Dad Saves America

President Trump’s strikes on Iran have reignited the American foreign policy debate. For decades, libertarians like myself have hammered the mistakes of the War on Terror, especially in Iraq. Ron Paul’s 2007 presidential debate performance laid out the blowback risks of interventionism, highlighting a specific story of American meddling in Iran—one I believed until very recently. President Trump is resetting long-held assumptions about regime change and endless war, forcing me to rethink the complexity of geopolitics. Caught between conspiracy theories of Israeli control and premature declarations of “mission accomplished,” Americans must decide for themselves what to think in these tumultuous times.

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Check my sources over on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/dadsavesamerica/p/trumps-iran-strike-israeli-influence?r=24ayxm&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

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I sat down with Pastor Doug Wilson to unpack his views on “Christian nationalism” and American identity. Every legal system rests on moral assumptions—Doug argues that those assumptions should be Christian. We discuss whether America was historically a Christian nation, how immigration and assimilation shape a country’s cultural cohesion, the dangers of theocracy, and what would happen to Catholics in his ideal vision of America.

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Follow Doug on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/douglaswils?s=20

Learn more about Doug’s work: https://dougwils.com/

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Outline:

[0:00] What is “Christian Nationalism”?

[5:19 5:30] Were things better in the “good old days”?

[11:23 11:34] Immigration disrupts the national order

[19:29 19:40] What does it mean to be American?

[32:30] Pastor Doug’s political philosophy

[41:29] Religious liberty and the First Amendment

[49:31] Does universal liberalism grow out of Christianity?

[57:13] How America integrated Catholics

[1:05:02] Who gets to live in a Christian nation?

[1:12:27] Free will, predestination, and Calvinism

[1:17:10] What about when people break the Christian laws?

[1:26:10] Liberty, gay marriage, and drug laws

[1:42:37] Summing up Pastor Doug’s worldview

[1:45:04] Grappling with Andrew Tate and Nick Fuentes

[1:51:59] Is Christianity in crisis or revival?

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I sat down with Lionel Shriver, author of “A Better Life,” to unpack why the American immigration debate has become so unreasonable. She argues that the “nation of immigrants” mythology is a kind of progressive moral blackmail, preventing Americans from asking basic questions about assimilation, national self-interest, and cultural cohesion. We also discuss whether Islamic immigration is compatible with liberal democracy and why immigration can’t fix collapsing birthrates. Lionel makes the case that the West has lost its sense of self-confidence—and now, its instinct for self-preservation.

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Order a copy of “A Better Life”: https://a.co/d/0g6H0sGW

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Outline:

[0:00] Writing a novel on immigration

[12:03] Why Americans struggle to discuss immigration

[19:51] White leftists don’t actually hate themselves

[26:53] Assimilation in the U.S. vs Europe

[42:20] Should we allow Islamic immigration?

[53:24] Uncontrolled migration and welfare can’t work

[1:01:45] The fertility crisis argument for immigration

[1:13:56] Western values must be actively defended

[1:21:01] Spoiled leftists just won’t wake up to reality

[1:30:56] Female virtue signaling and luxury beliefs

[1:38:21] Is our politics bound to keep getting crazier?

[1:43:06] Trump vs globalist totalitarianism

[1:51:16] The internet is supercharging social contagion

[1:57:06] “Toxic masculinity” and the feminization of society

[2:15:14] Individual sovereignty vs the survival of humanity

[2:26:45] We encourage bad and ignore good behavior

[2:37:15] “No pain, no gain” is the truest cliché

[2:42:48] Self-contemplation is bad for your mental health

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I sat down with Rob Henderson, author of “Troubled” and known for coining the term “luxury beliefs,” to explore how status, envy, and social mobility shape society. Rob shares how growing up in foster care, enlisting in the Air Force at 17, and eventually attending Yale and Cambridge forced him to confront what material success can—and can’t—deliver. Hunter-gatherer societies suppressed status through rigid egalitarianism, but as civilizations grew, status competition became an increasingly powerful force. Today, elite strivers hijack class politics to engage in their own battle between the “haves” and the “have-mores,” while serious discussions about class have begun to shift from left to right.

