The Conservative Opinion Podcast

In this episode, I react to a recent conversation between Ken Burns and Conan O'Brien, and wrestle with a frustrating contradiction. Ken Burns is, in many ways, everything that is right about America. He is thoughtful, serious, historically grounded, and deeply patriotic without being performative. His documentaries have helped generations of Americans understand their country with honesty an...

In this episode, I wrestle with the moral and strategic unease I’ve felt watching the bombing of Iran unfold — and, more specifically, watching the applause that has followed it. Iran’s regime is brutal. Its nuclear ambitions are dangerous. There is a serious argument that diplomacy reached its limits. But even if military force was necessary, should it be celebrated? I explore the difference betw...

Is bombing Iran a show of strength — or a symptom of strategic confusion? In this episode, I examine the limits of what I call “ballistic diplomacy” — short bursts of military force launched without sustained follow-through. Iran is not an innocent actor. It sponsors terror, enriches uranium, and aligns itself with powers openly hostile to the United States and Israel. There is a strong case that...

In this episode, we explore one of the most dangerous illusions in modern politics: the belief that evil only exists on the other side. Drawing on theology, history, and political philosophy, this episode examines how moral certainty — not malice — so often becomes the gateway to corruption. When people become convinced that their cause is righteous, their opponents irredeemable, and their intenti...

Why did Adolf Hitler despise Christianity but tolerate — and even benefit from — atheism? In this episode, we explore the historical and philosophical reasons behind Hitler’s hostility toward the Christian faith, and why Christianity posed a far greater threat to Nazi ideology than unbelief ever did. Drawing on historical records, speeches, and Nazi policy, this episode explains: Why Christianity...

In this episode, we explore what atheists can learn from the way lawyers and jurors actually reason about evidence. Drawing on a real murder trial, we explain how rational judgment is rarely about scientific certainty and almost always about weighing cumulative evidence. Courts do not demand laboratory proof; they demand reasonable conclusions. Yet when the question turns to God, many atheists sud...

In this episode, we examine the arrest of Nicolás Maduro and the predictable outrage that followed—outrage framed around sovereignty, regime change, and accusations of American overreach. Beneath those slogans, however, lies a far more serious set of questions. What does sovereignty actually mean when a regime actively facilitates transnational crime? Can a government that voids legitimate electio...

Socialism loves to sneer at “trickle-down economics,” promising instead warmth, equality, and fairness through collectivism. But everywhere it has been tried, socialism has produced the very system it claims to oppose: centralized power, rationed scarcity, and resources trickling down from the state to the people by permission rather than right. In this episode, we examine what might best be calle...

In modern progressive politics, policy arguments often take a back seat to something far more powerful: moral authority. Bernie Sanders is rarely treated as a mere politician. He is treated as a figure beyond reproach, a vessel of righteousness, a kind of secular saint whose intentions sanctify his ideas and whose critics are dismissed as heretics. In this episode, I examine how Sanders has come t...

Jordan Peterson defends Christianity more eloquently than most believers—so why won’t he call himself a Christian? Jordan Peterson has spent years circling Christianity—defending it, studying it, admiring it, and insisting that Western civilization cannot survive without it. Yet when asked a simple question— Are you a Christian? —he still refuses to say yes. Why? In this episode, I explore why Jor...

Fascism is almost reflexively described as a “right-wing” ideology. The label is repeated so often that it has come to feel settled, unquestioned, and morally convenient. But is it actually correct? In this episode, I argue that this common classification rests on a fundamental category error. Fascism is not an ideology of the Right, properly understood, but a form of totalitarianism defined by th...

Senator Mitt Romney’s New York Times op-ed, “Tax the Rich, Like Me,” has been widely praised as a serious, responsible answer to the looming Social Security crisis. But look closely, and a familiar pattern emerges. In this episode, we examine Romney’s proposal and ask who would actually pay the new taxes he advocates — and what they would get in return. The answer is not Romney or billionaires liv...

