Karol Markowicz Show: The Evolution of a Conservative Voice with Erick Erickson

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show

Episode: Karol Markowicz Show: The Evolution of a Conservative Voice with Eric Erickson
Release Date: March 28, 2025

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Introduction to Eric Erickson

The episode features Eric Erickson, a prominent conservative talk radio host and author, best known for his book "Life Lessons from a Father to His Children." Eric shares his journey from his early days abroad to becoming a significant voice in American conservative media.

[03:48] Eric Erickson: "Tell us everything. So politics. I grew up overseas and politics was just a way to connect into American culture."

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Path to Radio Hosting

Eric delves into his transition from law to radio, highlighting a serendipitous event that launched his broadcasting career. While assisting a congressman, Eric was thrust into a radio hosting role when the original host was unexpectedly unavailable.

[04:46] Eric Erickson: "And one thing led to another and a local radio show host got arrested in a crack house, literally. And they needed someone to fill in for him. So I did."

This unexpected opportunity led him to host Red State in 2004, a role he continues to hold, marking it as the longest tenure of his career.

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Personal Health Crisis and Its Impact

A pivotal moment in Eric's life occurred in 2016 when he faced a severe health crisis. Engaging in CrossFit to regain fitness, he collapsed due to blood clots in his lungs and was given only 24 hours to live. Simultaneously, his wife received a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer.

[06:37] Eric Erickson: "So literally, like, they're wheeling me into an ICU with 24 hours to live, and my wife is getting this phone call that they think she has lung cancer."

This harrowing experience inspired him to write his latest book, focusing on life lessons for his children, emphasizing faith, character, and the importance of loving one's neighbors.

[06:37] Eric Erickson: "I want you to believe in God because we believe in God. I believe in eternity. I want you to."

Despite the grim prognosis, Eric miraculously survived, and his wife has surpassed her initial two-year prognosis, now thriving nearly nine years later.

[07:31] Eric Erickson: "You know, I'm fine. My lungs. I finally, several years ago got the all clear that there's nothing left. There's some damage in my lungs, but my wife does have cancer. She was given two years to live and now almost nine years later, she's still here."

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Authenticity and Public Life

Eric discusses the challenges and revelations that come with being a public figure. He reflects on the advice from fellow radio legend Rush Limbaugh to remain authentic, which resonated deeply following his personal trials.

[08:01] Eric Erickson: "The secret to my success is I am exactly on the radio and on the Internet exactly as I am off the radio and off the Internet. I'm a middle-aged fat white dude who's perfectly comfortable being married and enjoys my kids and lives in Middle Georgia."

He shares amusing yet unsettling encounters where listeners recognize and confront him in unexpected places, underscoring the thin line between private and public life.

[09:13] Eric Erickson: "I actually have literally now probably four times in my life, including right after the election in November, been standing at a urinal in the airport and someone recognized me and began yelling at me."

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Balancing Online Presence and Personal Life

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the impact of the internet and social media on personal relationships and societal values. Eric expresses concern over the increasing online engagement of younger generations, which often leads to isolation and superficial connections.

[12:58] Eric Erickson: "I worry about my kids becoming too online. I mean, we try to get them to not stare at phones and stuff..."

He emphasizes the importance of real-world interactions, community involvement, and fostering genuine relationships outside the digital realm.

[16:15] Eric Erickson: "We try to have dinner together, sit around the table, all devices facing the table or not at the table, and actually break bread together..."

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Reflections on the Conservative Movement

Eric provides an insightful analysis of the conservative movement's evolution. He acknowledges the positive shift towards a more communal and inclusive base, facilitated by the internet, allowing diverse voices to contribute to the conservative dialogue.

[22:09] Eric Erickson: "What I think is good about the changes is that it is much more communal in that because of the way the Internet works, there are a wider swath of people across the nation who have a say in what it means to be a conservative."

However, he also criticizes the influx of voices motivated by profit rather than genuine commitment to conservative principles, leading to fragmentation and the dilution of core values.

[22:09] Eric Erickson: "Probably the worst part is there are a lot of voices that have invaded the conservative movement that are more there for profiting off the movement than committed to the movement."

