you need to prepare the world for Jesus's coming. So destroying it doesn't make sense because you're just going to have to build it up all over again. Premillenial theology on the other hand incentivizes a nihilistic and destructive tendency where when things don't go your way you just sit aside and fume and dream about the vengeance that's going to happen when Jesus just randomly comes to punish all these evil sinners. Destroying the world is almost a good thing because that will force Jesus to come, it's actually a who out of a compromised world where you have to work with others. One notable thing about Mormons is that, because they were founded in the 19th century, they kind of locked in and canonized some parts of the American protestant theology of the time that fell out of fashion in other strains. For instance, they are doctrinally postmillenial, the world is something that must be perfected and prepared for the coming of Christ. I think this may have something to do with the almost unique way in which Mormons have almost uniquely had a tendency towards never Trumpism. Whereas the Baptist tradition I come from has seemingly been supplanted by angry and vengeful political rants.
John Smith
2023-10-20 15:49:43 +0000 UTCYeah it's profoundly annoying when someone claims to be centrist but openly supports discrimination against trans people and limiting their civil rights, and/or spreads vaccine disinformation. They're particularly annoying because they act like they are above it all. There are centrists I will work with, but I will not work with those who oppose civil rights.
John Smith
2023-10-20 15:41:59 +0000 UTCWhat's your opinion on the "Red Caesarism" of some figures on the right (seemingly largely associated with the Claremont Institute) who seen to be just openly issuing calls for the installation of a right wing dictatorship?
John Smith
2023-10-20 15:33:39 +0000 UTCWhat do you make of the people like Jon Haidt who identify variously as disillussioned liberals, classical liberals, centrists, or moderates yet seem preoccupied with pilloring the left over culture war issues? Why do they stop short of identifying as conservatives? And any thoughts on Haidt's book "The Righteous Mind"?
DC
2023-10-20 14:54:51 +0000 UTCOr what episodes did I miss on these themes?
Little Beruit Dweller
2023-10-20 14:53:17 +0000 UTCHow did Christian evangelists go from being a major impulse for egalitarianism and civil rights in the 19th century to becoming a force for conservative thought and reactionary politics in the mid to late 20th century America? Who were the intellectual architects that facilitated this transformation?
Little Beruit Dweller
2023-10-20 14:45:17 +0000 UTCMore broadly, how have right intellectuals critically engaged or ignored/simplified Civil War & Reconstruction History/Historiography since the Redemption-friendly Dunning School.
Little Beruit Dweller
2023-10-20 14:29:37 +0000 UTCI’d be interested in knowing your thoughts on Pat Moynihan, especially in the political developments of the 60s and 70s. Is he a sign of changes or something sui generis? Can he tell us anything about the rise of conservativism? Thanks!
Ted Westervelt
2023-10-20 14:17:42 +0000 UTCWhat was the impact of George Wallace's campaigns for the presidency in 1964, 1968, 1972, and 1976 on the American right, both mainstream conservatism as defined by National Review and far-right groups including Neo Nazis and the KKK.
Leo Martin
2023-10-20 14:04:16 +0000 UTCHi Matt and Sam! I'm interested in the relationship between conservative thought and the environment and would love to see an episode exploring those internal tensions in the future. Plenty of political ecologists and geographers have situated climate change denialism among the American right in the extractive nature of capitalism (although a begrudging acceptance of our climate reality is on the rise among many right-wing voters and officials). While those material aspects are undoubtedly important, I find myself more curious about the imaginative role of nature in both political and religious thought. Writers with a variety of political affiliations often speak of their time in nature in quasi or explicitly religious terms. From an academic standpoint, environmental historians like William Cronon have done amazing work tracing the role the idea of the "frontier" had on racial, gender, and class hierarchies in the US. I recognize this is a sprawling topic and would be thrilled to hear any of your thoughts on the matter, but perhaps a specific question might help as a starting point: How has the conception of man having dominion over the Earth contributed to such wildly different perspectives about our relationship with the planet among Christians across the political spectrum. For example the wildly different interpretations of Pope Francis and Answers in Genesis? (Admittedly this might not be the best comparison to make, but it's what jumped to mind)
Jeffrey Beauvais
2023-10-20 14:01:54 +0000 UTCThe multiverse opens and you two are in a tag team pro-wrestling match against William “Big Brain” Buckley and The Reactionary. What is your signature finishing move?
Ian Derk
2023-10-20 14:01:16 +0000 UTCWhat should the left make of (erstwhile pod favorite) John Fetterman's aggressively pro-Israel stance and his chief of staff's seemingly open contempt for the pro-peace movement? Is this just another example of "progressive except Palestine?" Was his messaging cynical in retrospect? Is our best hope Summer Lee primarying him in four years? (I realize this question may sound pointed, but I don't mean it to be)
Sam Q. Bit
2023-10-20 13:34:04 +0000 UTCHi! Thanks for the podcast, it is truly one of my most favorite things in this world and never fails to make me more informed about Conservatism and it's history. Sorry in advance as the context for my primary question is just more questions. Take 'em, leave 'em, your choice. ________________ In light of the current Israeli/Hamas/Palestinian conflict, what is your take on criticism of the Israeli state or the Zionist project more broadly being portrayed as anti-Semitism within US/European politics? Do you see this as a response born of current politics? Is it an outgrowth of Western nations failure to address anti-Semitism within their own national power structures in a post-war world? Was the creation of a Jewish state by the UN an act of international amends, a way of diminishing the Jewish diaspora within member nations, or something else entirely? How does all of that stack up against the very public criticism of the Netenyahu government we see in Haaretz, Times of Israel, and from a number of notable Israeli voices? Why can't Western nations engage in the same political debate that seems to be taking place within Israeli's own country? I ask because it's been a point in today's discourse (see: ADL/Greenblatt/Biden/Sunak/ALL OF THE INTERNET) as well as in the recent past (see: accusations against Corbyn & allies within the Labor Party circa 2018). On the flip side, there are also brief stretches of time in the mid-20th century when both the US but especially Britain were very pro-Arab during the oil boom including the requirement of private financiers to enact an Israeli/Jewish embargo in order to win business building what is today's oil extraction infrastructure (example: Aramco). Now it seems that the reverse is true in terms of making peace with Israel (see: Trump and the Abraham Accords) which was basically a party with power and money leveraging those resources to create the situation they desired. Final question: What is Israel in the 21st century?
Sean Lewis
2023-10-20 13:32:27 +0000 UTCFor your listeners outside of America (I live in Tokyo), your show serves as my main way of understanding the right. It also makes me seek out bourbon. I was wondering how you view the assassination of Shinzo Abe. Right now, the Japanese government is about to dissolve the unification church, which was buddy buddy with the LDP, directly as a result of the assassination. Why can a country with a single, nearly uninterrupted party rule actually address issues while america is paralyzed? Can america overcome the ramifications of its presidential system? Japans constitution was written by america and can still deal with crises…
David Wells
2023-10-20 12:37:46 +0000 UTCPsychoanalytic thinking has been a recurring theme on the podcast, and as the hosts have admitted here and on Ordinary Unhappiness, it’s often a powerful framework for understanding how conservative thought can be symptomatic and revealing in ways not captured by reading it purely for its content. (It’s also just very good for biography, which is a big part of some KYE episodes). But do you ever consider the limits of this framework? The recent episode with Moyn goes into Himmelfarb’s critique of Freud, and I guess it’s also sort of baked into the episodes about Hochman, but is there anything about an analytic framework that might stop us from “knowing” our enemy?
J. Haskin
2023-10-20 12:01:21 +0000 UTCA long-standing liberal talking point about the right was the iron-clad party discipline of the Republicans. This seemed to carry over to the Trump era and post 1/6 moment as the party lined up behind Trump. And yet KYE over the years (!) has shown the internal factions and the fissures that got papered over in the fusionist consensus. What does the current battle over the speakership represent: a new nihilistic reality for the right, the continuity of older trends, or some of both? On a more personal level, does podding/writing about the right help you psychologically process our fucked up political reality in a useful way or do you think it actually causes you more stress? That’s probably not a strict either/or but I hope you know what I mean. Thanks!
Klaus Yoder
2023-10-20 11:42:22 +0000 UTCalso I love the podcast btw!
Catherine Enright
2023-10-20 10:26:22 +0000 UTCHello hello- I am interested in how both of you value politics within your larger scheme of values, especially in relation to faith. This question springs from an interest in how both of you conceive of God, and how that conception is separate from or related to the institutional loyalties you have had over your lifetime. I get the sense Matt at least is a bit of a mystic :D, but I am wondering what or who he has fallen in love with in Catholicism that has led him to stay, especially as a gay man, and/or whether how he relates to God is inherently tied to Catholicism/religion or perhaps separable for the institution. I have the same questions for Sam's relationship to Judaism - how does Sam imagine God? does he experience God in relation to religion, if at all, and if he does how so?And are your conceptions of God part of the taproots of your politics? Why or why not? And if they are, how so? To what extent is political integrity related to integrity in your relationship with God? I ask these questions, because I who was raised and still am a practicing but inquisitive cradle Catholic (but am also ethnically Jewish and have some familial experience with Judaism- it's complicated) began to become intensely curious about the relationship between the spiritual lives and the complicated conservatism of a lot of my Catholic and Christian peers; I am a literature PhD student in the Northeast - some of my (mostly non-academic) Catholic friends are more Catholic worker types, but generally the ones I know who are closest to the levers of power are overwhelmingly conservative, often almost integralist (read: govt PhDs at Harvard who literally hang out with Harvey Mansfield, Peter Thiel, Patrick Deneen, etc. lol). I wonder why that is and how they imagine God and their relationship to him...any way, interested in any thoughts you might have.
Catherine Enright
2023-10-20 10:24:58 +0000 UTCHey—as someone who decided not to go for the PhD after getting a master's degree, let me second Sam's question above. There are smart people everywhere but the feeling of intellectual community is harder to find and it's something I miss (Matt: I think I hear a similar nostalgia in how you talk about the conservative fellowship circuit of your early years). How do you build something like that? Another question about the events of the last couple of weeks: it seems like a lot of intra-left discussion went into the questions of recognition exemplified by Joshua Leifer & Gabriel Winant's back-and-forth in Dissent (though for my money Arielle Angel's JC piece worked through these questions best). But more sobering is the reminder that a large faction even of the Democratic Party's left flank (Fetterman's statements have been especially hard to watch) would seemingly be fine with social democracy at home and brutality abroad, not just in Israel/Palestine but also just in the old question of where cheap resources come from, who bears the environmental/political costs, etc. Have you guys felt the proverbial friend/enemy lines change at all? Thanks as always.
Nik
2023-10-20 08:08:45 +0000 UTCSo many questions, What is the relationship between wealth and conservatism?
KELLAM R. CLARK
2023-10-20 06:57:33 +0000 UTCI would like to hear your insight into Israel’s war on Gaza. I follow you both on Twitter, so I feel that I am familiar with your overall (correct, in my view) view on the war and occupation, but I would like to hear your thoughts on how the response in the States fits into the broader narrative of US intervention in the Middle East since Bush. Additionally, as a younger listener (my first presidential election in which I was able to vote was 2020, when I cast my vote for Biden 😒), I would like to hear your thoughts on how those of us on the left should proceed from here in a way that is just AND pragmatic. Unrelated, but as a fellow queer Catholic convert, I really value hearing from Matt when he speaks to this experience. Thank you both for all that you do! - GP
Gracie Patten
2023-10-20 06:02:25 +0000 UTCOh oh! Another question. What happens when Trump dies?
KELLAM R. CLARK
2023-10-20 05:26:44 +0000 UTCWhat is your guys take on the “Overton Window”. I bring it up in a bunch of ways. Does it exists ( yes ) Can it be moved ( yes ) Is it overused amount budding intellectuals or is it a really relevant way to think about society? Is there value in looking at this globally, is it generally just a national dynamic, are American politics so important that we effect the global position of the window. So many window questions. Love the show. Thank you!
KELLAM R. CLARK
2023-10-20 05:25:18 +0000 UTCI'm wondering if you have any special insight on the way conservatives view childhood sexual abuse. Obviously, it is currently being instrumentalized as a smear against gender and sexual minorities. It also animates QAnon and similar conspiracies. Is it only an instrument for justifying violence against disfavored groups? Is it #MeToo in a funhouse mirror? The commitment to children's welfare does seem to be lacking, given the permissive stance towards state bills permitting very young marriage, the speakership of Dennis Hastert, and the maybe-speakership of Jim Jordan. Are these failures to protect children innate to contemporary conservativism or is this pattern just partisan confirmation bias?
David Ferguson
2023-10-20 05:18:57 +0000 UTCI like this. I'll try to sneak this one in during the episode, but if I don't I'll send you a note. God bless, Matt
Know Your Enemy
2023-10-20 04:24:33 +0000 UTCHi Sam, I really appreciate these questions. You might not be surprised that I have a lot of thoughts on your first question about graduate school. Given that we're still gathering questions, I'm not sure if I'll take that up in the episode—but if I don't, I'd be happy to talk to you about it. I went "straight through" too (a mistake! ha), so I get that that makes the experience all the weirder/harder. Thanks, Matt
Know Your Enemy
2023-10-20 04:15:31 +0000 UTCTwo questions! Take either. They are not a package. Love the show. 1. Matt has talked a bit about going to graduate school, but I wanted to ask about the experience of leaving academia and how it felt. It seems like the structure is built up in such a way that if you leave—even if you know you’re unhappy—you are failing, somehow, even more. Especially because I went “straight through,” leaving the dubious path to a tenure-track job in the humanities or social sciences seems somehow like a more scary prospect than staying in and convincing myself that I might have a shot, that I might be an exception. How did you deal with leaving? And how did you end up where you are? 2. I greatly appreciated the podcast on manhood, and especially the followup with Phil Christman. Feeling comfortable in one’s own skin is hard. I was still, however, left wanting by where that conversation ended up: although telling oneself to act like an adult, be there for people, etc. are all helpful pointers, I wonder if either of you have had any further reflections on what a left manhood could be made up of. I come from a conservative background (rural Michigan) but now work in academia, and the environment, to me, truly suggests the kind of apologetic orientation towards oneself that you discussed and critiqued. I struggle—and I think a lot of people struggle—with giving up too much space or taking up too much, with auto-apologizing or not acknowledging one’s position enough. Where to go from here?
Sam
2023-10-20 03:59:53 +0000 UTCI am being ordained November 5th as a Baptist Pastor. Do y’all have any words of advice for a young baptist minister in rural North Carolina?
Johnny Serratt
2023-10-20 01:34:32 +0000 UTCI'll bet I'm not the only one who loves that you two are such good friends and clearly enjoy talking with each other. Would you tell us more about the story of your friendship and whether and how it has evolved with the podcast?
Colin Gillis
2023-10-20 00:47:43 +0000 UTCMaybe in the form of Matt Yglesias Thought, Shorism, Third Way, Atari Dems, Blue Dog, etc
Colin Wick
2023-10-20 00:33:18 +0000 UTCDo you consider liberals, or certain factions of liberals, to be "enemy" per the show title? And if so, any plans to explore the conservative turn in liberal parties in our lifetimes?
Colin Wick
2023-10-20 00:30:21 +0000 UTCThanks for your wonderful work. It's be a delight over the past years. 1.). A theme of conservatism in the 20th century is conversion from the left. You have covered several such figures in the USA, and there is a related kind of central European intellectual giving up communism/Stalinism at some point (maybe after 1933, maybe after 1937) and becoming liberal (e.g., Arthur Koestler). In some of these cases, the turning right seems triggered by the crimes of Stalin and the most brutal episodes of oppression and state violence in the USSR, which revealed the failure of a certain hope for a better world, namely worldwide communism beginning in the USSR. Do you think that there is a similar risk of leftist movements today being fractured and disillusioned by failures to make good on the most promising hopes for a better world (e.g., building a green energy future or striving towards equality and justice for the marginalized?). Are there other issues that if they go wrong could lead to major defections from the left, either towards a politically active middle or a kind of dejected passivity? 2.). What do you make of Dylan's post-2000 work? I think Modern Times and Rough and Rowdy Ways are among his best, full stop.
James Murphy
2023-10-20 00:28:25 +0000 UTCDo you have any thoughts on the rise of “progressive except for Palestine” candidates? Like Fetterman, Maxwell Alejandro Frost. They had to toe a very fine line to keep money from groups like Democratic Majority for Israel out of their primaries.
James Miola
2023-10-20 00:14:58 +0000 UTCOccasionally, you've talked about the influence of foreign-born conservative ideas making their way into the mainstream of the American right. Have you seen the inverse with with respect to the influence of US Post-War intellectual conservativism influencing other states--in particular in the rightward turn in Israeli politics and even the sometimes extreme rhetoric we see from some Israeli leaders with respect to the fate of Gaza in the current confligration?
Nick Staha
2023-10-20 00:04:02 +0000 UTCTo what extent do you view individual bigotry as the key energizing factor among conservatives? Is there something pernicious in conservatism that speaks to a cynical or maladaptive mind (e.g. Hofstadterites who see a mental “style” to conservatism)? Or do you find structural explanations more compelling as to why people believe conservative things? Obviously both are working at once, my question is more a chicken-and-egg situation!
Aric Rosenveldt
2023-10-19 23:56:50 +0000 UTCThe Coors, Busch, and Uline(former brewers of Schlitz) families were heavily involved with the conservative movement in the 20th century. What the hell was going on with beer?!
Brian Swoveland
2023-10-19 23:48:51 +0000 UTCA little bit of a different type of questions — do you have any conservative movement “what ifs” or alternate paths you think about? E.g. Nixon finishes out his term relatively popular (maybe even with Agnew as VP.
Jack Miller
2023-10-19 23:33:54 +0000 UTCCurious what y'all think about 1) Southern conservatism and 2) Barstool conservatism (or, for someone from the South like me, Outkick/Clay Travis conservatism). Thanks for all you do!
Campbell Haynes
2023-10-19 23:27:57 +0000 UTCSo many conservatives and a certain kind of liberal have a strange fixation on higher education admission policies and standardized testing. What do you think is going on here? Do you think who is allowed to attend elite universities is an important political fight? What are your thoughts on meritocracy in general? Patiently looking forward to the Carl Jung episodes
Connie
2023-10-19 23:25:26 +0000 UTCHello! A longtime fan of the show and patron. How do you see the relationship between American Pro-Trump forces and global radical right-wing forces? I feel like we see such symbiosis in recent years with American conservatives being explicit “evangelizers” of their movement that’s taken up elsewhere in the world but I’m curious if you see any of this stuff going “global” in a way that makes it distinct from the pre-trump conservative movement or even the fusionist era. Thank you!
Maxton
2023-10-19 22:37:46 +0000 UTCYes.
Jesse Spevack
2023-10-19 22:21:47 +0000 UTCI would love to hear this episode
Sam Seliger
2023-10-19 22:17:58 +0000 UTCHow do you think the rapid spread of charismatic Christianity in the past half-century has influenced the conservative movement? It's a worldwide phenomenon, not limited to the US. For example, Pentecostals are now the second-largest denomination in Brazil and were a key part of Bolsonaro's coalition. I'd love to hear you guys talk about what differentiates charismatic Christianity from the older strains of Christianity it's in the process of displacing, and whether/how the distinct beliefs of charismatics are reflected in modern conservatism.
Matthew
2023-10-19 22:06:45 +0000 UTCI'd be curious to hear what you guys think about the role that Silicon Valley (e.g., the California Ideology) has played in the development of conservatism. While it's mostly stood outside of movement conservatism (at least until recently), there's a lot of evidence, as Malcolm Harris shows in the book Palo Alto, that the Valley has been a powerful force for reaction, from Herbert Hoover to Peter Thiel.