In this episode, we confront the moral cowardice that has taken root in modern American conservatism, focusing on the rise and indulgence of Nick Fuentes — a figure who presents himself as both Christian and conservative while embodying neither. Fuentes is not a misunderstood dissident or a persecuted truth-teller. He is a self-described racist and misogynist whose collectivist ideology mirrors th...

 In this episode, Jordan Rickards examines why the GOP has abandoned the issues that matter most to ordinary Americans: college costs, housing access, and healthcare reform. Instead of policy, we get theatrics. Instead of solutions, we get silence. And the result is a dangerous political vacuum the Left is eager to fill. This is an urgent call for Republicans to remember why they exist—and to fina...

In this episode, we delve into C.S. Lewis’s allegory from The Great Divorce , where a ghost clings to a puppet symbolizing performative victimhood. Drawing parallels to contemporary society, we explore how modern culture often elevates grievance over healing, turning pain into identity and empathy into moral coercion. We discuss the dangers of allowing resentment to define us and the importance of...

 Harvard has a $53 billion endowment, pays its investment managers like Wall Street bankers, and calls itself a nonprofit. In this episode, we expose how America’s elite universities have become hedge funds masquerading as schools—hoarding wealth, overpaying executives, and saddling students with lifelong debt, all while enjoying tax-exempt status. We compare them to their European counterparts, e...

In this episode, we delve into a critical examination of Walt Disney's legacy and the ethical foundations of the company he built. Drawing from a recent article on ConservativeOpinion.com, we explore how Disney's business practices have evolved over time and the moral implications of those changes. From the company's handling of labor issues to its engagement with cultural and polit...

 In this episode, we take on the absurd claim that shielding children from pornography and graphic content is "censorship." Jordan Rickards makes the case that protecting childhood innocence is not just common sense—it's the foundation of civilization itself. 

In this episode, we delve into Jordan B. Rickards' insightful analysis of President Trump's first 100 days in his second term. Rickards acknowledges Trump's adeptness at channeling public frustration and his bold actions to dismantle perceived institutional failures. However, he critiques the administration's lack of a cohesive reconstruction plan, warning that demolition witho...

 In this episode, we dive into HBO’s The White Lotus as more than just prestige TV—it’s a mirror held up to the decadent, self-justifying rituals of elite liberalism. We unpack how wealth and guilt dance together in a new gospel of indulgence, where morality is performative and redemption is bought through ideology. From sun-soaked resorts to the darker undercurrents of privilege, we explore what...

Trump’s tariffs are the largest tax on trade in U.S. history—and they’re going to cost American consumers more than we realize. In this episode, we break down the economic impact of tariffs, why they lead to inflation and deflation, and why cutting corporate taxes is a better path to strengthening American industry.

In this episode, we delve into the importance of due process rights for all individuals, including those accused of being illegal aliens. We explore the legal and ethical foundations of due process, discuss its role in protecting individual freedoms, and analyze the implications of denying these rights to illegal immigrants. Join us for a thoughtful discussion on why upholding due process is essen...

In this episode, we examine the growing trend of political vandalism and digital vigilantism — from firebombed EV charging stations to viral videos celebrating chaos. But this isn’t resistance. It’s not even politics. It’s a spiritual sickness, one Dostoevsky foresaw in The Devils : the thrill of destruction disguised as justice. Join us as we explore the deeper meaning behind these acts, the coll...

Democrats once championed tariffs to protect American workers—until Trump adopted the same policies. In this episode, we expose the Left's hypocrisy on trade and tariffs, showing how partisan politics, not principle, drives their outrage. The facts reveal that Trump didn’t rewrite the rules—he just reminded us who wrote them in the first place. 

 Saturday Night Live built its legacy on fearless satire, skewering the powerful and absurd on both sides of the political aisle. But in recent years, the show has abandoned that balance, turning a blind eye to the growing absurdities of the Left. In this episode, we explore how SNL's partisan blind spot not only alienates half the country but weakens the very comedy it once mastered.