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Challenges Within the Movement

Eric expresses concern over ideological purity and the potential overexpansion of the movement's tent. He warns against integrating non-conservative ideologies, such as Christian nationalism, which could undermine individualism and family-focused values central to conservatism.

[23:12] Eric Erickson: "This idea that I think some people are trying to infect the movement with, that we need to be some level of Christian nationalist theocracy or Catholic governance in some way."

Additionally, he highlights the emergence of anti-Semitic sentiments within certain conservative circles, urging the movement to self-police and expel such harmful elements.

[25:28] Eric Erickson: "This anger and even some of the unhealthy antisemitism that's just cropping up in parts of the right... we have to police our movement and drive those voices out."

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Optimism for the Future

Despite the challenges, Eric remains hopeful about the conservative movement's trajectory. He believes that faith-based individuals will persevere and that younger generations, more connected to their faith, will rejuvenate the movement's foundational principles.

[24:10] Eric Erickson: "I am hopeful because I've read the end of the book. I know how it ends, and I think people of faith are going to turn out okay in the end."

He underscores the cyclical nature of societal changes, emphasizing that despite current declines in marriage rates and birth rates, there is potential for a resurgence driven by faith and community values.

[28:03] Eric Erickson: "There's a lot of data out there that does give me hope for the younger generation."

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Advice and Closing Thoughts

In his concluding remarks, Eric offers practical advice to listeners, emphasizing the significance of building and maintaining strong community ties.

[29:01] Eric Erickson: "Know your actual neighbors. If you live in an apartment complex, if you live in a community, actually know the people you live next to and try to have some even mild relationship with them."

He reflects on the importance of local relationships over virtual connections, suggesting that genuine neighborly bonds are crucial for personal and community welfare.

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Notable Quotes

• On Authenticity:
  Eric Erickson: "The secret to my success is I am exactly on the radio and on the Internet exactly as I am off the radio and off the Internet."
  [08:01]

• On Community:
  Eric Erickson: "Your Facebook friend is not going to come take care of you if you're sick, but your next door neighbor might."
  [29:01]

• On Conservatism:
  Eric Erickson: "We do not need to be angry at them. I mean, it's actually kind of hilarious. The insanity that has infected the left. We should be mocking them and laughing them."
  [24:53]

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Conclusion

Eric Erickson's candid discussion provides a comprehensive look into the personal and political landscapes shaping contemporary conservatism. From overcoming personal adversity to navigating the complexities of modern media and societal changes, Eric offers valuable insights and a hopeful outlook for the future of the conservative movement.

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Note: Advertisements and non-content sections from the transcript were intentionally excluded to maintain focus on the substantive discussion between Eric Erickson and the host.

Transcript

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[Eric Erickson]

Thanks for having me.

[Lenovo Representative]

So I've known you and of you like a million years. You're really OG in this movement and it's so nice to talk to you. I'm not sure we've ever done a show together before, but I've been looking forward to this. Where did you get your start? How did this all happen for you?

[Eric Erickson]

Tell us everything. So politics. I grew up overseas and politics was just a way to connect into American culture. And then went to college, started college Republicans at my college, started volunteering for campaigns, kind of fell into it and went to law school because the congressman I was working for said a law degree is an MBA in politics. So I did that, got married, and my wife was like, I'm not moving to Washington. So I became a lawyer, started Red State, and one thing led to another and a local radio show host got arrested in a crack house, literally. And they needed someone to fill in for him. So I did.

[Lenovo Representative]

I don't do cracks, so this should be okay.

[Eric Erickson]

Exactly. So Herman Cain was running for president at the and his station needed someone. And his boss drove through my town, all the way to Disney World, thought it was my show. I knew Rush Limbaugh at the time who lied and said I was totally a radio pro. So they gave me Herman Cain's job.

[Lenovo Representative]

Wow.

[Eric Erickson]

And here we are all these years later now, the longest job I've ever had. It's been a wild ride. I mean, from red State in 2004 to now talk radio and kind of doing my own substack. But it's been a lot of fun.

[Lenovo Representative]

That's amazing. I mean, just the fact that it wasn't even your show and somebody happened to hear it, you know, really kismet. So what kind of lessons do you tell your son in that last book I'm interested in, the path that you took to get here was sort of. I mean, I don't want to say lucky wasn't. You know, luck played a role. But so how do you impart lessons when there is that luck factor?

