The neoconservatives would have you believe that Abraham Lincoln was a conservative. This is blatantly false, but alas the myth persists. A new piece at the Kirk Center doubles down on the narrative. Lincoln, it seems, was not just a conservative, but a Burkean conservative. I discuss this lunacy in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.
Yoni Appelbaum believes moderate Republicans are the future. You see, every problem in America can be summarized by one phrase: right-wing extremism. The only way to change this, he believes, is for moderate Republicans to repudiate these outlaws, take back the party, and continue to support good progressive measures. There’s just one problem with this nonsense. Appelbaum doesn’t think the far left has anything to …more
Judge Napolitano has become public enemy number one for the Trump administration. Why? Because he argues Trump deserves to be impeached. This does not sit will with Fox News viewers who think Judge Nap has gone to the dark side. Is Napolitano right? More importantly, should he be taking the heat from both the Trump administration and the viewers at Fox? I discuss the issue …more
World War II was a transformational event. It offered the United States general government the opportunity to codify the aggressive Lincolnian nationalism prevalent but not triumphant since 1865. The entire United States was affected politically, militarily, diplomatically, and socially. I discuss how this happened in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.
In 1956, the great Southern philosopher Richard Weave penned a review of Russell Kirk’s Conservative Mind where he asked which ancestors we should emulate. There are several traditions in America but which traditions are best? Should we follow Lincoln, the progressive tradition, or something else? Just as with the definition of liberty, tradition can be a thorny issue. I discuss Weaver and his brilliant essay …more
Michael Vlahos argues at The American Conservative that “civil war” is the natural result of two competing “legitimacies” slugging it out for control of the same government. This I agree with. But he falls flat when he suggests that this has occurred twice in American history and when he considers nullification to be a root cause of such conflict. I was disappointed with this article …more
Have historical sites gone too far in pushing a slavery narrative? Some people think so. I do, too. I discuss the issue in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show.
Most people seem to think that “think locally, act locally” is the product of some crazy conspiracy and distortion of history. Not so. In fact, two of the greatest American minds openly discussed federalism and decentralization. An amazing 1798 exchange between Thomas Jefferson and John Taylor of Caroline highlights that our political problems are not new and even members of the founding generation thought “think …more
A recent poll found that 70% of Americans think we are on the brink of civil war. This is troubling, but it is a symptom of American nationalism. This is a think locally, act locally episode.
My latest McClanahan Academy course is now available, United States History 1865 to the Present. You’re going to want to get this class. I title the last unit in the course The Triumph of Progressivism. Why? Because the progressive movement has transformed American society and most people don’t realize it. We view almost everything in America through a progressive lens. Even “conservatives” do this, particularly …more
Most Americans recognize a few of the Founding Fathers—Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin—but what about some of the important but forgotten men who have been lost to time? They have great stories that need to be told. Here are ten whose fantastic lives are in many ways better than fiction.
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