The MeidasTouch Podcast - Former Conservative REVEALS why he left conservatism

Episode Date: July 7, 2022

What does conservatism mean today in a world where MAGA cultists describe themselves with that label? James Killen, aka DuckDad, who has made a series of viral videos deconstructing his conservatism brilliantly dissects for MeidasTouch in this video the conservative myths and lies which have resulted in a radical extremist Republican agenda of hate, fear, and gaslighting. The Mighty is a new program on The MeidasTouch Podcast channel where we highlight the incredible commentary of Meidas Contributors. New episodes of The Mighty are released on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. New episodes of the world famous MeidasTouch Podcast featuring the Meiselas brothers release new episodes on Tuesday and Friday mornings on this channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with iGaming Ontario. Mycelis, and you're listening to The Mighty. The Mighty is a program on the Midas Touch podcast channel where we highlight the musings, commentary, responses, and reactions by Midas contributors. On this episode of The Mighty, we'll hear from Midas contributor James Killen, who also goes by the name of Duck Dad. You may know James Killen from TikTok, where many of his videos have gone viral under a series he calls Deconstructing My Conservatism. You see, James was a former conservative who stopped using that label when he realized the term conservative has been perverted beyond recognition by right-wing extremists. In this episode, James opens up and discusses why he left conservatism. James, take it away.

I get asked daily why I left conservatism and why do I think Democrats are the answer all of a sudden. It's a fair question, but the complete answer requires a bit more than a TikTok. If you're on the outside looking in, defining American conservatism can be a frustrating process. Especially if you're looking for information you can actually make use of. It's easy to find the academic definition of conservatism. You'll find its roots in political theory, the influences of Burke and Hamilton, Hayek, Buckley, Kirk, Falwell, Buchanan, and Gingrich. You'll find how it's contrasted with competing ideologies like liberalism and progressivism

and Marxism, among others. You'll find information on all the subcategories too, like social conservatives and fiscal conservatives and Christian conservatives and neo and paleo conservatives and constitutional conservatives. I left conservatism because not only did I no longer fit into any of those categories, arguably none of the academic definitions define today's modern conservatism, at least not the grassroots, everyday American conservatism. That's because modern conservatism is no longer about acting as a brake to prevent America

from progressing too fast or spending too much or acting outside of the Constitution. Modern conservatism is about fear. Matter of fact, instead of conservatism, we really should be calling it, like, Afraidism. I know a lot of folks who don't fit into those academic categories anymore, but they still consider themselves conservatives or plan to vote Republican solely out of fear that Democrats are secretly Socialists who want to destroy America. Many conservatives will tell you that conservatism is the defense of morality, the defense of the family, the defense of American traditions, the defense of liberty,

the defense of freedom, the defense of the individual and their right to self-defense, or the defense of the Constitution, and even the defense of God or Christianity. Defending something is predicated on the assumption it is being threatened or attacked. Conservatives believe they are defending those things, and America, from the left or progressives, socialists, the government, or any other entity, they deem a threat to their definitions of morality, family, traditions, freedom, and so on. In the effort to defend all these things they consider American, conservatives miss the big picture. They miss that the folks they're fighting are also Americans. Americans with differing views on things,

primarily because the United States is the most diversely populated country in the world. Modern conservatives don't want a melting pot. They want everyone to accept their definitions, to accept their culture, to accept their God, and to accept their rules. Sometimes the United States reminds me more of the NFL if it only had two teams. Of course, the United States would be a lot fairer and a little less hostile if we had 32 teams, which we could if we'd institute ranked choice voting and end the ridiculousness of our two-team system, but I digress. Regardless, at the end of the day, we're all Americans. We all have to live here together, and forcing people to adapt to our idea of America prevents America from

becoming the best possible place for everyone. I don't want to force adapt to our idea of America prevents America from becoming the best possible place for everyone. I don't want to force folks into my idea of America. I want to work together to find the best version of America that works for everyone. Conservatives today are missing that defend and protect are direct synonyms. They may be missing that America doesn't exist without Americans. In the zeal to defend some mythic idea of America, conservatives are not only fighting all the other people who exist inside that America,