[Eric Erickson]

So the background for the book, kind of the genesis of it, was in 2016, as every nightmare story begins. I started CrossFit trying to get back into shape, and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't keep up. And I thought, God, I've hit 40. I'm old. That's the problem. And finally my wife was like, you got to go to the doctor. So I go to the doctor, and they send me to the emergency room, and literally, the guy who does my CT scan freaks out, straps me to the table and says, sir, you can't get up. You should be dead right now. Which was kind of like, oh, there's something going on. Turns out my lungs had filled up with blood clots. They gave me 24 hours to live. They told me, you've got to call your family. And as I'm trying to call my wife, my wife is calling me and she says, hey, I got a call from the Mayo Clinic, and they think I have lung cancer.

[Lenovo Representative]

Oh, my God.

[Eric Erickson]

So literally, like, they're wheeling me into an ICU with 24 hours to live, and my wife is getting this phone call that they think she has lung cancer, which she does. She's got stage four of a very rare genetic form of lung cancer. And it was kind of like, you know, if we both die, I need to write something for my kids. I got to include their favorite recipes. I've got to give them some life lessons. And it also was an epiphany as well that, my God, if they Google me, they're going to think I'm a horrible person. And so it just. It was kind of a. I want you to believe in God because we believe in God. I believe in eternity. I want you to. So we can see each other again if something happens. And also, you need to actually model your life of good character. Don't worry what other people think, but also worry what God thinks. And that was kind of the genesis of the book.

[Lenovo Representative]

Wow. And you survived obviously over the 24 hours. And how are you doing now?

[Eric Erickson]

You know, I'm fine. My lungs. I finally, several years ago got the all clear that there's nothing left. There's some damage in my lungs, but my wife does have cancer. She was given two years to live and now almost nine years later, she's still here.

[Lenovo Representative]

Wow, I'm so glad to hear that. That's really a miracle. I mean, how do you, when you're dealing with all your day to day stuff and all the politics and all the nonsense that we all kind of go through and living on our lives on the Internet, I mean, how much perspective does what you went through give you?

[Eric Erickson]

You know, a lot. You know, so we're recording this just a couple days after Rush Limbaugh died. He was actually a good friend of mine before I got into radio. I remember talking to him one time and this was before this had happened, and said, I never want to do a national radio show because there was no chance of being number one as long as he was around. And he laughed. He said, even if I'm dead, you're not going to be as good as me, so just be yourself. And so I had that actually around this time while this happened. And I finally thought, you know, I really am, I'm pretending to be this, the biblical donkey, if you will, jackass to people on the Internet and I'm playing someone other than myself. I should just be myself. And that really was kind of a life turning moment for me. Was I just. The secret to my success is I am exactly on the radio and on the Internet exactly as I am off the radio and off the Internet. I'm a middle aged fat white dude who's perfectly comfortable being married and enjoys my kids and lives in Middle Georgia, not in Washington or New York, and relate to people accordingly.

[Lenovo Representative]

Do you get recognized a lot?

[Eric Erickson]

You know, I believe it's yes. For a guy who's mostly on the radio. Yes. And it's very weird. If I go to a restaurant and I sit and I face people, no one really pays attention. And the moment they hear my voice and don't recognize me, it's like I know who that guy is. I actually have literally now probably four times in my life, including right after the election in November, been standing at a urinal in the airport and someone recognized me and began yelling at me. Like, literally I'm peeing and I'm getting yelled at by someone. It just, it's a very weird life.

[Lenovo Representative]

That's so interesting because how do they know who you are? Like, are they listening to conservative radio and they hate it? It's like, hate listening?

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, to some degree. I think so. You know, I've been on. I was on CNN for three years and on Fox for five and occasionally still do tv. So I do get recog. And yeah, man. The people who recognize me and right after the election, when emotions were raw, that guy just. I mean, I'm literally just trying to mind my own business and dude is yelling at me because Donald Trump won. And then, you know, the same day, literally someone followed me to my car when I was leaving the airport. He was so excited by the election. And I finally was like, I gotta, like, win the lottery so I can fight private or something.

[Lenovo Representative]

What's the best part about being a public person?

