Modern Age with Dan McCarthy

Is America a nation like any other, defined by a people, a place, and a shared history? Or is America simply an idea, a creed that anyone can adopt? In this episode, Dan McCarthy challenges the popular notion of the United States as a purely “creedal nation,” arguing that it is a modern innovation and a false alternative to both ethno-nationalism and rooted national identity. Drawing on the Declar...

If conservatives favor limited government, how limited should it be?  In this episode, Dan McCarthy explores that unexpected convergence on the American Right. We revisit the late-20th-century debates between libertarians, paleoconservatives, and neoconservatives over trade, borders, national sovereignty, and the growing power of the federal state and why those arguments are resurfacing today in t...

Has Donald Trump brought the conservative era to an end, or has he exposed something deeper about what conservatism has been for the past eighty years? Dan McCarthy responds to a recent argument that Trump marks a break with the Reagan, Buckley, and Goldwater tradition. Instead, Dan argues that much of modern conservatism lived in the shadow of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the New Deal, defined more...

What if the story you’ve been told about the American Revolution is backwards? Dan McCarthy argues that the Founding was not a revolt against law, authority, or order. It was a conservative revolution, aimed at defending inherited rights, lawful government, and constitutional liberty. In today’s protests against immigration enforcement and law enforcement in places like Minneapolis, the Left often...

A tragic encounter in Minneapolis has reignited national debate over law enforcement, activism, and the rule of law. In this episode, Dan McCarthy examines the killing of Renee Good during an ICE operation and places it in the broader context of post-2020 policing, judicial leniency, and organized efforts to obstruct law enforcement. He explores how activist tactics, sympathetic judges, and politi...

Did the capture of Nicolás Maduro mark a return to America’s original foreign policy or a new era of U.S. interventionism? In this episode, we examine the so-called “Donroe Doctrine” and ask whether President Trump’s decisive operation in Venezuela aligns more closely with the Founders’ restrained vision of foreign policy than with the ideological interventionism of the 20th and 21st centuries. By...

As America approaches its 250th anniversary (the Semiquincentennial), we return to the Declaration of Independence and its most debated phrase: “all men are created equal.” Why created equal? Why not merely born equal? In this episode, Dan McCarthy argues that the Declaration’s logic depends on a Creator: rights are not inventions of the state or products of social consensus, but endowments ground...

During the Christmas season, it’s natural to think about joy, generosity, and prosperity. But it’s also a moment to reflect on restraint, discipline, and the long-term health of our economy. In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy examines President Trump’s plan to lower interest rates and appoint a Federal Reserve chair who would pursue easier credit. While lower rates can give the economy a...

What does it really mean to be a conservative? As the 250th anniversary of American independence approaches, Dan McCarthy traces the deeper origins of American conservatism, not just to 1980s Reaganism or 1950s fusionism, but back to the political battles of Whigs and Tories in 18th-century England. This episode offers a sweeping intellectual history that places today’s debates over populism, fore...

How well do Americans really understand monarchy, constitutionalism, and the actual causes of the American Revolution? In this episode of Modern Age, editor Dan McCarthy peels back the mythology to explore the deep historical roots of the American system—going back to the Glorious Revolution of 1688, the rise of the Whigs and Tories, and what those debates teach us about executive power, liberalis...

What explains the growing divide between older and younger conservatives? In this episode, Modern Age editor Dan McCarthy explores the ideological, cultural, and economic rifts between the Reagan-Buckley generation and Gen Z conservatives. Is this a generational clash or the start of a new conservative movement? 📱 Subscribe for more episodes and visit modernagejournal.com 🎧 Listen on your favori...

On the centennial of William F. Buckley Jr.’s birth, Dan McCarthy revisits the towering legacy of the man who shaped postwar American conservatism. From founding National Review and leading ISI, to defining the modern Right’s anti-communist and anti-statist battles, Buckley was instrumental in reshaping American political discourse. But what did he truly conserve—and how should today’s conservativ...

