Counterflow with Buck Johnson

My guest this week is the President of the Mises Institute, Jeff Deist. We discuss one of the biggest silver linings that can be taken from 2020 and the COVID moment. It's time to take stock in what has happened and realize that trying to get a Rand Paul or a Thomas Massie elected at the Presidential level isn't time and money well spent. Is there a way in which we can choose to separate from the...

My guest today is director, cinematographer, and editor, MA Taylor. He is the director of multiple great documentaries, including: Clinton Cash, The Creepy Line, Riding the Dragon, and Safeguard: An Electoral College Story. MA Taylor was also on the side of freedom of speech in the historic Supreme Court battle of Citizens United vs. the FEC. In this interview, we discuss all of his works, what ea...

My guest today is documentary filmmaker Jason Rink. Jason was at the Capitol on January 6th 2021. He was filming a documentary called "The Steal" and ended up in the middle of a historical moment. The very next day, he got a one-on-one interview with the Q'Anon Shaman, who some of you may know better as "the Buffalo Shaman". At this point, Jason realized he had another documentary in the making, s...

This week, I welcome Thaddeus Russell back to the show. Thad is here to discuss the American Left. He is giving a course at Renegade University starting on August 23rd and going through September 13th. Thaddeus knows the Left quite well, as he grew up eyeballs deep in it and considered himself part of it for many years. In this episode, he goes over many aspects of leftism, from the abolitionists...

My guests for this bonus episode are Jason Stapleton, of the Wealth, Power, and Influence podcast, and Pete Quiñones, of the Freeman Beyond the Wall podcast. In this discussion, we go over the many reasons people feel a sense of darkness and pessimism lately. For many of us, it feels like relationships are fracturing, pressure to comply is ramping up, and it seems to be getting worse. There are st...

My guest this week is one of the driving forces behind the election audits happening across the country. He is Professor David Clements. David appeared on Tucker Carlson to discuss being targeted by his university for not having leftist views, and he briefly mentioned his studying of the election lawsuits. Well, Steve Bannon was listening and contacted him, which has lead to him taking deep dives...

My guest this week will primary Governor Greg Abbott from the right. He is Texas Republican Don Huffines. Huffines has been endorsed by Rand Paul and is also a longtime supporter of the great Ron Paul. In this episode, we discuss Don's views on a litany of issues, from lockdowns and vaccine mandates to immigration and weak Republicans. Don is not afraid to articulate his hardcore and passionate vi...

My guest this week is Adam Patrick, the host of the Y'er Talkin Over Me podcast. Adam is a wonderful host and always makes me think into things deeper when I listen to him. We discuss the blind spots that libertarians often have, as well as things like: can you be a pure libertarian while being involved in politics, things he learned over the lockdown months, how to actually take advantage of the...

My guest for this episode is the one and only Hotep Jesus. Hotep wants his community to build their wealth, be independent, and not try to assimilate with whom the Left and the government says they should assimilate. We discuss how to deal with the Left, what he thinks of Trump, what he thinks about tradition, and his thoughts on Kamala Harris. We get into the importance of being a positive mentor...

My guest this week produces wonderfully made YouTube videos on the philosophy of neoreactionism: the original brainchild of thinkers like Mencius Moldbug and Nick Land. Neoreactionary thought is often misunderstood and yet vitally important to understanding political power and philosophy. It has been incorrectly called the alt-right and even worse. Charlemagne and I discuss the roots of neoreactio...

My guest this week comes from the Left but authored a great book titled, "War for Eternity: The Return of Traditionalism and the Rise of the Populist Right". Much of this book focuses on Steven K. Bannon and a cast of Traditionalists from around the world. Ben and I take a deep dive into Bannon, as Ben had many meetings, lunches, and dinners with him and his inner circle. We get into what exactly...

My guest this week is Edward Dutton, author of the book, "At Our Wits' End". Edward doesn't shy away from controversial topics. I come at this wondering why a discussion of the intelligence quotient going down over the decades would even be controversial. Edward Dutton goes through the methodology of IQ and explains the factors that have lead to its decline since the Industrial Revolution. We get...