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Learn more about the “Troubled” movie: https://troubledthemovie.com/

Follow Rob on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/robkhenderson

Read Rob’s work on Substack: https://www.robkhenderson.com/

Purchase a copy of “Troubled”: https://www.amazon.com/Troubled-Memoir-Foster-Family-Social/dp/1982168536

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Outline:

[0:00] The sociology of status

[7:36] Class analysis flipped from left to right

[15:57] The haves, the have-nots, and the have-mores

[21:41] The traits that build wealth

[26:59] Narcissism comes in 2 flavors

[38:31] How do you keep the loudmouths under control?

[43:38] Why do we care about status?

[51:36] How gratitude advances civilizations

[55:22] Finding a stable identity keeps envy in check

[1:04:08] The state of sex relations in 2026

[1:15:46] We aren’t built for comfort

[1:25:27] Can the military fix TikTok-fried kids?

[1:37:25] Healthy cultural norms aren’t self-enforcing

[1:49:46] Elite hypocrisy on marriage and family

[1:58:09] Is it just “kids these days” or something else?

[2:03:10] Is religion a necessary anchor for moral culture?

[2:12:14] Adapting “Troubled” into a movie

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I sat down with philosopher and author Dr. Stephen Hicks to unpack the West’s trajectory from medieval Christianity to modern progressivism. We explore the psychological fallout of online information overload and a failing education system that is fueling a socialist resurgence. Dr. Hicks breaks down how the rediscovery of Greco-Roman writings by figures like St. Thomas Aquinas—and, a few centuries later, the Protestant Reformation—set the stage for the Enlightenment, gradually developing the ideas that would eventually become “classical liberalism.” We also track the parallel development of leftist thought, from Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the French Revolution to Marx and today’s woke reign of terror.

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Follow Dr. Hicks on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/SRCHicks?s=20

Check out Dr. Hicks’ Peterson Academy courses: https://petersonacademy.com/instructors/stephen-hicks

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Outline:

[0:00] What is “the truth”?

[6:06] “Expert consensus” and misinformation

[18:27] Filtering through information overload

[30:31] The evolution of adulthood and education

[39:53] Religion, literacy, and the Protestant Reformation

[45:12] Did Christianity invent individualism?

[59:44] Collectivism is the problem, not religion

[1:08:40] Was the abolition of slavery a Christian movement?

[1:20:16] Did Christianity lay the foundation for the Enlightenment?

[1:31:51] How Christendom revived Greco-Roman thought

[1:41:18] Rousseau and the French Revolution

[2:04:50] The blank-slate view of moral agency

[2:11:02] Rousseauean socialism vs Marxism

[2:19:09] How Marxism survived each of its failures

[2:28:11] What unifies the wide range of leftist ideas?

[2:43:13] The link between mental health and education

[2:54:22] Why philosophy matters

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I sat down with Rudyard Lynch, creator of WhatIfAltHist and History102, to revisit his civil war prediction. He argues that the current psychological crisis is delaying an inevitable political crisis, drawing on the Mouse Utopia experiment, screen addiction, and the decay of internet discourse. Rudyard reflects on what he got right, what he got wrong, and why embracing honor culture might be our path back to sanity. We also get into the relationship between Christianity and socialism, the role of masculinity in leadership, and why “reasonable liberals” fail to confront the Marxist threat.

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Follow Rudyard on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/whatifalthist

Check out WhatIfAltHist: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist

Check out History102: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj

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Outline:

[0:00] Updated civil war predictions

[4:19] Antisemitism and Israel discourse

[13:49] Psychological and political crises

[25:05] Socialism, Nietzsche, and nihilism

[33:14] The Age of the Last Men

[38:48] Woodrow Wilson and the rise of progressivism

[46:17] “The system,” society, and bureaucracy

[56:47] Why decency dies on the internet

[1:02:32] Is good leadership fundamentally “masculine”?

[1:06:15] Sex differences vs. sexism

[1:12:22] Why faith in honor culture matters

[1:20:28] Did Christianity give birth to socialism?

