President's Day, Post Liberalism, Jim Valliant, and More
Main Discussion Topics
Presidents Day and George Washington
Discussion of Presidents Day origins as Washington's birthday celebration
Critique of federal holidays as government-mandated calendar control
Michael and Jim agree on celebrating individuals while opposing legally mandated holidays
Jim explained the problem with government holiday mandates: "What the hell is government doing dictating a calendar for everybody else? Of course, they have their own government calendar work days, and they get to decide that, but apart from that."
Washington's Military Leadership and Character
Washington fired first shot of French and Indian War in his twenties
Served as officer in British forces before Revolutionary War
Revolutionary War strategy focused on preserving army through tactical retreats
Brilliant tactical victories at key moments including crossing the Delaware
Final victory at Yorktown with French naval assistance
Jim emphasized Washington's moral character: "He was a badass soldier. That's how he got the job as commander of the revolutionary army because he had military experience as an officer fighting for the British."
On Washington's greatest virtue: "He was not a power luster. You know, you and Mark have said on many occasions that the only person qualified to lead a country is the man who's not interested in leading the country."
Washington's Political Legacy
Presided over Constitutional Convention, lending crucial credibility
Reluctantly served two terms as president
Refused kingship despite suggestions from figures like Hamilton
Voluntarily stepped down from power, setting precedent against monarchy
Freed his slaves by end of his life, influenced by revolutionary ideals
Michael contextualized the founders and slavery: "Yes, condemn them and criticize them for owning slaves, but praise them for setting a foundation upon which slavery had to fall and for their arguments against slavery."
Jim connected Washington to American ideals: "When slavery was fought in this country, four score, and seven years later, fellow by the name of Abraham Lincoln specifically invoked that phrase. That ideal as the reason, the moral justification for turning a war that simply to save the, keep the union united into a crusade against slavery."
The Enlightenment Foundation of America
Founding fathers as products of Enlightenment philosophy
Influence of Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire on constitutional design
Secular government as radical step forward
First Amendment establishment of no state religion and free exercise
Bill of Rights as scientific approach to limiting government power
Jim explained the cultural context: "They were products of their culture and their time, the enlightenment and the best parts of the enlightenment, the best parts of the English and French enlightenment."
On the Constitution's secular nature: "The United States Constitution with its Bill of Rights is a radical step forward in secular government, no attempt at religious justification for it. They were using the reason and science of the enlightenment to construct a government on in effect, scientific grounds."
American Revolution vs. French Revolution
French Revolution descended into Reign of Terror under Rousseau's followers
Equality enforced through guillotine, destroying liberty
American Revolution preserved individual rights through constitutional limits
French execution of scientists like Lavoisier demonstrated anti-reason purges
Michael quoted Will Durant on the French Revolution: "Rousseau was everywhere leveling. And when the revolution fell into the hands of his followers, Marat and Robespierre, equality had its chance and liberty got guillotined."
Jim noted the succession of terror: "Principles will come back to bad principles, will come back to bite you. Good principles, if you stick to it, will keep you to the truth."
Post-Liberalism and Patrick Deneen
Post-liberal movement rejects Enlightenment liberalism entirely
Patrick Deneen as intellectual figurehead of anti-liberal conservatism
Deneen's failed 2007 "Peak Oil" prediction of civilizational collapse
Post-liberals blame individualism, free markets, and liberal values for social problems
Movement advocates government economic intervention and social control
Michael described the movement: "Post liberalism is a broad intellectual movement that argues the dominant form of modern western liberalism, especially as developed in late 20th century, has failed and should be replaced or fundamentally restructured."
Jim characterized the danger: "What we have here is in the anti liberal, and this is what that, this is. The, this new conservative, you know, we were talking other, the other day again about fusion, is we were talking about how early conservatives in the middle of the 20th century, men, like Frank Meyer, were trying to combine things that really were illogically inconsistent."
JD Vance and Blood and Soil Ideology
Vance as protégé of Patrick Deneen
Republican Convention speech claiming "America is not an idea" but "a land and a people"
Rejection of ideals in favor of nationalism and tribalism
Vance's philosophy more dangerous than Trump's pragmatic populism
Jim quoted Vance's troubling rhetoric: "He said, America is not an idea. He said America is a land and a people. So if you want an echo of blood and soil ideology, that I found horrific, I mean, absolutely horrific. He said, people don't die for ideas. They die for their families. They die for their homes."
Jim's response to Vance: "No, I would only risk my life for an idea. My immediate response is no. In fact, to defend my family, to defend my home, I would have to be defending an idea and if an army defending my liberty and my family and my property were marching across my property, I'd let 'em do it in a heartbeat."
Economic Liberalization and Human Flourishing
Industrial Revolution as greatest improvement in human material conditions
Population growth, decreased infant mortality, increased life expectancy
Economic freedom connected to ending slavery and women's rights
Free markets enabled unprecedented technological and social progress
Jim explained the revolutionary impact: "People don't realize the industrial revolution of the last 300 years or so. You look at the human population and sort of the flat curve. The human population takes a steep hockey stick curve up, starting with the Industrial Revolution, infant mortality goes down, life expectancy increases, along with all kinds of other quality of life improvements."
Counter-Enlightenment Philosophers
Hume's attack on induction and objective morality
Kant's severing of mind from reality
Rousseau's emotionalism and collectivism
These thinkers undermined Enlightenment progress
Direct philosophical roots of 20th century totalitarianism
Michael identified the pattern: "With the enlightenment came, what, at least I think of, I think many people think of as counter enlightenment thinkers, Hume, Kant, Rousseau. You have Hume who of course basically says induction is impossible that you can't reason for figure out cause and effect. He said, there can be no morality. Kant severs the mind from reality altogether. Rousseau is an emotionalist, very big collectivist."
