Tangle Podcast – PREVIEW: The Friday Edition – The Conservative View: Things Are Still Bad.

Host: Isaac Saul
Guest Contributor: Audrey Moorhead (Associate Editor, Tangle)
Date: October 31, 2025

Episode Overview

This special Friday edition preview features Associate Editor Audrey Moorhead’s response to Isaac Saul's previous commentary, taking a deeply personal and nuanced look at the conservative perspective on the current state of American politics. Drawing from her own journey growing up in conservative Tennessee, Audrey explores why many conservatives continue to support or at least tolerate Donald Trump, critiques both right and leftist overreach, and discusses how Democrats have also contributed to the erosion of political norms and growing polarization.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Background and Finding Tangle

• [01:55] Audrey shares her roots in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where claims of a stolen election permeated her conservative community.
  • She discusses her struggle to trust mainstream media, which often dismissed concerns she and her community had (sometimes condescendingly).

"Most of the mainstream media seemed far too dismissive of fraud claims, treating them as self-evidently ridiculous and anyone who believed them, like my family and friends, as ignorant or stupid. I was predisposed to distrust these outlets and they weren't doing themselves any favors."
— Audrey Moorhead [02:33]

• Isaac Saul’s approach—examining and then rebutting election fraud claims in detail—earned her trust and drew her to Tangle.

2. Tangle’s Approach to Bridging Divides

• Audrey expresses appreciation for Tangle’s commitment to presenting competing ideas and facilitating nuanced discussion.
  • Exposure to alternate viewpoints has helped her challenge and clarify her own beliefs.

"I truly think Tangle's culture and approach are a model for bridging the partisan divide, and I feel honored to spend every day doing such important work."
— Audrey Moorhead [04:11]

3. Conservative Disillusionment & Shifting GOP Ideology

• Audrey describes her mixed feelings about the Republican Party and the "MAGA" movement, highlighting concerns about the party’s increasing alignment with extreme and illiberal elements.

"White supremacist extremists have been part of the right throughout my lifetime, just as communist anti-American revolutionaries have been a fixture of the left. But those extreme views are clearly growing more influential in the GOP, and I felt like Isaac's take on the leaked texts underrated those dangers."
— Audrey Moorhead [05:10]

• She emphasizes her alignment with traditional conservatism: family, faith, limited government, and religious tolerance, and her discomfort with new trends ("barstool conservatism" and "post-liberalism").

"Rising stars of the GOP seem to reject this religiously-informed tolerance in favor of coarser barstool conservatism... or more overtly religious post-liberalism, enforcing narrow, often specifically Catholic values by outlawing other lifestyles."
— Audrey Moorhead [05:45]

4. Why Many Conservatives Still Support Trump

• Even as the GOP’s direction alarms her, Audrey recognizes why friends/family see Trump as the lesser of two evils.
  • Conservative support for Trump often arises out of a belief that the left has also grown more authoritarian and intolerant—understanding that perception is crucial for bridge-building.

"Their support of Trump and the GOP is driven by conservatives' sense that the left has been trending toward authoritarianism. Understanding this feeling, even if you think conservatives are wrong to feel that way, is essential to moving forward from the moment we're in..."
— Audrey Moorhead [06:25]

5. How Democrats Contributed to Institutional Erosion

• [08:22] Audrey lays out how Democratic actions have contributed to today’s bitter politics and norm-breaking:
  • Abolition of the filibuster for presidential nominees.
  • Aggressive use of executive power by Presidents Obama and Biden (student loan forgiveness, eviction moratorium, vaccine mandates).
  • Military precedents: Obama’s extrajudicial drone strikes set precedents for Trump’s strikes on Venezuelan boats.

"Any of these individual actions might feel justified... but as we've seen, no party has yet retained complete control over the government in perpetuity. When each party governs like it'll never lose again, it only becomes easier for the other side to do the same."
— Audrey Moorhead [11:51]

6. Issue Deep Dives: Immigration and "Wokeness"

Immigration

• [13:22] Audrey acknowledges that Trump’s immigration enforcement is one of her greatest worries, especially indiscriminate ICE actions.
  • Still, she believes the Biden administration’s policies significantly exacerbated the crisis, overwhelming local communities.
  • Trump’s hardline stance is seen by many as a necessary, if harsh, corrective.

"For many people, the question is not a judgment on 'is Trump acting legally?' but 'would I rather have what we had under Biden or what we have now?'"
— Audrey Moorhead [15:15]

• She notes that deportations are broadly popular and shouldn’t always be conflated with racist motivations.

“Wokeness”

• The episode cuts off as Audrey transitions to discussing “wokeness” and the cultural backlash driving conservative alienation and Trumpism (the full argument would be in the subscriber version).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Media Distrust:
  "Most of the mainstream media seemed far too dismissive of fraud claims, treating them as self-evidently ridiculous..."
  — Audrey Moorhead [02:33]

• On Tangle’s Culture:
  "Tangle's culture and approach are a model for bridging the partisan divide..."
  — Audrey Moorhead [04:11]

• On GOP Extremism:
  "Those extreme views are clearly growing more influential in the GOP, and I felt like Isaac's take on the leaked texts underrated those dangers."
  — Audrey Moorhead [05:10]

• On Loss of Home in GOP:
  "I've begun to feel that [the Republican Party] has completely cast me out."
  — Audrey Moorhead [06:02]

• On Shared Fault:
  "Democrats have paved the way for contemporary politicians to increasingly take advantage of slim electoral majorities and dubious presidential powers..."
  — Audrey Moorhead [08:34]

• On Political Norm Erosion:
  "No party has yet retained complete control... the constant erosion only makes the slope more slippery."
  — Audrey Moorhead [11:51]

• On Policy Trade-Offs:
  "For many people, the question is not a judgment on 'is Trump acting legally?' but 'would I rather have what we had under Biden or what we have now?'"
  — Audrey Moorhead [15:15]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment Description | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:55 | Audrey’s background, conservative community in Tennessee | | 04:11 | Tangle’s role in bridging the partisan divide | | 05:10 | Concerns about GOP extremism and ideological shifts | | 06:25 | Why conservatives tolerate or embrace Trump | | 08:22 | Democrats' role in eroding political norms | | 13:22 | Immigration policy: bipartisan failures, need for hardline | | 15:15 | Policy trade-offs: legality vs. effectiveness |

Overall Tone

Audrey’s segment is introspective, sober, and empathetic. She critiques both sides with nuance, maintains a respect for traditional conservative values, and emphasizes the importance of understanding each other's fears and motivations to heal partisan divides.

Conclusion

This preview provides a rare, honest glimpse into the evolving conservative mindset and dissatisfaction not just with Trumpian politics, but with the dominant trends in both parties' approaches to power. Audrey Moorhead’s perspective is a call for self-reflection on all sides and an argument for the necessity of cross-partisan empathy and accountability.

For the full episode and discussion on "wokeness," listeners are encouraged to subscribe at readtangle.com.