Ep. 594 - The Seductiveness Of Power

Episode Summary

Executive Summary: The episode attacks the New York Times’ hiring of Sarah Zhang over past racist tweets, argues the left has normalized racial double standards, criticizes an article expressing regret over a Down syndrome child as evidence of moral relativism, and warns that Democratic socialism is a dangerous, historically failed agenda. It also covers Obama’s strategic distancing from the party’s far left, Trump’s fixation on Mueller, and broader cultural points about religion, media bias, and capitalism’s success.

Main Topics: NYT hiring of Sarah Zhang and left-wing double standards (Priority: 5/5): Shapiro says the New York Times’ editorial hire had a record of anti-white tweets that would destroy a conservative’s career, arguing the left excuses minority-on-white racism while punishing opposite cases. Intersectionality and identity politics (Priority: 5/5): He argues U.S. politics has moved from reducing racism over time to a renewed hierarchy where race and identity determine moral worth and legitimacy of opinions. Regret over a Down syndrome child and moral subjectivism (Priority: 5/5): Using a UK Daily Mail piece, he contends the left increasingly treats personal suffering as justification for immoral acts like abortion, flattening objective moral standards. Democratic socialism as the Democratic Party’s third plank (Priority: 5/5): He frames the modern Democratic agenda as intersectionality, subjectivism, and socialism, claiming socialism is neither new nor workable and is being mainstreamed by figures like AOC and Bernie Sanders. Debunking myths about democratic socialism (Priority: 4/5): He runs through claims that democratic socialism differs from socialism, is non-coercive, is fairer, and is exemplified by Nordic countries, arguing these are misleading or false. Trump, Mueller, and political distraction (Priority: 3/5): He says Trump’s attacks on the Mueller probe and Manafort trial are strategically unhelpful because they distract from a stronger Republican message on taxes, deregulation, and capitalism. Religion, media hostility, and capitalism (Priority: 3/5): He defends American religiosity as foundational to rights and prosperity, criticizes media figures like Jim Acosta and Sunny Hostin as hypocritical, and closes by praising capitalism and conservative principles.

Key Arguments: The New York Times’ willingness to hire Sarah Zhang after racist tweets reveals its tolerance for anti-white bias and its ideological consistency with the modern left. The left applies a double standard: white racism is treated as disqualifying, while non-white racism is often excused as power-reversal or not real racism. Identity politics in the U.S. declined over the long term after Jim Crow, but the left has revived it by framing white people as historically and morally guilty. Personal suffering does not create a moral right to kill another human being; the Down syndrome abortion piece is presented as evidence of moral relativism. Democratic socialism is just socialism with a democratic wrapper; voting for coercive redistribution does not make it non-coercive. Socialism is not fair because it assigns rights based on need rather than desert, and it weakens incentives and property rights. Nordic countries are not socialist economies; they are capitalist economies with substantial welfare states and high taxes. The strongest evidence against socialist models is historical: Venezuela, Cuba, and the USSR ended in misery, while capitalist countries generated modern wealth and innovation. America’s medical system is heavily regulated but still drives most pharmaceutical innovation; universal systems rely on U.S. pricing and innovation subsidies. Trump’s obsession with Mueller and Manafort wastes political capital that should be spent on defending conservatism, markets, and limited government. American religiosity is a virtue, not a weakness, because biblical anthropology undergirds human rights, capitalism, and Western civilization.

Data Points: Sarah Zhang tweet example: 2014 - Timeframe of some of the offensive tweets discussed about the NYT hire. Sarah Zhang tweet example: White people have stopped breeding. You'll all go extinct soon. - One of the quoted tweets used to argue anti-white prejudice. Sarah Zhang tweet example: Dumbass effing white people. - Quoted as evidence of racist rhetoric in older tweets. Daily prayers in the U.S.: 55% - Pew survey figure cited for Americans who pray at least once daily. International average daily prayer: around 40% - Used as comparison for wealthy nations. Canada daily prayer rate: 25% - Comparison point in the religiosity discussion. Europe daily prayer rate: 22% - Comparison point in the religiosity discussion. Australia daily prayer rate: 18% - Comparison point in the religiosity discussion. Great Britain daily prayer rate: 6% - Lowest cited among wealthy peers in the Vox/Pew discussion. U.S. global poverty share in 1970: about 27% - Used to illustrate global decline in poverty under capitalism. Global poverty share in 2006: 5.4% - Share of people living on $1/day or less. Global poverty share in 1820: 94% - Historical baseline in the capitalism argument. Global poverty share in 2011: 17% - Used to show long-run poverty reduction. Under-5 mortality decline: nearly half - 1990 to 2013 decline cited as evidence of broad progress. Obama endorsements: more than a dozen states - Number of states in which he announced Democratic endorsements. AOC primary vote total: 17,000 votes - Used to downplay Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s mandate. Norway population: 5.3 million - Used to argue Nordic policies are not scalable to the U.S. LA County population comparison: double Norway - Illustrates the scale mismatch argument. Denmark tax rate: 60.3% - Cited alongside sales tax to argue welfare states are expensive. Denmark national sales tax: 25% - Part of the critique of Nordic redistribution. Denmark real GDP change: -5.5% - Between 2007 and 2015, used to argue economic cost. Heritage economic freedom ranking: U.S.: 18th - Used to show the U.S. is still relatively economically free. Heritage economic freedom ranking: Denmark: 12th - Used to show Denmark is freer than commonly assumed. Heritage economic freedom ranking: Sweden: 15th - Used in the Nordic comparison. Heritage economic freedom ranking: Norway: 23rd - Used to argue Norway is not an economic model for the U.S. U.S. share of new molecular entities: 44% - Claim about U.S. leadership in pharmaceutical innovation. Manafort jacket cost: $15,000 - One of the wardrobe items discussed during critique of the prosecution narrative. Manafort vest cost: $9,500 - Another example used to mock prosecution focus on luxury clothing. Manafort python jacket cost: $18,500 - Used as a humorous example of extravagant spending.

Pivotal Quotes: "The fact is that if anybody who is white wrote this about anybody of any other race... that person would be out of a job forthwith." — Ben Shapiro: Arguing that Sarah Zhang’s tweets would end a conservative’s career but are tolerated on the left. "The left has decided that white bigotry is bad... But they have decided that non-white bigotry is totally okay." — Ben Shapiro: Summarizing his critique of racial double standards in progressive politics. "Democratic socialism is the idea that it's going to be socialism, but we're going to vote for it." — Ben Shapiro: Defining his central objection to the term and the policy program.

Implications: Listeners are urged to see progressive identity politics and democratic socialism as linked threats to free speech, moral consistency, and economic freedom. The episode argues conservatives must refocus on rights, religion, and markets rather than internal distractions.