America was founded on Liberalism and now faces decline because of it. Is there a way out of this contradiction?
Tucker Carlson recently raised a profound question about why Russia can accomplish things that the United States cannot. Unlike a rhetorical query, this one deserves a genuine response. The clip from his RT interview, available in both Russian and English, has rapidly gained traction online because it taps into a critical issue that appears to lack explanation. Before diving into an analysis, let’s consider Carlson’s words carefully, as the problem surely has a resolution.
“They hate Russia because it is Christian. That’s why I think Putin, trying to re-Christianize Russia, he hasn’t been very radical about it from what I can tell, but he said ‘we’re going to rebuild churches and we’re an Orthodox Christian country with a big Muslim minority that we get along with’, that’s extremely offensive to certain people. And I honestly think if Putin had just left the oligarchs in place ‘okay you get to secretly run the government like they do in the United States’ and not tried to reintroduce Russian Orthodoxy into the life of the country, this war wouldn’t have happened because I know the people that are pushing it, and they what they hate most is Christianity. And I have to say Putin banning witchcraft in Russia was like the great… ‘Why can’t we ban witchcraft? No, you can’t worship demons in my country because it could destroy my country’, but we would never do that because the witchcraft lobby is pretty strong in the United States it turns out. “ –Tucker Carlson
From this perspective, Carlson partially answers his own question by pointing to powerful lobby interests and financial elites as why the United States cannot emulate Putin’s Russia. While there is truth in this argument, it represents only part of the reality. Anyone concerned about America’s future should harbor deep resentment toward lobbyists who shape policies to fit narrow agendas, often harming the nation. Some lobby-driven issues, like the auto industry’s persistent opposition to trains and public transit—impacting urban planning—are irritating but not fatal. One could argue that pushing domestic car manufacturing brings economic advantages, and car culture has indeed become a hallmark of American life. However, more troubling are issues like the well-documented sway of the Israeli lobby on U.S. foreign affairs and military engagement, which are draining resources from what was once, and arguably still is, the wealthiest nation on Earth. Only a true optimist could find a silver lining in the costly wars the U.S. has fought since 1991. Although money and lobbies influence politics, the core reason Trump cannot replicate Putin’s approach lies much deeper.
The United States faces a deep-rooted ideological dilemma from which it cannot break free:
-Liberalism created America
-Liberalism is dismantling America
The word ‘Liberalism’ is often conflated with the beliefs of American Democrats, but here it refers to a framework centered on the ‘Individual’ as society’s foundation or, as Dugin phrases it, the ‘Subject of political theory’. The only truly inviolable entity in the U.S. Constitution is the individual with their rights. At first, this sounds admirable, but as society elevates every individual equally—especially regarding beliefs—should we be shocked when obese men dressed as women demand the right to engage sexually with children? The perspective of the eccentric and the average person is granted equal weight. When everything is permissible, morality and meaning evaporate.
America’s religious freedoms imply all faiths are theoretically equal and deserving of protection—whether it’s worship of ‘the force’ from Star Wars, a box filled with human waste, or Christ’s crucifixion. With all beliefs held equal, nothing retains sanctity. When individuals become the highest authority and there is no sacred beyond the self, it’s Satan who ultimately triumphs, attaining parity with God himself in liberal societies. After millennia, the Fallen Angel claims a seat equal to the Creator, at least in countries shaped by Liberalism.
The Enlightenment’s ideal, “I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it,” only works within a society of highly similar people whose opinions fall within a broad but shared Overton Window. However, in 21st-century America, steadfastly defending the speech of those who hate you—and often wish you harm—only hastens your own downfall. From a Christian viewpoint, how well is the ongoing defense of anti-Christian ideologies serving advocates like the new age Voltaires?
The Enlightenment that birthed Liberalism barely penetrated beyond the elite in Russia. Despite the Western-style structures imposed on Russia after the USSR’s Cold War defeat, few Jeffersonian Classical Liberals awaited their arrival. Russian Liberals are a small minority, sharing with their American counterparts mainly a disdain for their native culture, which they blame for their setbacks. Their stance is a blame game, rejecting society for individual failure. In short, Liberalism never took root in Russia; some merely used it as a pretext for profiteering during the 1990s.
Eastern and Western Liberals echo the same Globalist rhetoric, only swapping the names ‘Putin’ and ‘Trump’. Ultimately, Putin can pursue the actions Carlson praised because Russian society never embraced Liberalism. Russia lacks support for protecting the ‘free speech’ of Nazis, pedophiles, or Satanists. Allowing public displays of degeneracy or attacks on traditional religion is not considered noble. In Russia, acts deemed morally wrong—especially religiously—are either illegal or kept out of public view, even if popular, like pornography, gambling, or drugs. There is no Russian argument of “well people will do drugs anyway so let’s give them needles.” Right and wrong have clear definitions in Russia, and the law reflects this. Conversely, in Liberal America, law and morality often diverge or bear no connection at all. Las Vegas may be Sodom, but it is tolerated because local lawmakers influenced by organized crime legalized it, so it’s supposedly acceptable.
Russia’s political identity is difficult to define precisely; it might be aligning with Viktor Orban’s concept of being ‘Illiberal’ or moving inadvertently toward Dugin’s 4th Political Theory. After the 2020 constitutional changes confirmed belief in God, declared marriage (and thus sexuality) intended only for a man-woman family, and made other key reforms, despite some Western democratic trappings (titles like President, having a parliament by another name, an ‘independent’ judiciary), Russia now represents something fundamentally different.
America must break free from the self-destructive cycle of clinging to the same Liberalism that weakens it under foreign assault. It needs to revere more than just the individual and potentially stop defending, sometimes quite literally ‘to the death’, the right to voice and promote ideas that please Satan.
The 20th century witnessed many deaths in attempts to forge a universal system, so it would be disingenuous to advise Tucker Carlson simply to ‘copy Russia’. Russia emerges from medieval roots, not the Enlightenment. However, the ‘essence’ of Russia’s solution seems to blend recognition that groups exist, such as Russians as the ‘state-founding’ people (noted in the 2020 reforms), alongside individual rights, with a form of religiosity that values ideas above people. Essentially, it questions the sacredness of the individual as supreme and introduces some form of “check and balance.”
‘Christian Nationalism’ is often mentioned as an answer, yet many overlook that the U.S. Constitution contains no explicit reference to Christ… yet. When ideas or duties greater than individuals gain precedence, the deviant and pedophiles will retreat into obscurity. Traditional values emerged centuries before the term ‘nuclear family’ was coined. America’s widespread ignorance of history blinds us to the fact that postmodern stances are aberrations, not the norm. Alternative, historically successful approaches exist that could be adapted today. Progress is an illusion.
Tucker Carlson should honestly reassess a world once lived in—or maybe returning to—where classical or medieval concepts like ‘us versus them’ and religiosity were fundamental. If only individuals are considered sacred, how do immigrants from impoverished nations crossing the border differ in worth or rights? If freedom of speech holds limitless primacy, how can one forbid painting the Virgin Mary with dung? If every viewpoint is open for debate, why not legalize pedophilia by vote? Such trends are ancient, and ‘people are going to do it anyway.’’ Satan exemplifies the ultimate individualist.
America was founded through Liberalism and is faltering because of it. Is there a way to break this paradox? It seems America has no choice but to, and Tucker Carlson has the potential to help uncover a solution—if he can truly recognize the heart of the issue.
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