536: Proud To Be an American - Why Libertarians & Conservatives Need to Be Unashamedly America First

Brian Nichols  0:04  
focusing on winning arguments. We're teaching the basic fundamentals of sales and marketing and how we can use them to win in the world of politics teaching you how to meet people where they're at on the issues they care about. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show.

Brian, thank you for joining us. For another fun filled episode. I am as always, your humble host. And today, I'm excited to have a good friend who's going to join us during the program we're talking about a lie fourth and the importance of celebrating the ideas of liberty of freedom ideas that truly helped make America one of the freest countries back in the day and why it's so important for us to get back to focusing on those ideas. But before I go ahead and introduce today's guest, first I want to go ahead and give a shout out to today's sponsor and that is the expat money podcast head over to the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash expat and check out the expat money podcast. Why? Because you want to protect your money that you work so hard to earn from ambulance chasing lawyers, nefarious creditors and greedy on that just governments our good buddy McHale Thorpe over at the expat money podcast says that he helps people just like you invest internationally secure second passports and residencies, eliminate your tax bill and take advantage of offshore structures so you can travel the world freely and never have to worry about money again. Also, we'll make sure we have the link here for the expat money summit taking place November 7 through November 11. Five days 30 expert speakers and by the way that virtual summit it's free. Brian Nichols show.com. Forward slash expat alright folks I mentioned he's a returning guest here on the program and he's a good dear friend, Kenny Cody from Cody's concerns. Welcome to The Brian Nichols Show. Hey, Brian,

Unknown Speaker  1:56  
how are you brother?

Brian Nichols  1:57  
Doing good. Happy Friday, my friend. How are things in Tennessee?

Kenny Cody  2:02  
Your great little hot as we talked about for the podcast started. Let's get a little sweat on going out to Florida for my friend's wedding next week. That's glad to be here. With you then rotten Oracle has been trying to be politically active as it can be. But I'm so glad to be here.

Brian Nichols  2:15  
You've been busy. That's an understatement. You actually just wrote an article over at Town Hall, which is inspiring today's conversation because here we're recording on July 1. For those who are here in The Brian Nichols Show audience You're likely listening to this, as you're either just heading out for your festivities maybe going and visiting some friends and family or you're listening to this over the weekend. As you're enjoying said festivities. Well, if that's the case, we'll let's talk about why we're celebrating this weekend. While we are in fact celebrating July 4. And it goes back to the ideas of liberty of freedom of them being overtly American ideals, American principles that we brought not just to this continent, but to the world. And we yet took inspiration from a lot of classical liberal thinkers, but we're the first ones to actually do it. Now. Have we lost our way? Absolutely. And I don't think anybody out there would argue with that in the slightest. However, that's why July 4, I think is so special, because it gives us a chance to focus on those very principles and ideals that we in the greater liberty movement we embrace every single day. But it seems like for a moment, everybody else in America at least acknowledges that those principles those ideals existed, if not now, at one point in time. And let's talk about why you wrote this article over at Townhall. And that was the importance of bringing America first ideals to conservatives. I'm making the argument I think we should do the same thing to libertarians, specifically with those ideas being the ideas and principles of liberty and freedom. Kenny, talk to us, America first. What is it that you're seeing from the perspective of America first, that conservatives can win on?