[1:30:20] Stephen Pinker and the “reasonable liberal” problem

[1:39:08] “Progress” is just spiritual sterilization

[1:43:36] “Rationalists” are just conformists

[1:49:39] Classical liberals overplayed the equality card

[1:53:33] Are libertarian values still valid in our culture?

[2:01:00] Victim culture on the right

[2:05:16] The neo-middle ages

[2:10:42] Is broad social trust still feasible?

[2:17:29] Why you should unplug from the internet

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Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RDmkKZ7vAkI

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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I sat down with anti-communist author Xi Van Fleet to learn about her upbringing under Mao’s Cultural Revolution and her concerns for the trajectory of America. Immigrating from China 40 years ago, she is a blunt critic of modern progressivism and sheds light on the pervasive Marxist influences in our politics, culture, and language—even among conservatives. Xi got involved in public advocacy following the explosion of leftist chaos during the 2020 BLM protests, recognizing echoes of the Red Guard reign of terror that dominated her childhood. An enthusiastic proponent of American values, she offers a stark warning against the communist ideology animating politicians like Zohran Mamdani.

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Follow Xi Van Fleet on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/XVanFleet?s=20

Order a copy of Xi’s new book “Made in America”: https://a.co/d/bVwCieI

Order a copy of “Mao’s America”: https://a.co/d/2Oes5xY

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Outline:

[0:00] Why 2020 drove Xi to activism

[12:22] Growing up during the Cultural Revolution

[21:56] How did Mao maintain control over China?

[33:08] Recruiting and radicalizing the Red Guard

[41:36] The Cultural Revolution was pure insanity

[56:02] Why Mao dismantled the Red Guard

[1:00:54] How can anyone call themselves a Maoist today?

[1:14:47] “But that’s not REAL communism”

[1:21:42] Communism is a religion of mind control

[1:27:17] Beauty cuts through the brainwashing

[1:35:11] American culture is poisoned by Marxism

[1:43:37] Assimilation vs multiculturalism

[1:53:15] Communism is a real threat to America in 2026

[2:03:55] Even conservatives are tainted by Marxism

[2:08:28] Why do we encourage immigrants to hate America?

[2:18:26] Americans need to know the history of communism

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Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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I sat down with healthcare policy expert Michael Cannon to unpack why the U.S. healthcare system drives everyone crazy. From exploding costs and rampant fraud to government shutdowns over Obamacare subsidies, healthcare issues continue to monopolize our politics and our everyday lives. Contrary to what Bernie Sanders might think, government intervention—not capitalism—has rigged the healthcare system to benefit insurers, hospitals, and politicians at the expense of patients. We dig into how moral hazard fuels waste and overconsumption, why lobbyists undermine smart reforms in favor of policies that make the problem worse, and the coming fiscal reckoning for Medicaid and Medicare.

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Follow Michael on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/mfcannon?s=20

Read Michael’s work on Substack: https://mfcannon.substack.com/

Learn more about Michael’s work at the Cato Institute: https://www.cato.org/people/michael-f-cannon

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Outline:

[0:00] What’s behind the Somali fraud scandal?

[8:31] Why is Medicare fraud so rampant?

[12:42] How laws and lobbyists obstructed DOGE

[18:33] The Obamacare subsidy government shutdown

[25:58] The argument for Obamacare vs its actual results

[32:31] The Oregon study debunks the health insurance myth

[42:19] Does cheap health insurance make people less healthy?

[58:22] How do you know that a medical treatment is worth it?

[1:03:19] The tax code disincentivizes price transparency

[1:15:12] Why does health insurance stop at state lines?

[1:21:34] Do Americans really spend more on healthcare?

[1:28:28] The U.S. subsidizes the global pharmaceutical market

[1:36:32] The problem with pharmaceutical patents

[1:42:53] Why do so many Americans idolize Luigi Mangione?

[1:53:02] Death panels are an inevitable part of health insurance

[2:00:35] Overconsumption and monopoly pricing in healthcare

[2:06:33] Will the demographic cliff destroy Medicaid and Medicare?

