E15: Richard Hanania on Vivek Ramaswamy, Affirmative Action, and the Winning Agenda for 2024

Erik sits down with writer and political scientist Richard Hanania. This extended discussion encompasses Richard’s intellectual education and views on how the world works, including affirmative action, the dynamic divide between conservatives and liberals, government overreach, geopolitics, and intellectual contemporaries worth reading. If you’re looking for SOC 2, ISO 27001, GDPR or HIPAA compliance, head to Vanta: https://www.vanta.com/1000 -- We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com. -- Please support our sponsors: Beehiiv | Shopify | Vanta   Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "UPSTREAM" for 20% off your first three months. Shopify: https://shopify.com/torenberg for a $1/month trial period Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all ecommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one ecommerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/torenberg. Compliance doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, with Vanta it can be super simple. Vanta automates the pricey, time-consuming process of prepping for SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, and more. With Vanta, you can save up to 400 hours and 85% of costs. Vanta scales with your business, helping you successfully enter new markets, land bigger deals, and earn customer loyalty. Bonus? Upstream listeners get $1000 off Vanta. Just go to https://www.vanta.com/zen -- RECOMMENDED PODCAST:  Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff -- LINKS: Richard’s new book: The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics Richard Hanania’s Substack: https://www.richardhanania.com/ -- TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Episode preview (05:40) Richard on Vivek Ramaswamy (07:20) Diversity and corporate interest (12:10) Wokeness is subsidized by government (18:00) Wokeness as a paper tiger (22:00) Liberal media and Conservative media (31:00) What should the Republican strategy be? (40:00) What is a positive vision rooted in conservative values? (48:00) What are the winning issues for conservatives? (51:00) Crime (01:10:00) Blank Slatism, Charles Murray, and the EA movement (01:14:00) Richard’s geopolitical worldview (01:25:00) Physiognomy of Conservatives and Liberals (01:28:00) Why are we polarized? (01:33:00) Dynamic divide between liberals and conservatives (01:34:00)Richard on Elon (01:40:00) Feminism (02:00:00) Richard on other contemporary intellectuals, including Tyler Cowen, Robin Hanson, Scott Alexander, and more -- TWITTER: Richard: @RichardHanania Erik: @ErikTorenberg -- Upstream : @upstream__pod This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at [email protected].