Isaac Smith
2023-10-19 22:00:43 +0000 UTCWith this whole Speaker debacle going on, it really seems like the Republicans are more disorganized and internally divided than ever (at least within my lifetime). Considering the impact of Trump and an increasingly radicalized conservative voter base, where do you think the party might be in 1, 5, 10 years? Ideologically, politically, etc.
caku
2023-10-19 21:54:50 +0000 UTCI’d be interested in this as well. Maybe it means more to me as someone “terminally online”, but I too would like a bit of discussion about the Thielite/“arthoe” conservatism and how it often spun out of the “dirtbag left” or disenchanted Bernie bros. Could also talk about the supposedly heterodox “MAGA socialists”. People who say “F capitalism, but also F trans people”. Apart from these people being irritating/loathsome, it would be interesting to examine this “messier” subset that doesn’t fit neatly into the traditional boxes.
Axel Herrera
2023-10-19 21:47:26 +0000 UTCWhile recent years seem to have shown growth in right-wing power through TradCath paths, has the political influence of Mormonism hit its peak and is now in decline? With Harry Reid and Mitt Romney out of the picture, Utah voters expressing distaste for the MAGA movement, the fallout from Proposition 8, and the recent fiascos around Tim Ballard and OUR, it seems to be a terrible time to be a DezNat (basically Mormon TradCath) booster.
Garrett Amini
2023-10-19 21:44:28 +0000 UTCThis may be somewhat niche, but have you thought about an episode on Eugene Genovese and Elizabeth Fox-Genovese?
Georges Simenon
2023-10-19 21:41:58 +0000 UTCMaybe not a very interesting question, but I'm curious if either of you guys read much or are influenced by any particular philosophers? You guys have mentioned some figured in passing before like Plato and Nietzsche, and obviously Frued, while not explicitly a philosopher, comes up all the time, but are there any you really admire or find particularly interesting?
Henry Martyn
2023-10-19 21:32:54 +0000 UTCMy question didn't make the cut this time, so I'll try again: what about a dive into post-liberalism, especially the Intregalist-adjacent aspect of that ideology which one finds reflected in the writings of Patrick Deneen and certain others? What makes this relevant to the left, to my mind at least, is that so much of what appears to make up post-liberal ideas come up in the context of the same questions about modernity which has long led a small but persistent group of leftists, socialists, and anarchists to turn to localism, radical democracy, communalism, agrarianism, cooperatives (like Mondragon, or Catholic Worker farms, etc.), and all sorts of other back-to-the-land movements. In other words, I see the contemporary post-liberalism discourse to be in part the capture of a radical language of anti-capitalism and decentralism, and the employing of it almost exclusively against the aspects of the state (civil rights protections, etc.), which various conservative evangelical Protestants and Traditionalist Catholics can't stand. What say you?
Russell Arben Fox
2023-10-19 21:30:51 +0000 UTCNo reasonable person could have anticipated our present politics 15 years ago, and I'm pretty sure that's true for every previous stretch of 15 years in American History. So, that caveat being made- if you allow yourself to do some pollyannaish prognostication, what would be your best-case while still vaguely realistic vision for what America will look like 15 years from now?
Adam Escandell
2023-10-19 21:24:50 +0000 UTCHi Tom, I can't respond to most of these, but in this case I wanted to mention that we're preparing for an episode on Kirk in the relatively near future. I do know The Imaginative Conservative, in part because sometimes you can find older essays from someone like Kirk that they've put online. And I did know Birzer slightly in my young conservative days—he actually led a weekend seminar I participated in held at Kirk's home in Mecosta, where Kirk's widow still lives. I got to know her some too, though not well. Birzer wrote a friendly but substantial bio about Kirk, so I'm sure he'll come up in the conversation. Thanks, Matt
Know Your Enemy
2023-10-19 21:17:14 +0000 UTCHave you considered doing an episode on Leszek Kołakowski? Although chunks of his life were spent outside of the United States, he nonetheless was championed by many American conservatives, and his broader turn away from a left-wing humanism during the Cold War towards an eventual affirmation of a Conservatism inspired by a religious conversion seems like a story replete with major themes that this podcast touches on.
