Loving the Nation, Not the Empire ｜ 7⧸20⧸23
Episode Stats
Words per minute
157.46709
Harmful content
Misogyny
2
sentences flagged
Hate speech
6
sentences flagged
Summary
The White House held a presidential candidate forum in Iowa, and Mike Pence won the gold medal for self-immolation. He was the only candidate to respond to a question from Tucker Carlson, the host of Fox News' "Huckabee" and host of the popular conservative show Tucker Carlson Tonight.
Transcript
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We hope you're enjoying your Air Canada flight.
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Fast-free Wi-Fi means I can make dinner reservations before we land.
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Wi-Fi available to Airplane members on Equipped Flight.
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Last week, the Blaze teamed up with the Family Leadership Summit
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to put on a forum in Iowa for Republican presidential candidates.
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Usually these events are shallow, bordering on useless,
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as candidates scramble to secure 30-second soundbites
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while answering the very carefully curated questions provided by mainstream media.
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Each of the candidates that attended spent roughly half an hour
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in one-on-one conversations with Tucker Carlson.
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Carlson, recently freed from any remaining shackles by his departure from Fox News,
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has his finger on the pulse of the Republican base.
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Questions were measured and fair, but they were also tied strongly to the interests of
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the average GOP voter rather than the priorities of the Washington elite.
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Carlson was affable but relentless, and as a result, several candidates destroyed their campaigns live on air.
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Many of the candidates were simply unable to separate the needs of the American people
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from the geopolitical aspirations of the ruling class and their global empire,
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and this inability to understand the priorities of the base consistently led several candidates to ruin.
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The nation is not in a great place, and the average American is starting to suspect
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that the future their children inherit will be less free and less prosperous.
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The basic life milestones of the past, like getting married, owning a home,
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having children, and providing for a family on one income, now seem like incredible luxuries.
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Deaths of despair skyrocket as increasingly irreligious and isolated Americans seek the solace
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of the fentanyl that pours across the nation's border.
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Along with illegal immigrants corporations will exploit as cheap labor to depress the wages of citizens.
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Major American cities have become dangerous and filled with the kind of squalor
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that often makes them indistinguishable from a third world slum.
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The Republican base sees the degradation of their once great nation
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and seeks the kind of leadership that can restore the homeland and build a brighter future.
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But instead they receive endless platitudes about the importance of supporting foreign countries
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they will never see and foreign peoples they will never meet.
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Voters grow sick and tired of candidates who prattle on endlessly about secure borders
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for Ukraine or Israel but show no urgency when it comes to protecting the people of the United States.
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So you've always been picky about your produce.
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But now you find yourself checking every label to make sure it's Canadian.
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At Sobeez, we always pick guaranteed fresh Canadian produce first.
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Restrictions apply. See in-store or online for details.
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While several candidates likely scuttled their campaign live on stage with Tucker Carlson,
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former Vice President Mike Pence took the gold medal for self-immolation.
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Pence expressed warm affection for the Ukrainians who thanked him for the missiles
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and other military equipment the U.S. government had provided them.
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He spoke passionately about providing additional funding and military hardware like tanks to the Ukrainian forces.
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But when Carlson pointed out the deteriorating conditions of American cities
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and questioned whether the money could be spent better at home,
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Pence would go on to assert that anybody who says that we can't be the leaders of the free world
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and solve our own problems at home has a pretty small view of the greatest nation on Earth.
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You see, it's not disconnected Washington elites who are out of touch.
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It is the ordinary American who is insufficiently patriotic.
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Pence was asked to prioritize the security and prosperity of American families and communities
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over a foreign nation, and his response was to recoil in disgust.
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What Americans want, what the GOP base in particular truly desires,
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is a president who looks at them the way that Mike Pence looks at a random Ukrainian.
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Someone who holds the same level of care and admiration for the people of the American Rust Belt
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as Pence has for those fighting in Eastern Europe.
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A president who is as passionate about the border security of America
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as Pence is about the territorial sovereignty of nations like Israel or Ukraine.
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A president who is willing to commit funds to building a wall
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and making American cities safe before writing blank checks to foreign governments.
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Simply put, Americans are desperate for a president who puts America first.
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National security matters, and projecting power is critical to the maintenance of an empire.
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Some conservatives might find the characterization of America as an empire shocking,
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When your nation has military bases on every continent,
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when it heads military alliances that dictate geopolitics in every region of the globe,
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when it operates a vast trade network that has an economic impact on a majority of nations,
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Admitting this fact might be awkward for a nation that traces its founding to a rebellion
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against and separation from the British Empire,
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but ignoring the obvious truth does us no favors.
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America is in the business of maintaining and operating an empire.
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Its leaders are fully aware of this fact, and they set their priorities accordingly.
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If you want to understand why the interests of so many GOP candidates are widely divergent
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from the interests of their base, this is a key factor.
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Empires get a bad reputation, but they're an ancient form of human political organization
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seen throughout history which, at least at their beginning,
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usually increases the quality of life and level of security for their founding populations.
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Empires are attractive because they are profitable and expand the geopolitical influence of those
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that operate them, increasing both economic and military power.
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This means that the incentive to transform the nation into an empire is always high,
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and in some ways a society expanding beyond its natural borders
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is simply part of the natural life cycle of great civilizations.
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There's a good argument to be made that someone will always occupy the position of regional
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or global primacy, so your civilization might as well benefit from claiming the top spot.
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While the initial benefits of empire are well documented, so is their historical cycle of decay.
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While the empire is initially operated for the benefit of the founding civilization,
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the elites of the society quickly realized that the opportunity for personal enrichment lies in the provinces.
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In ancient Rome, the downfall of the republic was closely tied to endless wars of expansion
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which brought in a vast underclass of slaves that replaced the labor of the native Roman population
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while increasing the wealth of elite patricians.
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Eventually, those with no connection or loyalty to the founding homeland are elevated to positions of leadership
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and the empire is operated strictly for the benefit of its ruling class instead of the original nation.
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Later emperors would move the capital of the empire far away from Rome,
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not even bothering to visit the city for which the empire was named.
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It is difficult and dangerous for nations to walk away from the game of empire,
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but at some point it may become necessary for the well-being of their citizens.
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There is a reason that American elites are constantly in search of a new military conflict
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which they can label vital to national security.
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Constant military expenditure and expansion is critical if the empire is to remain profitable to our ruling elite,
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but eventually the cost to the homeland comes due.
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The United States will always have some level of legitimate interest in projecting power abroad,
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but the well-being of its citizens must once again become paramount.
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Americans want leaders who can put aside their own enrichment
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and the priorities of geopolitical dominance for the good of the people.
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They want someone who loves the American nation more than the global American empire.
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