Episode 531: What’s a Conservative, Anyway?

James and Hillsdale history professor Brad Birzer, talk about what it means to be a conservative, and if there is actually much left to conserve.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Brad Birzer

00:44 Foolishness of the Week: James Makes a Six-Year-Old Mistake

03:54 What Does It Mean to Be a Conservative Today?

06:41 How MAGA Changed the Meaning of Conservatism

09:28 Why James Rejects Political Labels

12:28 Republicans, Libertarians, and the Conservative Tradition

15:06 Is Trumpism Really Conservatism?

19:20 How Political Discourse Lost Its Decency

22:37 Ronald Reagan and the Lost Art of Statesmanship

25:40 What Are Conservatives Actually Trying to Conserve?

27:59 Human Dignity, Compassion, and the Principles of Conservatism

31:01 The Importance of Community and Local Responsibility

33:29 Is America a Nation of Shared Principles or Shared Identity?

36:07 The American Founding and the Ideals Worth Preserving

41:03 Why America’s Founders Designed an Inefficient Government

43:21 Conservatism as the Politics of Restraint and Decency

45:01 Public Service, Political Power, and Humility

47:46 How Government Power Has Undermined Conservatism

50:10 Machiavelli, Political Power, and Moments of American Unity

53:01 Can American Conservatism Be Reborn?

53:53 Closing Thoughts: The Importance of Kindness