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

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Evolution of a Conservative Voice with Erick Erickson

Podcast: The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show (The Karol Markowicz Show)
Host: Karol Markowicz
Guest: Erick Erickson
Date: January 2, 2026
Duration: Main content from [02:39] to [28:52]

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Karol Markowicz sits down with Erick Erickson—longtime conservative talk radio host and author—to discuss his unexpected journey into political commentary, lessons learned from personal adversity, evolving conservative identity, challenges and hopes for the movement, the importance of community, and the balancing act between personal and public life. The conversation is candid, humorous, and marked by Erickson's characteristic self-deprecating wit.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Erickson’s Origin Story in Conservative Media

• Unexpected Career Path ([03:17]):

  • Erickson describes his international upbringing, political awakening, and how a twist of fate and a recommendation from Rush Limbaugh led him to his first radio gig.
  • Quote: “A local radio show host got arrested in a crack house, literally. And they needed someone to fill in for him. So I did.” – Erick Erickson [03:44]

• Red State & Radio ([03:55]):

  • Founded conservative website Red State in 2004.
  • Took over Herman Cain’s radio slot after Rush Limbaugh’s endorsement.
  • Quote: “Rush Limbaugh at the time… lied and said I was totally a radio pro. So they gave me Herman Cain's job.” – Erick Erickson [03:58]

Personal Adversity & Family Lessons

• Health Crisis and Book Genesis ([04:50]):

  • In 2016, Erickson faced a life-threatening pulmonary embolism (blood clots in his lungs), while his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
  • This experience inspired his book “Before You Wake: Life Lessons From a Father to His Children.”
  • Quote: “Literally, the guy who does my CT scan freaks out ... and says, sir, you can’t get up. You should be dead right now.” – Erick Erickson [05:10]
  • Motivation: To leave guidance and recipes for his children.

• Faith and Character ([05:44]):

  • Emphasis on modeling good character, valuing God’s view over others’, and the belief in eternity.
  • Quote: “Don’t worry what other people think, but also worry what God thinks.” – Erick Erickson [06:31]

• Update on Health ([06:40]):

  • Erickson’s lungs are clear; his wife “was given two years to live, and now, almost nine years later, she’s still here.” – [06:52]

Authenticity and Public Persona

• Lessons from Rush Limbaugh ([07:08]):

  • Rush’s advice: “Just be yourself.” Led Erickson to merge his on-air and off-air personas.
  • Quote: “The secret to my success is I am exactly on the radio and on the Internet exactly as I am off.” – Erick Erickson [07:50]

• Being Recognized ([08:20]):

  • Strange encounters, including being recognized in public restrooms.
  • Quote: “I’ve probably four times in my life ... been standing at a urinal in the airport and someone recognized me and began yelling.” – [08:48]

• Kindness Versus Hostility in Public Life ([09:37]):

  • Focus on the positive—strangers’ prayers and support outweigh negative encounters.
  • Quote: “The kindness of strangers ... just the random kindness from individuals.” – Erick Erickson [09:37]

Personal Life Balance: Passions, Family, and Community

• Cooking as a Second Love ([10:23]):

  • If not in media, Erickson would be a chef.
  • Sunday tradition: Hosts friends for food, sports, and camaraderie on his front porch.
  • Quote: “I just love to cook for other people. Half the stuff I make, I don’t even eat.” – Erick Erickson [10:47]

• Maintaining Community and Friendship ([11:26]):

  • Wife encouraged him to be less isolated, leading to regular gatherings.
  • Prefers working out alone to avoid political discussions at the gym.

Parenting, Technology, and Real-World Connections

• Worries About Kids Being “Too Online” ([12:05]):

  • Fears children will become “shallow, angry person(s)” if surrounded only by like-minded online communities.
  • Importance of religious and neighborhood connections.
  • Quote: “I worry about my kids becoming too online... we can all create communities of interest where everybody thinks like us… We don’t know the homeless guy down the street or our next door neighbor.” – Erick Erickson [12:05]

• Strategies to Limit Tech Use ([13:29]):

  • No access to social media at home without parental controls.
  • Encourages volunteering, sports, church, music, and art.
  • Anecdote: Son missed seeing the actual river outside the car window while glued to an iPad.

• Family Dinners and Device-Free Time ([14:48]):

  • Acknowledges personal struggle as a “bit of a hypocrite,” yet prioritizes device-free family meals.

Generational Advice and Looking Back

• Advice to His 16-Year-Old Self ([20:10]):
  • Would urge himself to exercise more and spend more time outdoors.
  • “Get outside and enjoy nature… instead of sitting behind my Nintendo playing video games.” – Erick Erickson [20:28]

The Evolving Conservative Movement

• Positive Changes ([21:18]):

  • Internet broadened participation, making conservatism “less of an elitist movement.”
  • Greater diversity of voices nationwide.

• Challenges and “Herding Cats” ([21:50]):

  • The movement’s individualism can be chaotic.
  • Concern: Monetization motivations dilute authenticity; less discernment about which voices and ideas to elevate.

• Big Tent vs. Core Values ([22:21]):

  • Warns against making the movement too inclusive or too exclusive.
  • Rejects Christian nationalism and collectivist impulses that threaten individual and family focus.
  • “Not all ideas are compatible with freedom and liberty.” – Erick Erickson [22:30]

• Hope for the Future ([23:19]):

  • Remains “hopeful” due to faith and cyclical trends.
  • Cautions against idolizing an idealized America.

• Political Humor and Mockery Over Anger ([24:02]):

  • Rush Limbaugh’s lesson: “The other side is ripe for laughter. We don't need to be angry at them… we should be mocking them and laughing.” – Erick Erickson [24:13]
  • Condemns rising anger and antisemitism on the right; argues most antisemitism is online, not prevalent in conservative heartland areas ([24:56]).