[Eric Erickson]

Oh, you know, the kindness of strangers. At the same time, the number of people who pray for my wife and for me who send notes just that prayed for you today. We've got a family, their kids. My wife gets a note from their church regularly that she's been put on their prayer list. And it's just the kindness of strangers. As much as people can kind of get upset and stuff, just the random kindness from individuals who. They're not wealthy people. They just, they're reaching out and they're praying for you and cheering you on or they see you and they buy you a beer.

[Lenovo Representative]

I love that. That's actually, you know, worth all the people yelling at you at urinals, I think. Yeah, maybe it's kind of a trade off, you know? Yeah. What would you be doing if not this? What would be the Erik Erickson Plan B?

[Eric Erickson]

Oh, you know, probably cooking in a restaurant somewhere.

[Lenovo Representative]

Really?

[Eric Erickson]

I love to cook. In fact, my parents thought I should go to culinary school and I was just like, this is what I love to do. I don't want to turn it into a profession. But the older I get, the more I think if I. If I wasn't doing radio and conservative politics, I probably would be a chef somewhere. I genuinely love to cook for other people. Half the stuff I make, I don't even eat. I just make it for other people, really.

[Lenovo Representative]

But I mean, don't you have to eat it or taste it at least?

[Eric Erickson]

I mean, yeah, you taste a little bit, but I mean, if I'm smoking a brisket for someone, I'm pretty sure I've got it right, so I can give it to them and. Or a cake or something. But yeah, I just, I love to cook on Sundays. Several years ago, my Wife was like, you live in an isolated existence. You don't have a lot of friends, start inviting people over. So on Sundays, I invite a group of friends over. We sit on my front porch, watch sports, smoke cigars, and drink bourbon. And I cook every week. This past Sunday, I roasted a pork loin and made Cuban sandwiches, and the week before, I did a brisket, and the week before that, I did fried shrimp tacos. And I just. I love to do it for people.

[Lenovo Representative]

That sounds amazing. I mean, your wife had to pressure you to have friends over, though.

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, she really did.

[Lenovo Representative]

Like all husbands, I guess.

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, I just, you know, I do. It is kind of an isolated existence. And, like, I pay to go to a gym to work out by myself because I tried going with other people, and they're like, oh, let's talk politics while I'm trying to do a burpee and not puke my guts up. So I just. I live somewhat of a private life and. But I enjoy it, being surrounded by friends and being able to cook for people.

[Lenovo Representative]

All right. Trip to Georgia, I think, is in my future. Anytime that's. I want to sit on that front porch. What do you worry about?

[Eric Erickson]

I worry about my kids becoming too online. I mean, we try to get them to not stare at phones and stuff, but I see this with friends of mine who they're less and less happy because they're less and less in the world around them and more in the world they've created online. I mean, we can all create communities of interest where everybody thinks like us and looks like us. We don't know the homeless guy down the street or our next door neighbor. I started going to seminary a number of years ago. I talk about faith on radio and figured I ought to go back to seminary. And one of the things that has struck me for years is, as a Christian, Jesus says, you love your neighbors as yourself. And when I look at that, I try to tell my friends that even though I may not agree with transgenderism as a philosophy or a way of life, I've got to love my transgender neighbors so much. When they go on vacation, they leave a key at my house or something. Just. I mean, we're in a community together, and I want my kids to understand that you can't just surround yourself with people who agree with you because you're going to be a shallow, angry person.

[Lenovo Representative]

How do you keep them kind of off of that online existence? I mean, I'm asking for myself, because obviously, I think, again, in our world, we're just online. So Much. We have to keep up with the latest of what people are saying and what X's character of the day is. All of that. How do you keep them away from it?

[Eric Erickson]

So one, if you come to my house, you can't get into Snapchat, you can't get into Twitter unless you have the password for the to be able to access those websites. So my kids aren't on it. We let them do Instagram. That's about it. But volunteering, participating in a church community, in a religious community, it's important to us having my kids involved in sports and music. My daughter is a great artist. My son has taught himself how to play the piano and the cello. And so now we're getting him lessons. But making them get out of the house and get offline and actually be in the world around them is important to us. We knew we had a problem one time when our son we would, as all, I think real parents do, babysit with an iPad. And we were going to see my in laws one time. My son loves maps. And literally we're driving across the Chattahoochee river here in Georgia and my son's not even looking out the window. He's looking at his iPad. He says, we're about to go over a river. It's like, we need to like, take the devices away, make him look out the car window.