[2:17:59] Will Medicare-For-All end up winning the political fight?

[2:23:39] The ideal solution vs realistic improvements to healthcare

[2:32:18] Which country has the best healthcare system?

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Purchase a T-shirt, hoodie, and more over on our merch store: https://shop.dadsavesamerica.com/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nPnUI0OhMeA

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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I sat down with journalist and author Michael Shellenberger to unpack the psychology of modern radicalism and why anti-ICE activists seem more interested in perpetual agitation than problem-solving. Michael reflects on his own radical past, including his experiences in Nicaragua, Brazil, and Venezuela, where socialist idealism gave way to corruption, gangsterism, and societal collapse. We also discuss his ongoing fight for free speech and the potential global impacts of recent European regulatory attacks on Elon Musk and X (Twitter).

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Follow Michael on X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/shellenberger?s=20

Read Michael’s work on Substack: https://substack.com/@shellenberger

Preorder a copy of “The Left’s War on Reality”: https://a.co/d/cnMuOGy

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Outline:

[0:00] ICE protest chaos

[13:06] Female psychology and left-wing activism

[30:19] Why Michael got involved in radical politics

[39:54] Interviewing the future President of Brazil

[42:44] Is Marxism a colonial project?

[47:46] What is “radicalism”?

[55:53] Working for Hugo Chávez in Venezuela

[1:01:41] Communism always devolves into gangsterism

[1:10:58] Liberalism, globalism, and nationalism

[1:18:02] Is “international law” a myth?

[1:22:08] Why Michael is skeptical of the Venezuela intervention

[1:31:48] The counterintuitive danger of natural resources

[1:37:13] Zohran Mamdani’s inaugural speech should scare you

[1:52:34] How elites keep mass democracy under control

[1:58:30] The Twitter Files and the next social media crackdown

[2:05:21] Free speech is a cause worth dying for

[2:13:58] Antisemitism, cancellation, and the conservative civil war

[2:24:19] Trump 2.0 proved that censorship can be overcome

[2:29:36] What Michael has learned from teaching

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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/0z_KzE0OXaE

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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I sat down with author and energy journalist Robert Bryce to unpack our society’s dependence on the electric grid and what that means for American security and prosperity in the future. The electric grid is far more fragile than most people realize—even more so given the so-called “clean energy transition” pushed throughout the 21st century. As we saw in Spain last spring, excessive reliance on renewable energy sources significantly raises the possibility of systemic collapse during electricity demand peaks. Now, with AI data centers driving up electricity demand, and therefore prices, a reckoning is overdue. Robert lays out the tradeoffs of renewable energy, the potential for a nuclear renaissance, and how energy policy challenges the assumptions of the free market and decentralized government in a world of geopolitical adversaries.

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Follow Robert Bryce on X (Twitter): https://x.com/pwrhungry?s=20

Watch Robert Bryce on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@robertbryce?si=FKjtFk1G3WMudQw1

Read Robert Bryce’s work on Substack: https://robertbryce.substack.com/

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Outline:

[0:00] Will AI data centers break the power grid?

[10:46 11:00] The electric grid is the most important system in our society

[21:10 21:24] Why is the electric grid so fragile?

[34:18 34:32] The forgotten innovations that reshaped society

[42:54] What is “base load” and why does it matter?

[52:58] The “clean energy transition” has always been fake

[1:03:17] Will solar power ever be viable for a whole country?

[1:12:28] Why would Germany kneecap its own energy capacity?

[1:21:22] A society run by engineers vs lawyers

[1:26:24] The Trump administration’s energy policies

[1:31:00] What are the real safety risks of nuclear energy?

[1:38:52] What are “small modular reactors” (SMRs)?

[1:45:43] Nuclear waste is a political, not technical, problem

[1:55:06] Does the US have access to enough uranium for nuclear power?

[2:00:13] What are the limits to capitalism and small government?

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Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/jAfGUUAvGBA

Make a tax-deductible donation to Dad Saves America: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://secure.anedot.com/emergent-order-foundation/dad-website?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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