The Brion McClanahan Show Podcast

Has a mainstream progressive found federalism? In our age of government worship, this might be like a lost soul finding Jesus. Not really, but small steps. Jamelle Bouie at the The New York Times has recently pecked out a couple of pieces that make it seem like he has indeed discovered the beauty of federalism. He seems to support trimming the power of the federal …more

Does the “tyranny of the majority” exist? Short answer, yes. Every astute political thinker has realized this inherent problem with democracy. It’s why the founding generation warned against excessive democracy in government. The Constitution was designed to be primarily anti-democratic. The rule of the 50+1 percent allows a very slim majority to plunder the other half of the population, or worse. Of course, those who …more

George Will thinks Americans need to return to “Midwestern values.” What does this mean? I have many listeners from the Midwest, and they are all great people, but I don’t think any of them would identify with how Will defines “Midwestern values.” To Will, like all Straussians and neoconservatives, “Midwestern values” rely on the Lincoln myth of America. Will makes this clear in this Washington …more

While many dopes in American still hold this view–see the “Naming Commission” and Ty Seidule–the term has found new life in the 21st century. There are multiple secession movements across the United States and people around the world are looking to decentralization as a remedy for the out of control State. The desirability and efficacy of secession can be debated, but no one in the …more

We can dream. While the House debates who should be the next Speaker, they can’t do any business. Which means they can’t make anything worse. I wrote a book titled 9 Presidents Who Screwed Up America, but as John C. Calhoun pointed out in the 19th century, it was really Congress that kept screwing up America. Writing a book on that topic would be a …more

It seems Michael Anton wants to define American conservatism. He accuses the other side of playing this game, but there are not many “conservatives” who have spilled as much ink on the topic as Anton in the last couple of years. I had it out with him in 2021. Now, he has directed his fire at others who are questioning the underpinnings of the West …more

I’m back in the saddle again. It feels good to get behind the microphone again and to welcome in another exciting year of Podcasting and more. I hope you had a great New Year and a Merry Christmas and that 2023 brings you great joy and blessings. It should be interesting. I made some changes to the Podcast. You should notice immediately. But the content …more

For the penultimate episode of The Brion McClanahan Show for 2022, I tackle a topic I’ve been asked about dozens of times. What was the North’s role in slavery and “white supremacy”? Short answer: a lot. This history was generally suppressed for nearly a century. Southerners, of course, talked about it, but the Lincolnian Myth would not allow for such a complex story of the …more

I paused today on my “listener generation episode week”–I had one of the four last week–so I could talk with Kevin Gutzman about his new book, The Jeffersonians. This is the first real interview on The Brion McClanahan Show, and it corresponds with Episode 750. I won’t do another one for a long time, but this was fun. To make a long story short, you …more