Kenny Cody  3:52  
Well, in few issues, right. I mean, last week or two, we've seen the virtue signaling left. And you know, that's the enemies of both libertarians and conservatives, you know, kind of virtue signaling made people feel bad about the morality when it comes to guns when it comes to abortion. And it's a it's a strange phenomenon. You know, I think a lot of conservatives have lost their way and being proud of the actual values that conservatives win was based on you know, we've always been pro life. We've always been pro gun pro Second Amendment was a few aspects of the American first move. And I think they're kind of new when it comes to criminal justice reform when it comes to foreign policy and anti interventionist mindset when it comes to America's approach to foreign policy. But the last few weeks, we kind of see a lot of Republicans on our side cake right when it comes to the 12 senators who voted for the gun control bill that was sponsored by the baton administration and pushed by the baton administration and was sponsored by Democratic senators, you know, 12 of them voting for more gun control and more collapses on our second amendments. And then when it comes to a course abortion you know, we've been in a lot of conservatives and a lot of libertarians at least pro life libertarians that I'm friends with have been celebrating the overturning of Roe v Wade In the ruling of knobs you know for once you know giving power back to the states the way it's supposed to be when we when national policy is not supposed to be aside you know abortion was never included in the Constitution it was never interpreted to be in the Constitution until Roe v Wade but then overturning allows Rasta and make abortion either legal restricted or whatever in states that's the way it was supposed to be. But for some reason the left is trying to make this morality argument that if you're you know, if you're pro life and you're anti woman or you're anti child and you're pro death, you're for anti your anti health care your if not for women be able to have safe health care. And I think all these arguments oriented again with the with the UVA massacre, you know, it's our fall pro Second Amendment pro gun people, it's our fault that children got massacred in Texas, you know, all these argumentations have made conservatives that they fall by the wayside when it comes to being proud of the actual belief systems that make conservatism that make us be proud to be America first and make us be proud to be Americans in general. And the article basically talks about they're always going to do this right, the left is the left for so long. The Democratic Party the left the the even if you want to talk about those who are even further left, and those in the establishment Democratic Party are always going to virtue signal are always gonna make conservatives and libertarians feel bad about the way that they believe government should work. And the article is basically saying, you know, it's bashing back and saying, don't be afraid and don't be ashamed. Be proud to be a conservative, be proud to be a libertarian, be proud to prioritize your country and your country's people over foreign interests over bureaucracies, interests, okay? Our bureaucratic interest, actually prioritize your people and actually prioritize the way government is supposed to work on the reason we are founded the way we were founded, even individualism back to individuals getting states the right to make their own laws to being overwash and overlooked by the federal government. You know, I think conservatives oftentimes are the ones that feel bad. Unfortunately, you know, the left never feels bad about any position that they take, whether it's a you know, pro choice, whether it's anti gun, whether it's canceled culture, whether it's you know, destroying somebody's lab because of the way they believe that they don't feel bad that we do for some reason. So it's basically a rallying call it concerns this July 4. Don't be ashamed of the way that you believe don't bow down to bureaucrats don't bow down to authoritarians trying to make you feel bad about the way that you believe we proud to be conservative, be proud to be a libertarian and be proud to be American was the basically the message.

Brian Nichols  7:27  
Yeah, and let's be happy warriors, right. I mean, I saw a comment. I remember where it was that he was on Twitter, somebody said I was the Gary Vee of the liberty movement, which I it made me audibly laugh out loud. But let's look at that for a second. Because one of the things Gary Vee leads with is the idea of leading with honey, not vinegar, trying to put out happiness put out goodness into the world. And the reality is, is that there is a large, large group of people in America who are desperately demanding pleading for some type of good news. They're so exhausted of the political back and forth. And there's looking for people like good people, leading with good solutions with good hearts with good souls, good energy, like that's what people want. And we've seen yet there has been this reversion, especially by the folks in the left to go more towards this negative just, you know, to your point, you know, you don't support legislation. So you want someone to die like that, that has turned the conversation, so much more vitriolic. And with that it's made it impossible to actually have truly a conversation. And with that, I think it's important to your point, instead of excusing away the things, you believe that the principles that you espouse, it's important for us to put our flag down and not only just what we believe, but do so in a welcoming manner, we should be opening our doors to people who are interested in doing things in a different way. And yet, what's funny, and I this kind of struck me, Kenny, as we're talking about this is that it's not really that different of a way, if anything, it's just a reversion back to the adherence of principles that we really embraced, that made us back to my original point, one of the strongest best countries in the world until we lost our way.