they're unwittingly harming themselves too. Now, I believe with every fiber of my being that what every American wants is a safe place for their children to grow up, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, the ability to defend themselves and their family from harm, the ability to defend the nation from aggressors or adversaries, and provide for the general welfare of themselves and their family. Yet conservatives fight against universal health care because they claim it'll bankrupt the United States, or worse, they think some Americans don't deserve access to health care because they claim it'll bankrupt the United States, or worse, they think some Americans

don't deserve access to health care. I've never met a single American, whether they be the staunchest Trump supporter or an actual confessed communist whose goal was to destroy America. Even libertarians, the people with the most naive understanding of civil society and what it takes to make that possible don't want to destroy America. They have different views about what is best for America, yes, but none of them profess a desire to see the country burned to the ground. I don't even think Russia or China want to see the United States fail, and certainly not the majority of people in those countries. But it's conservatives who are fighting against ideas like Medicare for All, fighting against greater accountability and responsibility for gun ownership, fighting against a woman's right to her own body, fighting against programs to end homelessness, fighting against legalization of marijuana or the end of the war on drugs that is arguably

the most grossly ineffective policy of the 20th century. Something about claiming to fight for America by supporting policies and laws that directly harm Americans? It just doesn't jive with me. I want to fight for a woman's freedom to make her own decisions about her body. Regardless of how I feel about it, freedoms mean another person's family planning is none of my business. Freedom means a person's sexual orientation or who they marry is none of my business. Freedom means passing laws that prevent harm to others, but allows a person and the stakeholders in that person's life

to make decisions about what's best for them, not forcing them to abide by what I think is best for them. I want to fight for the success of all Americans, which means working to level the economic playing field and not for end result equality. That's nonsense, but for an equal chance at success for everyone, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, or other immutable characteristic. I want to fight for access to healthcare, not place the onus on St. Jude's to devote resources trying to find enough donations to help a child fight cancer and prevent a family from going bankrupt in the process.

I do not think it's impossible, nor nor beyond reason to assume we can work together to set a baseline standard of living for our friends, neighbors, and fellow Americans that lines up with the image of America we try to project to the rest of the world. The wealthiest nation on earth has people going hungry, living in their vehicle, or going bankrupt because their body, through no fault of their own, turned on them. That's nonsense. If conservatives believe America is exceptional, they surely aren't the ones trying to make it that way. That's why I left conservatism. Modern conservatism does not reflect my values. It does not reflect my idea of what America is and where it should be headed. Anymore, it rejects science in favor

of conspiracy theories, and it certainly doesn't stand for the success of every American. The problem I really see is that a lot of American conservatives are lost in a sea of media personalities selling advertising, peddling gold and silver, and capitalizing on fear so they can sell prepper kits and guns. The propaganda being spewed by these charlatans is poisoning the minds of otherwise decent human beings. Some who fear, again, you know, afraidism. Some who fear we're still in a cold war and the enemies of the United States want to see it destroyed or the government is just biding its time so one day it can turn on the American people. To what end, I have no clue. But there are some who fear Social Security won't be solvent when they retire and who, thanks to direct contribution retirement plans and largely

stagnant wages for three decades, don't have enough in the bank to ensure they don't have to move in with their kids when they retire, if they can retire. There are some who think America is ordained by God, and they fear if America moves too far away from Judeo-Christian values, God will no longer favor the United States. Maybe they won't be allowed into heaven because they didn't do enough to protect those values. And again, there are those who are scared that America, where white people are the minority, maybe they'll be treated like America's minorities are treated now. Yeah, let that one sink in for a minute. The bottom line is today's modern

American conservatism just doesn't reflect who I am. It doesn't reflect an idea of America I want for my children, my grandchildren, and I don't feel it supports an America that gives everyone a chance at success. That's why I left conservatism. Not because I believe Democrats have all the answers, but because I genuinely don't believe conservatives want everyone to have a chance to take the test. I'm James Killen, deconstructing my conservatism for Midas Touch. Thanks, James. Powerful stuff. I'm James Killen, deconstructing my conservatism for Midas Touch. perspective when they have a moment. Hey, thank you for listening to this episode of The Mighty. New episodes of The Mighty drop every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. New episodes of the podcast I do with me and my brothers, well, that still releases every Tuesday

and Friday. Make sure to subscribe now to this podcast channel and leave a five-star review. For new Midas merch and the top pro democracy gear, go to store.midastouch.com. Thanks for listening and shout out to the Midas Mighty!