Daniel McCarthy is one of the utmost preeminent conservative scholars alive today. He is here with me to discuss the history of conservatism and give us a taste of what he will be teaching in his upcoming class on Conservatism for Renegade University. Daniel details the many manifestations of conservative thought over the decades, from paleoconservatives to neoconservatives and many others. We rel...

My guests this week are three guys that must remain anonymous to retain their ability to work in Hollywood. They work in the TV and film industry, and they are creating a 5-part documentary series called, "Follow the Science: On Lockdowns and Liberty". They are the creators of the SoundMind Creative Group which allows fellow creators a space dedicated to freedom of expression and the uninhibited e...

Peter St Onge is on the show with me this week to discuss what exactly is going on with the economy right now. Why are gas and lumber so much more expensive now? Is it inflation? Does it have to do with the supply chain issues of 2020? How stable is the US Dollar? Is it rapidly losing value? What is so special about Bitcoin? Why does it hold value? Can it inflate? All of these questions and more w...

My guest today is Peter G. Klein, Carl Menger Research Fellow of the Mises Institute and W.W. Caruth Chair and Professor of Entrepreneurship at Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business. Peter joins me to discuss the phenomenon many know as "woke capitalism". We discuss where it came from, what it means, it's relationship with the early "Progressive Era", the massive support the left now has...

My guest this week is the Head Lion over at the Lions of Liberty podcast, Marc Clair. Marc's interview style has really been an influence on me, but more than that, I can tell that he's been evolving quite a bit in his thoughts and outlook on everything from libertarianism to spirituality. As someone who respects the work he does, I wanted to bring him on and discuss the evolution I can sense in h...

Today I'm joined by Tho Bishop and Clint from Liberty Lockdown to discuss the evergreen topic of political strategy. Clint is advocating for the Libertarian Party and Mises Caucus as being the best vehicles moving forward for the growth of liberty and messaging. Tho has a different view and pushes for using one of the two major parties in America, specifically for him, the Republican Party. We dis...

My guest this week is the great Scott Horton. Scott and I discuss the War on Terror and when, if at all, American troops will finally be withdrawn from Afghanistan. Biden has already torn up the deal that Trump made with the Taliban to remove the troops by May 1, 2021. We also discuss the CIA and other nefarious groups placating the left by pretending that woke-ism and diversity are important issu...

My guest this week is the brilliant author, journalist, classicist, and historian, Dr. Thomas Fleming. Dr. Fleming first appeared on my radar as a founding member of what was then called The Southern League. We discuss what happened with that organization and what he thinks of secession these days. Dr. Fleming was also the man that Murray Rothbard reached out to and their friendship sprung the pal...

Today's episode features my recent appearance on the Freeman Beyond the Wall podcast with Pete Quiñones. Pete and I discuss some of the things I said during a panel at a Mises Institute event in Birmingham, AL. I advised libertarians to start resisting the, often fallacious, claim to be neither left nor right. We discuss why I said that, the pushback I received at the event, secession, the Woke le...

My guest this week is Iowa State Representative Jeff Shipley. Jeff is a Republican in the style of Ron Paul. We talk about his rise to elected office and how he strives to really listen to his constituents. We discuss his philosophy on the political system in America, his thoughts on the Libertarian Party and the Republican Party, and the issues that are important to him and the people he serves....

My guest on this episode is Don the Pleb, proprietor of Plebian Media. Don's weekly YouTube show has become very popular, and you'll understand why from this interview. Don is of the right-wing persuasion and is very good at understanding politics and analysis. In this chat, he explains what Operation Choke Point is and how it has influenced deplatforming and demonetizing various voices in media....

Vin Armani is a man with a very fascinating and diverse life story. He now resides in Saipan after seeing the writing on the wall in April 2020. He knew the US was headed in a very bad direction. Vin is here to discuss the age that we now live in. It's what he has coined "The Dim Age". What differentiates it from the Dark Age is that the light is out there to be found. How do we tap into it? We ar...

This was a really enjoyable bonus episode with Thaddeus Russell and Tho Bishop. Tho is a proud Florida man, and Thaddeus resides in the State of California. We discuss the ways in which their respective states implemented COVID-19 restrictions and how it has affected their lives. Florida has obviously come out on the winning end now, and California and its governor Gavin Newsom are floundering. We...