Jim emphasized Kant's particular danger: "Kant is worse. He's worse than both Hume and Rousseau. Kant created this entire philosophical system that combined all of the very worst things you could possibly imagine in his epistemology. We cannot access reality. So he is a radical subjectivist when it comes to his epistemology in ethics. He's a radical intrinsicist, regardless of consequences, do your duty."
Philosophy Shapes History
Kant's influence on Hegel, Marx, and Lenin
"Do your duty regardless of consequences" as Holocaust precursor
Collectivism and duty ethics led to Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia
Not coincidental that totalitarian movements arose contemporaneously
Jim connected philosophy to historical outcomes: "You asked Lenin where are your philosophical foundations for your Marxism? And he will point you to Emmanuel Kant. German Nazis were doing their duty regardless of consequences, just obeying orders because it was good for our collective, for the race, the Aryan race, for the nation."
On historical patterns: "Philosophy is what shapes history. When you have the founding fathers rising to power in the founding of America, it ain't no coincidence when you see totalitarianism and socialism taking over in the 20th century. It is not a coincidence. It's the result of the power of velocity of ideas."
The Fascist Convergence
Both left and right abandoning liberal principles
Left calling for censorship, rejecting free speech
Right abandoning free markets for economic intervention
Consistent anti-liberalism emerging on both sides
Jim warned of the pattern: "Both sides are now moving in this anti-American fascist direction, and they're all gonna celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence this year, 2026. And none of them will have any appreciation for what made America America's founding so moral and great."
Trump's Rhetoric and Post-Liberal Policies
Trump's populism meshes with post-liberal agenda
Tariffs, immigration restrictions, economic interventions align with movement
Bible promotion and nationalist rhetoric fit post-liberal framework
While likely not intentional reader of Deneen, Trump embodies the politics
Michael observed: "Trump's rhetoric and policies meshes well with this stuff. His populism, his tariffs, his immigration restrictions, his interjections into the economy, whether it be in the housing market or banning who can buy houses or direct payments to citizens are all right in line. His touting the Bible constantly, and it meshes well with this stuff."
Referenced Media/Content
Philip Magness article "The Postliberal War on Economics" from The Independent Institute
Leonard Peikoff's book "The Ominous Parallels"
Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln
Michael's interview with Persephone for Everyday Ethics
Notable Quotes
Jim on Washington's Character: "He was a man who was a brilliant general, a courageous man, personally, brave man, but a man who was not a power luster. A man who wanted his country to get off to a sound footing without some kind of political warlord or military warlord taking over, which is so often the result of other revolutions."
Jim on Women's Rights Under English Law: "Under traditional English law, women had no rights to their own children. The property in effect, was turned over to their husband. They didn't have property rights, they didn't have rights to their own children. Forget the right to vote, which would happen in the early 20th century, both in America and in Great Britain, but under traditional English law, women had zip zero zip rights."
Jim on the Enlightenment's Impact: "The greatest thing that ever happened to America was the enlightenment and liberalism, Mr. Deneen and Mr. JD Vance. That was the greatest thing that ever happened in human history, and we have failed to appreciate what the philosophical roots of that and what made that possible."
Michael on the French Revolution: "You mentioned the French Revolution. There's a great quote from Will Durant, the historian. And he says Rousseau was everywhere leveling. And when the revolution fell into the hands of his followers, Marat and Robespierre, equality had its chance and liberty got guillotined."
Jim on JD Vance's Ideology: "What's really frightening, as I say, is there's this fascist convergence that seems to be taking place, and nothing could embody that more than Deneen and Vance. They've thoroughly thrown in the true ideals of the American Revolution. Everything that Vance and Deneen stand for is everything opposite of what made America great in its founding."
Jim on Historical Patterns: "In history, there are no coincidences. When you have the founding fathers rising to power in the founding of America, it ain't no coincidence. When you see totalitarianism and socialism taking over in the 20th century, it is not a coincidence. It's the result of the power of velocity of ideas."
Jim on Kant's Dangerous Ethics: "Do your duty, regardless of consequences, that is a Holocaust waiting to happen. German Nazis were doing their duty regardless of consequences, just obeying orders because it was good for our collective, for the race, the Aryan race, for the nation. So they're doing their duty for the collective regardless of consequences. And guess what? You're gonna have oceans of spilt blood."
Jim on Liberty and Benevolence: "The only way to really have goodwill among human beings is to set them free. It is only chosen relationships that can be really the real relationships, benevolent relationships. There's a direct connection, as Ayn Rand said, between social benevolence and individual liberty."
Key Themes
George Washington as exemplar of principled leadership
Enlightenment ideals as foundation of American greatness
Post-liberalism as rejection of everything that made America succeed
Counter-Enlightenment philosophy leading to totalitarianism
Classical liberalism combined with Objectivism as the solution
Blood and soil nationalism versus America as idea
Philosophy as primary driver of historical change
Economic and social freedom as inseparable
Danger of coordinated anti-liberal movement
Need to reclaim word "liberal" from both left and right distortions
Capitalist Thought of the Day
"We do not need post-liberalism and we do not need anti-liberal wisdom. We sure as hell don't need government intervention in the economy or government intervention to protect our families or to hold our families together. What we need is a return to classical liberalism, buttressed with a philosophy that provides it with a sound base. In other words, what we need is the classical liberalism of the founding fathers supported by Objectivism. We need to promote real capitalism, real freedom of the human mind, the human spirit, and the human body. Only then will we be able to flourish as human beings are capable of doing." - Michael