[Lenovo Representative]

But the problem, of course, is that, like, I'm on my device and it's kind of, you know, my kids are like, look up and talk to me, you know, when they're trying to tell me something. Obviously I can give them the advice of like, stay offline. But when I myself am so, so into it, it's a lot tougher.

[Eric Erickson]

It is. And I'm a bit of a hypocrite on this with my kids. Although I will say my kids have a brilliant sense of humor. It's actually a pretty dark sense of humor. Exactly like their father. And so I do enjoy sharing memes with my kids on Instagram a lot. But, you know, when we're at. We have to. We try to have dinner together, sit around the table, all devices facing the table or not at the table, and actually break bread together like I do with friends where we're not staring at our devices, we're actually talking to each other. And when my kids start talking, it really is just the funniest part of the day.

[Lenovo Representative]

Yeah, I love that. We're going to take a quick break and be right back on the Carol Markowitz Show.

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[Lenovo Representative]

What advice would you give your 16 year old self if.

[Eric Erickson]

You had to offer yourself some thoughts Honestly to exercise. I was never big into exercise when I was growing up and now trying to lose weight and get back in shape. Tell my 16 year old self just get out and take a walk. We had it I guess to a degree easier. We didn't have the Internet. At least I didn't when I was growing up as a 16 year old. But get outside and enjoy nature is something I would have told myself as a kid instead of sitting behind my Nintendo playing video games.

[Lenovo Representative]

That's interesting. I feel like kids just naturally exercise all the time. I would say maybe just keep going. But yeah, I definitely was never a big working out person either. And it would have been good to start at 16 if somebody.

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, so I grew up in Dubai and then moved back to South Louisiana. So it was either hot and dry or hot and humid. And either way it was hot and I just wanted to stay inside.

[Lenovo Representative]

What are some changes you've seen in the conservative movement over your career? Like, what do you think is good about the changes? Let's start there, actually.

[Eric Erickson]

Okay. So what I think is good about the changes is that it is much more communal in that because of the way the Internet works, there are a wider swath of people across the nation who have a say in what it means to be a conservative and what direction it goes. It's less of an elitist movement than I think it used to be in the 60s, 70s and early 80s. And the worst part that also it's conservatives are herding cats more than Democrats because we are more individualistic at the same time, I think probably the worst part is there are a lot of voices that have invaded the conservative movement that are more there for profiting off the movement than committed to the movement. And I think the Internet has caused all of us, myself included, to lose a level of discernment we once had as to the voices we should listen to and the ideas that we should be fostering as opposed to festering.

[Lenovo Representative]

Is it possible for the tent to get too big?

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, I definitely think so. I think there are some people who want it smaller than it should be. There are people who definitely want it too big. Not all ideas are compatible with freedom and liberty. And I think a conservative movement's got to be family focused and committed to individual responsibility and individualism. This idea that I think some people are trying to infect the movement with, that we need to be some level of Christian nationalist theocracy or Catholic governance in some way. I think there is a growing disrespect for the individual family within parts of the conservative movement. That's dangerous. That at the end of the day, the free market is you and me operating at arm's length to decide what's best for our family. And inevitably we wind up through a series of compromises in the free market doing well, but having some sort of populist politburo pulling the levers and flipping the switches is as doomed to failure as it is on the left.

[Lenovo Representative]

Are you hopeful about the future of the conservative movement?

[Eric Erickson]

I am. I mean, I'm hopeful because I've read the end of the book. I know how it ends, and I think people of faith are going to turn out okay in the end. I do think that there's a danger in us making an idol of our country and wanting things to be a certain way. I hear people say all the time, still, what does conservatism conserve? And I was like, your First Amendment right that J.D. vance just lectured Europe about is a great example. But at the same time, I do think that there are people who have a vision of the country that is an idealized vision that never really was. And the danger is trying to impose that vision on everyone else.

[Lenovo Representative]

What do you think Rush would be saying right now? Would he be excited about where we are?