• Online Realities vs. Real Life ([25:29]):

  • Stresses that online negativity is often not real community sentiment.

Marriage, Faith, and Generational Optimism

• Concern About Anti-Marriage Sentiments Online ([26:03]):

  • Push-back against the “don’t get married” rhetoric popular on parts of the internet.
  • Sees signs of hope in youth returning to faith and religious institutions; predicts a rebound in marriage rates with increased religiosity.

• Individualism and Community ([27:30]):

  • Observes cyclical return to institutions among younger people.

Parting Wisdom

• Community Over Online Connections ([28:10]):
  • “Know your actual neighbors. … Your Facebook friend is not going to come take care of you if you’re sick, but your next door neighbor might.” – Erick Erickson [28:10]
  • Cites the biblical Jeremiah: “Seek the welfare of the community in which you live, because there you’ll find your welfare.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I was just like, this is what I love to do. I don't want to turn it into a profession.” – Erick Erickson on cooking [10:27]
• “I pay to go to a gym, to work out by myself, because … let's talk politics while I'm trying to do a burpee and not puke my guts up.” – Erick Erickson [11:33]
• “I believe in eternity. I want you to. So we can see each other again if something happens.” – Erick Erickson, on faith for his children [06:21]
• “My kids have a brilliant sense of humor. It's actually a pretty dark sense of humor. Exactly like their father.” – Erick Erickson [14:48]
• “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.” – Erick Erickson [28:10]

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Key Timestamps for Reference

• [02:39] – Introduction to Erick Erickson by Karol Markowitz
• [03:17] – Erickson’s path into politics and media
• [04:50] – The health crises that inspired his book
• [06:40] – Health update and survival story
• [07:08] – Advice from Rush Limbaugh, finding authenticity
• [08:20] – Being recognized and odd public encounters
• [09:37] – Kindness of strangers in public life
• [10:23] – Cooking as a passion and Sunday gatherings
• [12:05] – Concerns about kids and the online world
• [13:29] – Strategies to limit children’s device use
• [14:48] – Family and device-free dinners
• [20:10] – Advice to his 16-year-old self
• [21:18] – Evolution of the conservative movement
• [23:19] – Hopes and worries for conservatism’s future
• [24:02] – Political mockery versus anger
• [26:03] – Concerns about anti-marriage messaging
• [28:10] – Erickson’s top tip: Know your neighbors and invest in community

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Final Takeaways

Erick Erickson’s journey from political outsider to influential conservative voice is shaped by unexpected opportunities, personal trials, and a commitment to authenticity, faith, and community. The episode offers listeners a mix of personal storytelling, practical wisdom, humor, and a measured perspective on the changing landscape of American conservatism. Erickson’s advice resonates far beyond politics: build real-world relationships, cherish community, and be true to yourself.

Transcript

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[Carol Markowitz]

Welcome back to the Carol Markowitz show on iheartradio. My guest today is Eric Erickson. Eric is a very popular conservative talk radio host and author of three books, most recently before youe Life Lessons From a Father to His Children. Hi, Eric. So nice to have you on.

[Eric Erickson]

Thanks for having me.

[Carol Markowitz]

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]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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

[Eric Erickson]

Exactly. So Herman Cain was running for president at the time, and his station needed someone, and his boss drove through my town on 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. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

That's amazing. I mean, just the fact that it wasn't even your show and somebody happened to hear it, that's 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. I was. 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 have 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 gotta include their favorite recipes. I've gotta give them some life lessons. And it also was an epiphany as well that, my God, if they Google me, they're gonna 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 think. That was kind of the genesis of the book.

[Carol Markowitz]

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

[Eric Erickson]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

Wow, I'm so glad to hear that. That's really a miracle. 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.

[Eric Erickson]

Through, give you, 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 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. And relate to people accordingly.

[Carol Markowitz]

Do you get recognized a lot?

[Eric Erickson]

You know, I believe it's yes. It's 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. Like, literally, I'm peeing and I'm getting yelled at by someone. It's just, it's a very weird life.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 recognized. 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 fly private or something.

[Carol Markowitz]

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. They're praying for you and cheering you on, or they see you, they buy you a beer.

[Carol Markowitz]

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. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

Really. 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 or a cake or something. But yeah, I just, I love to cook on Sundays. Several years ago, my wife is 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 sandwich 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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

[Eric Erickson]

Yeah, she really did.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 live somewhat of a private life, but I enjoy it, being surrounded by friends and being able to cook for people.

[Carol Markowitz]

All right. Trip to Georgia, I think, is in my future. 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. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 WI fi 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 you look out the car window.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 of 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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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[Lavar Arrington]

Lavar Arrington from Two Pros and a Cup of Joe. Pizza Hut threw down a challenge and it's genius. Quarterbacks say Hut constantly. It's like they're asking for Pizza Hut by name. Pizza Hut is challenging any quarterback pack put pizza before they say Hut. During the televised game, Pizza Hut will throw an actual pizza party in the city for the first QB that does it during a televised game, fans get the win.

[Commercial Narrator]

Literally.

[Lavar Arrington]

Listen closely on game day when you hear Pizza Hut, you know something big is about to happen. Visit pizzahut.com for details.

[Commercial Narrator]

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[Julian Edelman]

Network.

[Carol Markowitz]

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

[Eric Erickson]

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. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Eric Erickson]

16 if somebody 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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. 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 anti Semitism 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 Israel, pro Jew, or, you know, just generally not antisemitic. It is, I think, where you're seeing this, these anti Semitic outbursts are 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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, 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.

[Carol Markowitz]

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 listening to you for years and I've really loved having you on. Thank you.

[Eric Erickson]

Thank you. Thanks so much.

[Carol Markowitz]

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

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