Kenny Cody  9:11  
Right? And you know, meaning you're talking about before the podcast was American first mean, right? I mean, I think a lot of people from viewed as this nationalist, you know, trying to attach it to like Neo Nazism and transition into like white nationalists to fellow it's about, you know, the America first catchphrase itself was originally defined in World War Two in World War One as as a committee, I believe, that's embodied this catchphrase and was for non interventionism. You know, let's defend our allies. Let's defend ourselves as defend America's interests first, instead just sing nameless taxpayer funds and homeless men to go fight on behalf of other countries problems and other countries issues rather than us prioritizing ourselves and prioritizing the reason that we're we are anti interventionist, right? I mean, anti interventionist itself is America first, and I think a lot of libertarians At least on the LP, you know, a lot of the LP establishment people or the Democratic Party that is so embedded in trying to be anti Russia view America purchase this, you know, racist, nationalist, xenophobic sort of movement. And that's just what it is it's prioritizing the American people, and then includes soldiers that includes federal government employees and includes state government employees, that includes the everyday American that's working in small towns that's working in urban cities, working in big cities. That's everybody in America. That's how that's what American policy is supposed to be. You know, if we were supposed to be this international law is international government, we would lead that but we are America's government, we are America's Foundation, okay? We're the movement that can sort of limit the libertarian movement, the democratic movement, whatever you want to talk about parties or whatever. They are all making an advocate for laws that are going to affect Americans, they're not going to affect or have II care about what's going to happen in other countries, and they shouldn't. And that's what America first prioritizes but for some reason, you know, conservatives, libertarians are made to feel bad about not caring, and not not only not caring, not willing to send money into sin efforts into send soldiers to die on behalf of other countries, citizens or on behalf of another country's government because of their own failures and their own bankruptcy and stuff like that. Right. I mean, we've said, I think the only country that has sent more than us, or at least at least in comparison to us to Ukraine has been Estonia. And that's pretty funny, right? I mean, you'll hear a NATO country giving tons of billions of dollars of taxpayer funding. You don't hear of any UN countries, you don't hear of any EU countries. It's all about, you know, America being the world's police in America being the ones that fun wars and our behead what to the military industrial complex, and these organizations and these groups that prioritize international collectiveness right, and ISIL, collectivism and uniting as a world to solve a world problems, and the America First movement you catchphrase the people who believe in America first, say, no, let's prioritize what are going on in our country. Let's look at what routes are being taken away. Let's look at what babies lives need to be saved through, you know, overturning of Roe v Wade and the state's rights to be able to make laws to save the most amount of children. Let's look at these issues. Before we even think about considering making laws that are going to prioritize other countries and other foreign foreign policy over our own. Let's it is a nationalist movement. It is a nationalist, that doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. It's just caring about your own country and caring about the citizens that are existing in your country. So and that's made with articles about is the nationalists of being patriotic being that America First is being prioritizing Americans and prioritizing American policy instead of being benevolent or beholden to another country, and being beholden to a bureaucracy of our own right. The leftist wants to grow government expansion, they want to grow the federal government and they won't say governments to be beholden to the federal government, which is against the idea and the foundation of federalism, right. But for some reason, it's viewed as this anti, you know, anti the xenophobic, racist, sort of insult being used to describe the movement. And that's trying to make Republicans conservatives and libertarians feel bad about the way that they believe. And then again, that's what the article argues, is don't be ashamed. And I understand why Republicans libertarians have lost their backbone in terms of that. Don't give up to the people that hate you, because they wouldn't give it up for your criticism, right, Republicans and libertarians can criticize the left all day, you're never going to be ashamed of the way they believe. And we shouldn't be either.

Brian Nichols  13:44  
Here or here, Cody here, here. And you know, who else really stood by their morals and stood by their convictions? Back when it really counted was our founding fathers, the framers and founders of this country? And you know, there was one quote, the tree of liberty must be watered by from time to time from the blood of tyrants who said that

