John Burtka is the president of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, commonly known as “ISI,” an organization cofounded by William F. Buckley Jr. that promotes conservative thought on college campuses by teaching the core ideas behind the free market, the American Founding, and Western civilization. Burtka spoke on “The Kevin Roberts Show” about the issue of statesmanship and bringing honor to the world of politics.

He said that 10 years ago, conservatives were more accepted in the mainstream but that they acted as a “pet conservative,” an oddity whose only purpose was to go on talk shows and newspapers and editorialize their “strange” traditionalist positions.

Currently, the “pet conservative” has been all but lost in big news stations and publications, he said. This is partly because the “mainstream” has become far more left-leaning.

Despite this, Burtka believes America’s situation is surprisingly better than it was. “I actually feel better about America’s position today than I did four years ago,” he commented. “And to some extent, that’s because things are worse than they were four years ago.”

He reasoned that the world has become so hostile to conservatism, it actually empowers conservatives to fight back.

The solution to conservatives’ political estrangement is leaders with moral clarity. Burtka said that great leaders “transcend their political moment and they unite the common people towards more permanent ends than politics.”

Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts asked the author what America’s biggest downfall is. Burtka responded that the U.S. has a “spiritual problem.” He said in order to fix the issue, great leaders need to move society closer to “God, Himself.” This, he said, leads a society to greatness.

Political leaders need to unite everyone toward a higher end, he said, and that ultimate end is God.

Burtka pointed to profound moral leaders of the past as a guide, especially Cicero, the ancient Roman philosopher and statesman.

“Cicero describes what he calls a shortcut to greatness,” the ISI president explained. In brief, Burtka said that shortcut is to “fake it till you make it.”

“Start dressing like that person [you want to become] and start talking like them,” Burtka explained. “Start reading the things that they would be reading. … Start surrounding yourself with people that are virtuous, … because the reality is that you sort of almost have to trick yourself.”

He expressed hope in the America of today because he sees many patriots across the country as “bastions of light,” and those bastions are “fed up” with the path the U.S. is on and are ready for change. “I think your everyday American is ready for something new.”

It isn’t just them. Talk radio was once a bastion of American First thought. Lately, it seems that far too many “conservative” show hosts have been echoing the Republican Establishment talking points and opposing America First patriots for the sake of keeping the status quo. We’re seeing that play out in real time during the Speaker of the House battle in Congress as “Team McCarthy” keeps calling on his patriotic opposition to stand down.

On today’s episode of The JD Rucker Show, I focused on several issues that are being manhandled by conservative media, including the radio silence from right-leaning journalists regarding the stolen elections in Arizona. I also covered 12 things we need to watch in 2023 among other important topics. But the main focus throughout the show was whether or not I should add a new radio-only daily show to run on America Out Loud.

We do well on Rumble, Brighteon, Bitchute, Substack, and other venues but there’s a distinct need for talk radio to expand. By doing a separate show without video, I’ll be able to address issues in a different way. The medium is not dead despite many claiming it is, especially with podcast networks helping to amplify both terrestrial and digital radio shows. That’s why I want people to chime in. Let me know if this is a good idea.

As editor at The Liberty Daily, I go through news feeds that include over 250 conservative and alternative news sources. I read every headline and tons of stories every day. This gives me a unique insight into the conservative media zeitgeist and I must admit I haven’t been impressed lately. While we have 10 million visitors a month at TLD, I still want to do much more. That’s why I also launched Discern Report. The Liberty Daily is the “conservative alternative to Drudge Report.” Discern Report is more like Revolver News, where Darren Beattie does a fabulous job with fewer stories than TLD. Both styles are desperately needed and more Americans need to access them.

By going with a radio-only show on top of my regular daily show, I’ll hopefully be better able to break into more terrestrial radio stations. We are currently negotiating to put the show on three stations in Tennessee as well as one in northern California. Whether it’s me or someone else, the old guard of conservative media needs to be replaced for the most part. Far too many American First patriots are still stuck with too few choices. They’re forced to take in lukewarm conservativism from bombastic news outlets that are somehow able to be loud and milquetoast simultaneously. We need more voices, and I’m willing to volunteer mine.

Please let me know what you think. If enough people call for it, we’ll do it.