Nicholas Lecchi
2023-10-19 21:15:00 +0000 UTCHow much does online discourse matter? On the one hand, it doesn’t do much to change material conditions for people, it usually devolves into useless or pedantic arguments, and it often discourages you from meeting people in real life or getting involved with actual organizing. On the other hand, online discourse does seem to have an impact on political discourse and political consciousness broadly. I think this is an ongoing tension for anyone who is on the political left (especially Marxists specifically) and wants to focus on material conditions but are also actively online and engaged in the endless discourse about current events. How do you all parse through this?
Josiah Sutton of the Fruitless Podcast
2023-10-19 21:12:37 +0000 UTCWere DuPont and Gingrich’s GOPAC instructional tapes a precursor or even vanguard to conservative talk radio/podcasts or just a fluke?
Darren Bauler
2023-10-19 21:11:57 +0000 UTCWhat do you guys think the most pervasive (and inaccurate) assumptions the left and center makes in its conception/model of the American Right? How do we misunderstand that movement?
james marcucci
2023-10-19 21:11:55 +0000 UTCThere’s that highbrow reaction and then there are its more popular expressions: whether that’s working class religious groups, the currents of pro-law and order communitarianism that's backing conservative Republicans in immigrant districts of major cities, the militant nativism and religiously infused social conservatism—and, maybe most generally and worryingly is a generalized atmosphere of resignation. Then there's ascendant forms of popular reactionary culture that don’t neatly fit into what we traditionally understand as the "conservative movement": Andrew Tate’s misogyny, the entrepreneurial hustle grindset culture, the cult of Elon Musk. Has right-wing and far-right politics always included such a mishmash of ambient, extra-movement currents which appeal to very different constitutencies? Should we keep the 'small c' conservative culture creep in view? Is this unique to our moment, and how should we think about and respond? Or am I making too much of this?
Ben Mabie
2023-10-19 21:08:13 +0000 UTCAs people who read and think about the right as much as you do, I sometimes find it hard to believe that there's not something about it you find alluring or convincing on some level. (Maybe this is at the root of listeners accusing you of "platforming" conservatives.) So the question is, are there any right wing ideas or impulses you agree with?
Joseph
2023-10-19 21:00:15 +0000 UTCI know that you guys did you a country music episode a few years ago, but there was interesting event earlier this year: the top 3 songs on the billboard hot 100 were all country songs, and it happened twice. The first time it included Jason Aldean’s “Try That In a Small Town” and the second “Rich Men North of Richmond” by Oliver Anthony. Do you have any thoughts about those songs in particular, and the relationship between contemporary country music and trends on the right more generally?
Sam Seliger
2023-10-19 20:55:10 +0000 UTCI love your podcast, I am a patreon subscriber. If you could I would like you to expand on the role you think that religion plays to politics etc. I consider myself catholic but do not adhere to all of the opinions of the clergy. How do you see yourself in relation to religious authorities? Katy
Katy Honour
2023-10-19 20:53:44 +0000 UTCMatt - As a fellow former conservative I still find myself from time to time finding comfort in the traditional trappings of conservative content. Conservative talk radio was a mainstay of my childhood but I can't stomach the hosts or the content now. However, maybe out of nostalgia I find some weird comfort from listening to The Bulwark podcast or even The Editors from time to time even though I disagree with almost all of what they say . Do you find yourself drawn to anything on the right in a similar way?
Ethan
2023-10-19 20:50:07 +0000 UTCAfter you guys came out so strongly against my fave Willie song growing up (Pancho and Lefty) I'd love to know what your faves by him are?
Lou Guberti Ng
2023-10-19 20:46:10 +0000 UTCThis is for Matt especially but Sam is included: do you know anything about The Imaginative Conservative? It's a rightwing publication run by Brad Birzer, the Russell Kirk (!) Chair of American History at Hillsdale, and Stephen Klugewicz, a former bigwig at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. I ask because Birzer is a Catholic academic in my field and the TIC strikes me, prima facie, as exactly the kind of publication you'd expect it to be, but you both know far more about the rightwing intellectual ecosystem than I do so maybe there are interesting wrinkles or connections I'm not aware of.