This week on Modern Age , Dan McCarthy breaks down the economic and cultural consequences of President Trump’s proposed 50-year mortgage and the broader housing crisis facing America. From lifelong debt and falling birthrates to the decline of Jeffersonian ideals, Dan explores the deeper roots of the affordability crisis—and why today’s policy responses might do more harm than good. Can conservati...

This week on Modern Age, Dan McCarthy explores a pivotal legal and constitutional question: Can President Trump impose tariffs on his own authority? With the Supreme Court hearing a case that challenges his use of emergency powers under the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA), this episode dives deep into the legal history, economic rationale, and political stakes. What counts as a...

In this episode, Modern Age editor Dan McCarthy explores how Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy has evolved into something bigger—a coalition of nationalists reshaping international politics. Dan unpacks how this emerging coalition differs from the old liberal internationalism, why nationalism doesn’t have to mean isolationism, and how a shared strategic outlook could counter growing th...

In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy explores President Trump’s evolving strategy toward Latin America—and what it tells us about the new Cold War with China. From supporting Argentina’s Javier Milei to tightening pressure on Venezuela, Trump’s policies challenge conventional left and right critiques. Dan discusses why Trump’s strategic approach may mark a return to Cold War realism and wha...

Former critics are now calling Trump a serious contender for the Nobel Peace Prize — thanks to a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of Israeli hostages. In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy explores how Trump’s bold diplomacy succeeded in one of the world’s most volatile conflicts — and whether his approach can do the same in Ukraine. Can you back a side in war and broker peace? Trump thinks...

Should Columbus Day still be celebrated in America? In this episode of Modern Age , Dan McCarthy explores the historical, philosophical, and cultural arguments for honoring Christopher Columbus—despite the controversy surrounding him. Drawing on Christian, classical, Enlightenment, and even realist perspectives, Dan lays out three universal reasons why Columbus remains a figure worth honoring. He...

As the West becomes less Christian and less culturally European, what happens to conservatism? In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy explores the demographic and religious transformations reshaping America, Britain, and Europe—and what they mean for the future of conservative identity and political thought. Drawing on thinkers like Alexis de Tocqueville and Leo Strauss, Dan raises difficult...

Why are conservatives being cast as the enemies of free speech—by the very institutions that once championed it? In this episode of Modern Age , Dan McCarthy examines the coordinated layers of left-wing power: the elite media and universities, the street-level Antifa activists, and the ideological narratives that connect them. Dan unpacks how elite institutions use inflammatory rhetoric to justify...

A 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee fled a war zone—only to be murdered on a public train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her killer? A man with 14 prior arrests, released again and again by a justice system that seems more committed to freeing criminals than protecting the innocent. 🔔 Subscribe for more thoughtful conservative analysis  📰 Read Modern Age: https://modernagejournal.com  🎧 Listen on yo...

In this episode, Dan McCarthy responds to the tragic Catholic school shooting in Minneapolis and explores the deeper societal implications. What does the rise of violent rhetoric surrounding gender identity say about the current state of liberal permissiveness? And why are parents increasingly sidelined when it comes to decisions about their children’s identities? Dan highlights the Florida teache...

Is Donald Trump turning his back on free market conservatism—or is he adapting to a new geopolitical reality? In this episode of Modern Age , Dan McCarthy explores the political and economic debate surrounding Trump’s recent Intel deal, industrial policy, and the idea of a U.S. sovereign wealth fund. Critics call it socialism. Supporters call it realism. Dan unpacks the deeper ideological tension...

Is the war on drugs really over? In this episode of Modern Age , Dan McCarthy examines President Trump’s potential decision to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug. While some see this move as a sign of progress, Dan questions what it means for public safety, social standards, and American cities. He explores the real-world consequences of marijuana legalization, challenges arguments from b...

In this episode of Modern Age, Dan McCarthy explores what the recent defunding of NPR and PBS means for the future of public institutions in America. With taxpayer support for these Kennedy and Johnson-era programs rolled back by President Trump and the Republican Congress, the conversation has shifted. Will private donors step in to support what many view as vital cultural and humanitarian effort...