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, I think he would be having a blast just laughing at both the frenzy on the right. And also I do think one thing that Rush did a very good job that people in the conservative movement have forgotten is the other side is ripe for laughter. We don't need to be angry at them. I mean, it's actually kind of hilarious. The insanity that has infected the left. We should be mocking them and laughing them.

[Lenovo Representative]

Yeah, I think mockery is actually way underutilized by the right. I think that that has to be how we attack the left. I think in a joyful fashion. Making fun of them is often the way to go.

[Eric Erickson]

This anger and even some of the unhealthy antisemitism that's just cropping up in parts of the right that's doomed to failure and it should fail to see some people, voices on the right suddenly sounding very anti Semitic these days. I think we have to police our movement and drive those voices out.

[Lenovo Representative]

I mean, I obviously agree, but I also, I'm hopeful because I think that a lot of that is only online. Like when I go the deeper the red the area is, the more pro isra, a pro Jew, or, you know, just generally not anti Semitic. It is, I think, where you're seeing this, these anti Semitic outbursts are, you know, predominantly in blue areas. And I think on our side, it's still. And you know, in my Jewish world, when I say this, people think I'm being naive or something, but I think I really do think the more conservative areas are safer for Jews.

[Eric Erickson]

You know, I tend to agree with you as well in that. And I do think it is mostly online. And I think the danger for the right right now is much like the left was in 2015 or so, that we think that what happens on Twitter is reality. And I'VE seen more and more younger guys on the right say that. No, actually, what's happening online is a reflection of reality. I don't think it is. And I do think that in the heartland outside of New York and D.C. people tend to really get along, regardless of their politics, and they have the backs of their Jewish neighbors as well.

[Lenovo Representative]

Yeah, but the other thing that I'm worried about on the right, and maybe you are, too, is just this whole, you know, it's sort of the Andrew Tate thing, but it's like the don't get married message to men. I find that that is growing on the right, and that is something I feel like I'm worried about leaping into real life because our marriage rates are already in decline. What do you think?

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, listen, I'm glad you said that. This is. Again, it's where my fear is, that there are so many people who take what's happening online and try to impose it offline or translate it offline. And the marriage movement is something that I worry about. There are helpful signs offline, though, about the number of young people who are going back to religious institutions, to synagogues, temples, and churches who are trying to reconnect with their faith. And that's a data point that does give me some hope on this, that we have these cycles of life. It's reflective in the west right now, a birth decline across the Western world. But I do think there's an opportunity for it to rebound, and a younger generation that actually is more connected to its faith probably is where it's going to happen.

[Lenovo Representative]

I love that optimism because I think we really need it. We need that rebound. And I think that the right needs to be driving the conversation where marriage is a good thing for both men and women. We need to get back to it and have those numbers go up. I'm hopeful, but I definitely am concerned, too.

[Eric Erickson]

Right. Yeah. There's a lot of data out there that does give me hope for the younger generation. And it's one of those weird, cyclical things where you go through, like, with kids and group work, you have a generation that wants to collaborate, wants to do group work, and then you have these individualists. And I see it in my kids that their generation right now is very. They're individual thinkers. They don't like group work, but they're also much more committed to institutions than kids just a few years older than them.

[Lenovo Representative]

I love hearing that. Thank you, Eric. This has been so amazing. For my last question that I ask all my guests, leave us here with your best tip. For my listeners on how they can improve their lives.

[Eric Erickson]

Know your actual neighbors. If you live in an apartment complex, if you live in a community, actually know the people you live next to and try to have some even mild relationship with them. So that, I mean the. But your Facebook friend is not going to come take care of you if you're sick, but your next door neighbor might. So you want to rebuild your community. I mean, look to Jeremiah, seek the welfare of the community in which you live because there you'll find your welfare.

[Lenovo Representative]

Love it. I have to go meet some neighbors for sure. Thank you so much, Eric, for coming on. He's Eric Erickson. Read him, check him out. Such a great voice on the conservative side. And I just, I've been, you know, listening to you for years and I really loved having you on. Thanks you.

[Eric Erickson]

Thank you. Thanks so much.

[Lenovo Representative]

Thanks so much for joining us on the Carol Markowitz Show. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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