The Erick Erickson Show

Over 600 Americans were abducted in Mexico in 2021. Many of these individuals did not come home as their families failed to pay the ransom. Just this week, four more innocent Americans from South Carolina joined the list. According to Biden, these people were not taken by terrorists, but by drug cartels since his administration refuses to give them the proper destination. If ISIS or any other middle eastern terrorist organization killed 600+ Americans, an all-out war would be declared. While both sides deserve blame for the crisis, the Biden administration now currently refuses to designate the cartels as terrorists over diplomatic concerns with Mexico.

We are undergoing a political realignment in this country. For years, doom and gloom was projected onto Republicans as political prognosticators surmised that the country was turning brown while the Republican Party was white. Now, the Democratic Party is almost singularly comprised of white, rich, urban elites who have incorporated progressive litmus tests that politically moderate minorities can’t identify with. In Florida, Georgia, Texas, and other swing states, the share of minority votes Republicans earn continues to increase with every passing election cycle. If all of this wasn’t enough, Joe Biden is working overtime through Ukraine, Chicago, and East Palestine to drive these families away from the Democratic Party and into the hands of Republicans. Here’s what happened.

Americans are really generous people and most Americans understand and appreciate the Ukrainians did not deserve a Russian invasion and we should help them. Former President George W. Bush recently said the United States should be able to help Americans and help the world. But that’s the point. We’re not. The American government is failing at the basics. The Biden Administration would rather advance DEI goals in government than fight crime. They’d rather have transgender indoctrination than basic education. It’s hard to convince Americans we should spend money to help Ukraine when the federal government can’t even deliver the mail competently. If the Biden Administration wants to solve the world’s problems, it needs to get better at solving the real world basic problems of governance in the United States.

Reports continue to surface in mainstream outlets like The New York Times and Politico that Joe Biden may not run in 2024. Biden has continued to push back his campaign's announcement date, which is worrying Democrats and causing some to leak stories to the press. Democrats need Biden to announce sooner than later in order to avoid poor fundraising numbers before key federally-mandated reporting deadlines that would spawn unflattering stories. However, I don’t think that’s what is really happening. Every story about Biden and 2024 mentions one thing: Kamala Harris is weak and Democrats think she could be beaten. I think Biden is likely to run but is weighing whether to run with Kamala Harris. Here’s why that’s a massive problem.

The Russians and the Chinese are working together to use Ukraine as a proxy to test the resolve of the United States. There is simply no viable scenario where extricating ourselves from the Ukraine invasion elevates the United States standing around the world. On the contrary, every single time the United States has taken a step back from global involvement, the world descends into war. However, for Democrats to claim that anything other than a blank check to Ukraine means we are actively supporting the Russians is simply ludicrous. Where has the nuance gone in conversations about complex foreign policy issues? Here’s what I propose.

The United States Supreme Court will consider a major case involving Section 230, that provision of law that protects social media comments from being sued for the comments of others. In the case, the family of a terror attack victim argues that because Google allowed ISIS videos into its algorithm, it should be responsible in some way for the terrorists becoming radicalized even if the terrorists never saw videos on YouTube. Some conservatives want to use this case as a back door to change section 230 without ever having Congress act. Whether you like Google or not, they are in the right in this case and conservatives should steer clear of those who want to use the judges to rewrite a law.

Tim Scott is one of the few politicians that I literally have nothing critical to say about. As the only African American Republican in the Senate, Scott has one of the most compelling stories of anyone on either side of the aisle. Scott - a direct decedent of slaves - is the definition of someone who has lived the American dream. Let me explain why Tim Scott will make for a formidable challenger in 2024.

New data from multiple sources point to the same trend: We as a society are more isolated now than ever before. One in five single men says they have no friends at all. Two in five married men have no friendship with anyone outside of their family. 50% of men claimed they had five close friends before COVID. That number sits at 19% after COVID. The data suggests that Americans - and particularly American men - are in a crisis of isolation that was exacerbated by COVID. If this is you, the good news is it doesn't have to stay that way. Take a moment and watch.

Ron DeSantis is championing Donald Trump’s idea of making it easier to sue media outlets who promote falshoods about their subjects. In the midst of doing so, DeSantis hosted a round table discussion in Miami yesterday and invited noted conservative attorney Libby Locke to participate. Locke has worked with the likes of Sarah Palin and James O’Keefe and has a long history of helping conservatives who were maligned by media outlets. Trump world was furious at Locke’s invitation to the event because one of her other clients is Dominion Voting Systems. Here’s everything you need to know.

Yesterday was the Sunday before the State of the Union address. In traditional administrations, the Vice President traverses the country and/or hits the Sunday Shows touting the accomplishments of the administration with an eye for taking the mantle when the President is termed out . Kamala Harris was nowhere to be seen. Instead, The New York Times published yet another lengthy exposé chronicling her public and private failures in the Biden administration. The Times pointed out that many of the Harris-friendly Democrats referred to them by the Harris team stated privately they had lost faith in her. Here’s everything you need to know.

While I know the majority of the candidates who will run for President, I likely know Nikki Haley the best. She is a friend in the literal sense of the word and has served as a prayer warrior for me and my wife. People are dismissing Nikki Haley's candidacy for President at their own peril by buying into the inevitability that the race will be between DeSantis and Trump. Haley is uniquely positioned to navigate the cultural and political landscape of the country with the ability to grow the Republican base. Take a moment and listen:

Multiple sources reliably told me before the midterms that several hit pieces from establishment outlets were in the works blaming the pending midterm losses at the feet of Joe Biden. As we now know, the red wave never happened and the pieces were sidelined… until now. The rumblings in Washington have begun anew about Biden’s age and Kamala’s competency. Here’s more: