Bulwark Takes GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt Went Full NatCon Crazy
Sep 4, 2025
Tim Miller chats with Andrew Egger, an insightful author and White House correspondent, about the alarming trends observed at the recent National Conservatism Conference. They delve into the unsettling push for a 'heritage American' caste system, critiquing its divisive implications on American identity. The discussion uncovers the fractures within the right-wing coalition, balancing between authoritarianism and grievances, while raising concerns about threats to LGBTQ rights. Egger highlights the tension between traditional values and emerging ideologies in a changing political landscape.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Heritage Americans As A Caste Idea
- National conservatism promotes a hierarchy of Americans based on ancestral arrival periods, rebranding it as 'heritage' status.
- Andrew Egger warns this chronological caste idea is fundamentally anti-American and exclusionary.
Meme That Grades Americans By Arrival
- Andrew Egger recounts a circulating meme grading Americans by ancestral arrival from colonial stock to post-1945 arrivals.
- He uses the meme to show how some NatCon circles literally rank Americans by lineage and age of arrival.
Patriotism Used To Police Belonging
- NatCon leaders recast this hierarchy as patriotism, labeling dissenters 'anti-American' for rejecting ancestral privilege.
- Egger argues this reverses American founding ideals and cloaks exclusion in revolutionary reverence.