The Brion McClanahan Show

Did the bomb end World War II? That has long been the conventional wisdom among average Americans. It seems that way. Japan surrendered after the second bomb was dropped in 1945. But is this true?  https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com

Professor Saul Cornell doesn't like the latest round of arguments from  the Supreme Court. SCOTUS seems poised to expand "gun rights," but  Cornell thinks this is a case of "selective originalism." I agree, but  Cornell is confused by "textualism" and "orignialism." The two terms  aren't the same. SCOTUS shouldn't even have this case on the docket. I  explain why on this e...

A listener wanted to know the best book on the political revolution of 1800. This was a great question that allowed for a deep dive into the Old Republicans, the true progenitors of the American conservative tradition. I discuss the best book on the topic and the event itself in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://lear...

If you listen to the left and the neoconservatives, our "democracy" is being threatened by Republicans, or more importantly Donald Trump. Is this true? And is the United States a "democracy"? A recently published public letter on the fragility of our "democracy" by some of these nincompoops was too funny to overlook. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntru...

Americans constantly insist that voting is a "right." But is that true? Would the founding generation consider voting to be a "right"? More importantly for modern American society, does insisting that voting is a "right" lead to unintended consequences, i.e. more fraud? More Americans believe that elections are rigged than at any point in American history. I discuss these issues on this episode of...

Was Glenn Youngkin's victory an anti-woke mandate? You could read it  that way, or you could see it as a result of soccer moms upset that they  were being called racist and wanted to punish the people who were  saying it. I discuss Youngkin's victory and what it means for future  elections.   https://mcclanahanacademy.com  https://brionmcclanahan.com/support  htt...

If you want to know what the legal loons on the progressive left think,  follow Ian Millhiser on social media. You'll get a regular good laugh.  Millhiser regularly champions packing the Supreme Court, ending the  filibuster (or the Senate), and warns against the "dangerous" tendencies  of "conservative" justices. You see, what Millhiser doesn't like is the  activist court...

The surprising results of the 2021 elections in Virginia and New Jersey  have people on both sides of the political spectrum thinking ahead, but  one thing has not changed: America is still a very divided place. One  election has not changed that. Should Americans still be talking about  secession? And would it be a difficult prospect? Dave Reaboi thinks it  would be easie...

In the ongoing struggle to define American "conservatism," the neoconservatives and Straussians have decided John C. Calhoun is either the epitome of evil or a Democrat or both. In other words, he should not be praised for any reason. This raises the question, what Americans should conservatives admire? https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com

The West Coast Straussians will tell you that the Declaration of Independence is "organic law." This position forms the basis of their "proposition nation" ideology. But is the Declaration "organic law" by definition? And if not, what does this mean for America and more importantly American conservatism? https://mccclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com

Can a State ban schools from teaching CRT? Yes, at least according to the Constitution as ratified. Of course, the legislation cannot violate the State constitution, but if the State avoids that pitfall, it has complete control over schools within its borders. I discuss a new lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma, incorporation, and the 14th Amendment on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show....

Joel Kotkin argues that woke is going to burn out and that perhaps we've reached the zenith of woke stupidity in America. Maybe. Kotkin, like Michael Lind, thinks the "culture war" hides the real war in America, namely a war driven more by class than culture. I've discussed both Lind and Kotkin on my podcast before, but this piece deserved a discussion. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionm...

A few weeks ago I argued that the Constitution was "neutral" on slavery. This didn't sit well with leftist libertarians who contend the document was pro-slavery. James Oaks has written a new book that contends the Constitution was anti-slavery. Are either correct? And what does this mean for America? I discuss in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brio...

With friends like these? Mona Charen wrote a piece last week defending monuments to Jefferson and Washington while insisting that Lee should come down. This has been the neocon stance since 2015. Some deny it while backpedaling--see Victor Davis Hanson--but people like Charen don't hide their stupidity. I discuss on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://b...

"America" would not exist without the South, nor would American conservatism exist without the Southern tradition. You could also make the same case for American liberalism to some degree. In other words, "America" was the South for much of its history. A recent piece at The American Conservative makes this case, so I discuss it on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacade...

Surprise! The establishment "conservative" Rich Lowry thinks secession is a bad idea. In a piece for National Review, Lowry criticizes the developing push for secession and classifies it as un-American. This is why National Review is a worthless rag. I discuss Lowry and secession on this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://...

Republicans have decided to try to rehabilitate U.S. Grant's reputation. Why? Because he saved the Union from evil Southerners and brought true democracy to America. In other words, this is political outreach. See, us Republicans have always been the party of black Americans. Vote Republican! It won't work and it's based on bad history. This is why the Republican Party will always be the stupid pa...

A high school history teacher wants to know how to teach Jacksonian America without focusing so much on Andrew Jackson. In other words, he wants more Calhoun. Everyone needs to hear this, even if you aren't a teacher. I discuss in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistory.com

In the past few years, the Claremont Institute has become the face of "American Conservatism." This is fueled in part by clever advertising at Hillsdale College (run by a Jaffaite) and the influence of Claremont pundits in the Trump administration and on conservative news outlets. The Atlantic sat down with Claremont President Ryan Williams and asked him about his organization and American conserv...

Sell described "conservative" Yankee Allen Guelzo has written a new book about Robert E. Lee. His point? Lee was a traitor and an overrated general who should not be honored by anyone in the United States. He's been saying this for years, but in our modern woke age, he decided to cash in. You see, wokies love "conservatives" who support their mental illness. I discuss in this episode of The Brion...

They don't like them, at least not the majority of them. Why? Because they are primarily dedicated to white men. And not just any white men. Militaristic, slaveholding, racist, imperialist white men. They don't know why so many monuments have been dedicated to such evil people. I discuss their  revelations in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://bri...

According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, school board moms are dangerous and need to be investigated by the FBI. This is where "think locally, act locally" meets federal resistance. Garland, the man progressives everywhere think should be a Supreme Court justice, has shown his totalitarian tendencies. I discuss in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https...

There are warnings that our supply chain problems are going to get worse. Shipping workers are threatening to walk off the job if governments don't ease restrictions. That means the logjam at ports and airports could increase exponentially. This is why thinking locally and acting locally is always a good idea. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcclanahan.com/support http://learntruehistor...

Some people have asked, including the Jaffaties themselves, why pick a fight with other conservatives now? The left is winning, apparently, on all fronts. My response: if you are going to use their language and discarded positions to win, you lose. I discuss this and the recent panel on the founding at ISI in this episode of The Brion McClanahan Show. https://mcclanahanacademy.com https://brionmcc...

Americans believe that we are an exceptional people. In some cases, this is true. But when Obama said in 2009 that other peoples believe they are exceptional as well, he was widely condemned by the right for his disbelief in "American exceptionalism." Obama was right. In fact, "exceptionalism" can be found throughout history, the most conspicuous example being Pericles's "Funeral Oration' from the...