Unknown Speaker  14:04  
it's good old TJ right? Yes, yeah. Yeah, well,

Brian Nichols  14:08  
Thomas Jefferson, that's right. So that is obviously a reference to the blood of tyrants quote into by the way, it's been one of our episodes sponsors that's Look at that segue. Arrows a segue, I have my blood of tyrants wine here now Kenny, candidly, I don't drink anymore. However, this this awesome, awesome product I cannot recommend enough because number one, the reviews the five star reviews are out of this world but also number two, it's a Liberty business. So you can go ahead not only support a great Liberty based organization, but also it's great wine. I'm pretty sure this is more Amarillo. And also it's going right back to Liberty based organization. So head to the Brian Nichols show.com forward slash wine and use code TBNS at checkout, you get $5 off your your order. And by the way, the more you order, the more you save. So go ahead one more time. Brian Nichols show.com forward slash wine get your Are you awesome blood of tyrants? Here you go one more time for the video viewer, you can see my bottle in the screen. Yeah, go ahead and get your bottle again, but blood of tyrants, the Brian Nichols show.com. Forward slash wine. All right, Kenny. So I'm on board right with the idea of trying to get people to see the value. And yet we see a lot of people you've talked about this playing defense. And I've talked about this actually, I was over on Tim Poole. I brought this up the importance of number one, if you're explaining you're losing, that's why it's important to set narratives versus respond to narratives and how you're looking at what what at the time I was on the show. This was when Governor DeSantis was really standing up with the don't say gay Bill was the topic of conversation at the time, and how he was setting such a strong narrative and making the left have to accommodate to his narrative versus us responding. So correct me if I'm wrong, this is almost the exact same argument you're making. You're you're making the claim and that claim, but you're making the argument to the audience that instead of explaining, you know, no, we're not XYZ. We're not the worst things that we've been called by our detractors. Instead, just ignore those arguments. Instead, start setting the narrative. This is what we believe. This is why we believe it. We don't have to convince everybody but there is a market or people who are open to those ideas. Is that your your kind of approach here?

Kenny Cody  16:20  
Absolutely. Absolutely. I mean, it playing offense is the ideal strategy when it comes to politics. I mean, if you're defending your position, your main there's some foul, right, you're not you're meeting there's faults and there's holes in your argumentation. But the you know, I may believe this, but this is really what I believe that don't do that be that route and be unashamedly unabashedly, America, first be unabashedly could libertarian, be unashamed to be a conservative, whatever you believe, and I encourage you in the left to do that, and they and the problem is they do that anyway. Right? Like they do it anyway. But they always argue, as if their position or their policy is the only one. And that's the reason we should argue, okay? We're not, we're on the point of bipartisanship at this point. Okay? bipartisanship went away in 2020. And that's my viewpoint least bipartisanship, in terms of the way government should govern their citizens went away when we were locked down. And when people lost their livelihoods, when suicide rates, drug overdoses went, because the Democrat Party took control and lock people down in their homes, okay, for a political poll in to blame a virus on a certain ideology or a certain approach to government, state governments and governments itself. That would have won. And it's time to stop being bipartisan in that regard. And the left has not been bipartisan for a very, very long time when it comes to the approach to governance. And I think they're Republicans xers we need to start being like the left in that regard. I know that sounds really strange, but we need to stop being weak. And we need to stop being moderates, we need to stop being these Squish, because being in the Swiss positions where we are feeling bad, or we are caving on one or two issues, certainly would be the good guys, the Republicans or the Democrats, or the Republicans that the independents lie, because they're not so far out, and they're not. So whatever you want to say, you know, so, you know, Trumpian, or Trump and wherever that whatever you want to describe somebody as a Trump errs, or ever stop being that, like, stop cating. And that's the message that I'm going to try to send the people is Prudential on town, the left has been so proud of the way they believe, you know, in being pro woman and being pro minority and being pro black and being you know, pro whatever they can do to virtue signal to segments, or different parts of the population, different parts of the electorate, and they feel so good about themselves, you know, that if you look at my tweet on Twitter, you're gonna see a lot of like Nazis, like, people call me a Nazi, because I'm just America first. And it's similar to Germany's national nationalist base in 1930s and 40s. And it's I don't care. Like that has to be the attitude as I don't care what people say about the way that I believe because guess what, it's what I believe it's the reason that I am a libertarian is the reason I'm a conservative reason I'm a Republican, is because of the way that I believe if I was not sure if I was not sure about the way that I believe, or I was not confident in the values and the belief systems that I prioritize, and I write about that I advocate for the tenants that I campaign for the tenants that I write about the issues that I write about and the topics and the values that base my ideology, if I'm not proud of that. There's no point of being a political activist. There's no point in running for office, and I've done that I've done that and being chairman, I've done that. And being a journalist and being a freelance opinion columnist, convenience to activist in general. Like if I didn't believe these value systems and these belief systems that have found that they have set the foundation for my entire approach to politics and my passion for public servitude. If I did not have that there'll be no point and if I was not proud of that, and was unabashedly, as I say in the article proud of the way that I believe my approach and my belief systems about government, and Western Civilization and culture, I wouldn't be sitting here with you right now. But the thing about it is, I am very proud. I don't care people say about me, I don't care what you say about the people in our lock. I don't care. Most people will say I'm a racist and misogynist or a Nazi or whatever. I don't care. And Republicans and conservatives libertarians need to stop caring about criticism. Okay? There's there's a difference between being criticized and being say that we can improve on this approach on this and you're going to be able to make it better. That's a difference in me that's been being called and insulted and mean, say that your morality is at an all time low, because you believe this way. You're the people that are pro, the pro abortion or whatever. There's a difference. And Republicans and conservatives and libertarians seem to be forgetting that difference. There is a very thin line between criticism and insult. And unfortunately, conservatives care far too much about the insults they receive from progressive left that if we insult them in the same way, they don't care, right? They don't care because they still feel good and are proud of the way they believe in even if it's fake or whatever. They're proud. They're pro Ukraine. They're proud that they're trying to virtue signal to minorities, they're proud that they're pro abortion and pro choice. Like they're, they're proud of that. And we need to be proud of the way that we believe, because we lose credibility if we don't. And I say that article. The reason people respected in 2016 Donald Trump was because he was unabashedly himself, and he was unabashed about the way that he believed reasoning, the Tea Party that succeeded in the duty in the 2000 10s is because we believe that the federal government, we believe that time that the federal government was being authoritarian that caused the housing market to crash, they caused the recession because of their ineptitude, together, right.

