In response to America’s rapidly polarizing political divide a number of organizations have developed to try and turn down the heat. Braver Angels is the nation’s largest movement dedicated to bridging the partisan gap. Their website boasts that they are “equally balanced between conservatives and progressives at every level of leadership”. Back in episode 118, Mónica Guzmán with Braver Angels joined Josh to discuss how we might develop our sense of curiosity to bridge the partisanships. Mónica comes from the Left. In this episode Josh welcomes Elizabeth Doll with Braver Angels who hails from the Right. They discuss how an older and younger Millennial might differ in their political memories, whether conservatives ought to be reactionaries, what the Left and Right frequently misunderstand about the “other side”, and a surprisingly unexpected dive into the vernacular of progressive America.

About Elizabeth Doll

From Braver Angels:

Elizabeth Doll joined Braver Angels in March 2022 as the Director of Braver Politics after four years of volunteering with the organization and many years working in politics in the Pacific Northwest. She began political work as a teen, when, while interning on a Congressional campaign, she became passionate about improving her community through civic engagement. Since then, Elizabeth has consulted for and worked on many state and local campaigns. She and her husband live on Bainbridge Island and when not engaged in politics, she enjoys photography, hiking, and horseback riding. You can follow Elizabeth on Twitter @doll_elizabeth

Populism is on the rise today—or so we’re told. But what is populism? Is it something to be feared or should it only be concerning to those dastardly elites? Is populism a political movement of the Left or the Right? Is it only a phenomenon of the politics of today, or has populism existed in some form throughout our nation’s history? Does populism protect the individual from powerful interests or endanger our liberties? How does populism fit into the conservative tradition?

Josh is joined by Shikha Dalmia of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to delve into these very questions. While the first half of this atypically long episode explores populism, the latter end of the conversation covers the various factions of the New Right. Factions Shikha has dubbed the Flight 93ers, the Integralists, the National Conservatives, and the Red-Pilled Anarcho Bros. While traditional conservatives can find some value in all four groups, ultimately they represent a departure from the conservative view.

About Shikha Dalmia

From Shikha’s bio at the Mercatus Center:

Shikha Dalmia is a visiting fellow with the Mercatus Center’s Program on Pluralism and Civil Exchange whose work focuses on populist authoritarianism. Previously, Dalmia was a writer at Reason Magazine and a senior analyst at Reason Foundation, a nonprofit think tank. She is a columnist at The Week, and writes regularly for Bloomberg View, The New York Times, USA Today, and numerous other publications. From 1996-2004, Dalmia was an editorial writer at Detroit News.

Dalmia has an M.A. in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from the University of Delhi. You can subscribe to Dalmia’s substack, The UnPopulist, dedicated to defending open liberal societies from populist authoritarian attacks. And can follow Shikha on Twitter @shikhadalmia