Tom
2023-10-19 20:46:00 +0000 UTCMatt, what direction do you see the Catholic Church—and specifically the Church in the United States—going over the next few years? It feels like the Pope is pulling the Church one way and the American bishops are pulling her the other.
Brannon Miller
2023-10-19 20:40:13 +0000 UTCHave you ever thought about an episode or two about neoliberalism or the last 50 years or so of centrist thought more generally? To me it seems like that political tendency is, if not the enemy, the guy in the werewolf movie who has been bitten but doesn’t tell the group.
LaddieMcBaddie
2023-10-19 20:38:49 +0000 UTC(For either/both the KYE boys): How much of the rage behind conservatism right now do you think can be boiled down to the mismatch between the promises of American advertising/media and reality as it’s lived for a lot of people? In some ways it seems very trivial, but I sometimes suspect that a lot of conservatives are genuinely mad that their lives & surroundings don’t look like Rockwell & Wyeth paintings
Steve from Philly
2023-10-19 20:37:33 +0000 UTCHave you ever considered a discussion on MacIntyre? Not necessarily a straightforwardly conservative figure, but it'd be interesting to see the way he's been picked used by the postliberal right and the tensions that result from the other dimensions in his thought. Alternatively, if that's too much of a possible episode idea, do you have any thoughts on the topic more broadly?
Tynan
2023-10-19 20:34:57 +0000 UTCWhat are your thoughts on the various methods of electoral reform being proposed in the US? In particular, I remember a brief conversation in an episode on Europe about the advantages/disadvantages of a 2-party system vs proportional representation. (At the least, I feel like it would be a good idea for the DSA to organize constitutional amendment ballot petitions in states that allow it to implement PR so that they can have their own party line in deep blue-state legislatures.) Also, as someone who's more of a Social Democrat, one subject that I don't really understand on the Left very well is opposition to liberal democracy as a method of popular sovereignty. I share the concern that electified officials are vulnerable to going against the will of their electorate, but I struggle to understand a better potential system, so if y'all have any opinions in that regard I'd be interested to hear.
Jamandabop
2023-10-19 20:33:54 +0000 UTCWhen will you do an episode on David French? I don’t feel like he has come up since the French/Amari debate episode (still my favorite), and his podcast is somewhat interesting take on the modern anti-trump conservative perspective. Bonus question: what brown liquid is best to podcast to?
J B
2023-10-19 20:32:23 +0000 UTCA lot of pretty right-wing states (Texas, Iowa, the Dakotas, Indiana, etc) have become major players in the renewable-energy economy. If you had to make a prediction, how do you think this shift in industry will impact their politics over the next 5-10 years?
David Savage
2023-10-19 20:31:37 +0000 UTCOn which point, either personal or political, do you most vehemently disagree (other than Freud and Jesus)?
Andrew McGovern
2023-10-19 20:31:22 +0000 UTCA close friend of mine just can't keep some of the terms straight: neoliberal, neocon, fascism, fusionism, West Coast (ism?), etc. Is there a handy concise reference that comports with your usages and is understandable w/o an advanced degree in political science? Asking for a friend.
Phil Hirschi
2023-10-19 20:31:03 +0000 UTCI’ve wondered this for a while, and in line with that, if there is any appetite for discussing the work of the father of conservatism, Burke
Patrick
2023-10-19 20:28:19 +0000 UTCWhy are you still using Twitter?
monoclaw
2023-10-19 20:27:53 +0000 UTCBig fan! I was wondering if you two have invited or thought about inviting Corey Robin (author of The Reactionary Mind) for a conversation on your podcast? Thanks 😁
Jean D Valcin
2023-10-19 20:25:39 +0000 UTCA figure I've always felt could use a full episode of Know Your Enemy is Newt Gingrich. In context of the speaker meltdown presently going on in the House, what do you see as Gingrich's legacy in 2023?
Robert LeBlanc
2023-10-19 20:25:08 +0000 UTCWhats your favorite conservative piece of art?
Sigurður Hreinsson
2023-10-19 20:23:11 +0000 UTC