Voters love your unabashedly proud of the way that you believe. And we need to stop caving, we need to stop being weak when it comes to the most important issues when it comes to war. When it comes to guns, when it comes to abortion, these three issues are some of the most passionate and polarizing issues of our time. But we need to be proud of our positions and quit KB to the left. Because that guarantee you they're not going to cave and they want to lock you down. And they want to make sure that the government is ruling your life again, just be proud. That's basically my entire point is don't be ashamed of the way that you believe and you will win more you'll be able to govern the way you want to govern. You don't govern by cable, you don't cover by being weak, you government of being proud of what you believe in. And on July 4, I want conservatives to remember that Kenny Cody

Brian Nichols  22:45  
bringing a fire? Yeah, gotta love it. And also this kind of reiterates, we just had a recent guest in the program, Chris whitener, who talked about if you're winsome, and you lead with the ideas, and the really the presenting yourself as a winning team a winning solution, then you might win some. And that is absolutely true, right? To your point anyway, it's so important to lead with your principles lead with your convictions and do so unabashedly and, but I will say it is important for us to acknowledge that there are times when we can acknowledge that maybe we were wrong when we're presented with new facts, new information. And that's okay, you have the right to change your mind. But if there are certain things that are just deep held principles and values that you firmly believe, and I firmly encourage you, as Kenny here to please embrace those as well and lead with them. And then as we kind of wrap things up today for final thoughts. My final thoughts for the audience today is declare your independence, please take a step. And Kenny said he thought bipartisanship died in 2020. Kenny, I think bipartisanship died far, far before that, but frankly, I think a lot of people out there also acknowledge that because we see, by the virtue of over 50% of the American Electric electorate not voting in national elections for are tired, they're burnt out, and they're politically just disengaged, apathetic, agnostic. So I've said many a time here in the program, you might not want to get involved with politics, the politics is going to get involved with you, whether it's the Republicans or the Democrats, it doesn't matter which team you're on. If you're on a team, business owners, if you're if you're out there, and you've just felt over the past two years, the direct impact of what government can do to you when they can snap their fingers and say, You're not essential anymore. We're going to shut your business down for an arbitrary amount of time. Could be a couple of weeks, could be a couple of months. Who knows? How can you then say, well, I don't want to get politically involved. I don't want to get politically active. Okay, back to my point. You don't want to get involved with politics. Politics is going to get involved with you. So how do you get away from politics going after you in a negative sense? It requires you to get involved you have to declare your independence from this old way of thinking and actually start to lean in a different way. Back when we talked about in July 4, what did the founders do? They declared independence from at the time the largest empire that the world had ever seen the United Kingdom, the Great Great Britain, right that the big, bad United Kingdom, you watch the Patriot you get all fired up, you won't go be Mel Gibson, right? So you see, that's where we went. And that idea of of being, being strong in your convictions enough to do what you need to do to say what you need to say. And to your point, not be afraid of what you're saying, do so unabashedly proudly, and to your point, in this case, leading with the ideas that help make America first. That being said, Kenny, Cody, final thoughts for the audience on your side today.

Kenny Cody  25:42  
Be proud. And like you said, Brian, I mean, I mean, you no matter what happens, no matter if you like politics, or you hate politics, and I completely understand those who do, it's gonna affect you eventually. And especially locally, you know, when we have experienced what we'd have the last two or three years we've experienced now, and combined, right, we've committed to a presidential election, the term parties, we went through a period of time or COVID, locked down millions of people, and destroyed 1000s upon 1000s of businesses and livelihoods that in that regard, we have witnessed the greatest tomato, the great Supreme Court decision in the last 50 years in the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and we have had our Second Amendment challenged by those on the left that will never rob us of our Second Amendment rights. It's going to affect you eventually. What do you believe so we're not Will you believe that politics matter? They don't they do. And I encourage you if you're not running like me, if you're not doing podcasts like Ron, if you're not gonna go run for public office, it looks be active know that. Voting matters. And I know that sounds strange, because a lot of the lead paint out Republicans as we don't want you to vote, we I do want you to vote on what you realize what government's doing to you behind your back, and what government is doing to behind closed doors, realize that the reason that bureaucrats and the reason that are elected officials are allowed to run your life is because of what you're putting in there. No matter if it's locally, statewide, or federally, they control your life, unless you would stop it unless you let people that's gonna leave you alone. I encourage people no matter if they hate politics, and like I said, I understand the point well, people do it's very polarized. But regardless, you need to be active, you need to realize that even if you're not active, it's still going to affect you. So you might as well be active and you might as well vote and be proud and remember values mattered the most to you. And then that was when that's my message in the article is to conservatives. If these issues were matter to you, and you're very passionate about something, if you're very passionate about a certain topic or issue and you feel like you've never had to express it, express it, I don't care what it is, if you're a left leaning, if you're right leaning if you're down the middle or whatever. express what you believe in and be proud of what you believe in. I promise you will find your way to make a difference in politics if you were just proud of what you believe.

Brian Nichols  27:48  
There you go, folks, here's your call to action. Folks. If you enjoyed today's episode, please do me a favor go ahead and give it a share. When you do you can see right there you can follow Kenny at Katie Cody T n over on Twitter, follow yours truly at be Nichols liberty when you share today's episode, please go ahead and give us both a tag. And also, if you're here joining us on the audio version of the podcast. Thank you. Make sure you click the artwork in your podcast catcher, it'll bring you right to today's episode where you can find Yes, the entire episode, the entire transcript of the episode and oh, by the way, you can find the video version of the show. Yes, we have the YouTube link right there. And Brian Nichols show.com. Head over to our YouTube hit the subscribe button. And when you do ding that little notification bell and oh, by the way, did you check out we had our awesome episode yesterday with Ryan Chamberlain. We learned about TP and it's the Patriot network that I forget the T with a T stands for oops. TV and we talked about it is an alternative to Facebook a great conversation in terms of not only looking at why we need these alternatives to big the big tech giants, but also why it's important to have it really entities focused on this very point the importance of principles and values. You're interested in that episode. I'll include that link right here below on our YouTube and make sure you go ahead and click that I will see you over there. But with that being said, it's Brian Nichols signing off. You're on The Brian Nichols Show for the one and only any Cody from Cody's concerns. We'll see you next week for listening

Unknown Speaker  29:11  
to The Brian Nichols Show. Find more episodes at the Brian Nichols show.com

Brian Nichols  29:17  
Don't blow your arms off kids

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