Dude admits that he needs "political re-education". Based.

Big props to this guy. His voice is trembling but he's still getting his points out, and big props to Sam for engaging so earnestly. *This* is discourse.

People like this guy, who actually change their minds when they encounter new information, are the best.

Sam is such a class act

i respect this guy for being open minded enough to talk about this wihout insults or being demeaning

I am always impressed by Sam's ability to talk to people with an open heart. I feel for this man, you can hear he is scared, but also brave.

Sorry - teared up watching this. This was actual discourse. This dude actually reached out, and Sam was the right person to reach out to. Majority Report is hitting it out of the park. Well done.

As a teenage homeschooIer in a very fundamentalist household, i used to listen to the original majority report with Jeannine and it helped me out of a really dark time in my life. I relate to where this guy is... he's at least halfway out of it. Much love, brother

I hope seeing all those confederate flags make him realize what kind of "safe" his neighborhood really is.

Sam is such a good dude. Doesn't copy right strike people, hears out conservatives, and even plugs their blog when it's in good faith/genuine.

“Be ruthless with systems, be kind to people.” Michael Brooks

As a former conservative, the most important step is to question your preconceptions. What started my journey to the left was encountering information that disagreed with the assumptions I made about the world, questioning those assumptions and finding them lacking. The conservative ideology is layer upon layer of self-gratifying fiction, but it's also highly unstable because every assumption is load-bearing. As one of those assumptions falls away, those other assumptions become increasingly unsupportable.

Thank you for treating this caller with respect and consideration. I freely admit that my first reaction was essentially "get a load of this guy, here." Thank you so much for teaching me a lesson in humility and respect for our fellow brothers and sisters. ☮️

Respect to this caller. He is on a good path.

Uncle Sam is a force for good

Hope this caller gets enlightened

I liked this call and caller. Sam cops a lot of trash from people who dislike the show for being smug and condescending, but the reality is he is a brilliant communicator and knows who to mock and why as well as when not to. This caller was nervous, curious but also polite, and ultimately his reasons for "being conservative" are (I would argue misplaced) the best reasons you could hear from a self-avowed conservative. I am glad people like him still call in, these are the right kinds of conversations.

Why is the answer to “why are you conservative?” always “it happened in my childhood”?

Wow, this guy is not an NPC. He didnt fall into the cult mindset and got out. Good for him.

He’s trying to see reason. Respect. It’s rare for conservative people to get to that point.

Ex MAGA, good on him.

If only every conservative knew how to use their brain

this dudes alright, good approach he's warming up to options it seems

Great call! Hope this guy continues to listen to the show and should check out the Libertarian debates to help shift their views more.

Good to hear there are still some critical thinkers out there in the conservative universe.

Takes a lot of guts to be able to change your opinion through careful reflection. Good on you caller keep at it

Sam is irreplaceable. This man and the rest of the crew truly care about human beings and our well being This makes me so happy when my fellow humans listen to Sam and how he helps you see the light on what is truly going on. Keep up the great work

The plug was very classy.

What fundamentalists from different religions have in common- bigotry and sexism.

I love this caller. they've reminded me that there are still people out there worth being understanding and patient with (if you have the desire and energy). It's understandable if people don't want to put in the emotional labor, but sometimes people just need a kind person to answer their questions. This person feels to me a lot like he's on the edge of realizing that at the very least, the espoused goals of the conservatives in America don't seem to match their actions. They're also finding themselves agreeing with a show most conservatives would consider as "radical left". I was radicalized away from Christianity because when I was in this confusion/questioning phase, all I got was anger and dismissal when I would ask questions at church. The result was I started looking elsewhere for answers, and the answers I found started a very embarrassing militant atheist phase in my life, but the end result after I calmed down a little was a much more understanding and accepting place despite my non-belief. I had a similar leftist awakening. I grew up conservative and began watching Jon Stewart, and then Colbert when he got his show, and I have drifted slowly (or not so slowly at times) to the left since. It's also worth noting it took me about 3 years to even be able to admit to myself that I was an atheist, or that I was officially left-leaning. Anyway, point is, I could be projecting because of my experiences, but I think it's worth being kind to people like this on the off chance that they're another lost soul looking for their way.

Confederate flags in NY is insane lmao

these are the people when we talk about" i just wanna talk to them to see how they think" this is who i like talking to. but the dudes i work with ARE NOT like this and i work in seattle

The charter school thing is so real. When our kids started in school we looked up the grading for their public school and compared it against other schools. We live near the edge of our city and get pulled into the schools with the inner city kids. The schools grading was atrocious. But when I drilled down into the data and the grades were much worse for the African American kids, which are about half the school. We decided that our support structure around our child was strong enough because of the position we are in financially and with our flexible jobs that we thought our children going through a more diverse environment was worth it. So far, our kids far exceed their grade level in school, and are doing quite well socially. So really it has nothing to do with the school itself and everything to do with the support structure around kids. And that’s the bigger societal challenge. It’s not that the African American kids are dumber, it’s that many of them are in bad situations because of historical problems and racism. But that hasn’t slowed down our kids in the least. Like my daughter knew a girl in her class whose little sister died in a fire because there were like 11 or 12 kids from two families living under the same roof and it was difficult to save them all. We bought that family a lot of clothes after the fire and a Nintendo Switch with four controllers and several games so they could keep their minds off of her death. A lot of other people also chipped in to help. But those type of situations are common at her school. Like my kids are not much less dorky or awkward than I was in school, and yet their teachers tell us that they are pretty popular, probably because they are always clean with a nice haircut and new clothes, and because we’ve taught them to be kind to others. Their teachers love them and so do their fellow students. Public education is fine, it needs more funding and better pay for teachers.

I've always noticed that when you ask leftists versus conservatives "why do you believe what you believe?", Conservatives say "I was raised" whereas leftists say "I learned"

I live in WNY, was raised a few miles from this caller by a conservative "Christian" conspiracy theorist and boy do I have some stories to tell! I broke free from that crap and now I'm fully committed to thwarting misinformation and supremacy wherever I find it. My dentist is in Niagara Falls, NY and that town is nowhere near as safe as Amherst or Tonawanda, both fully blue suburbs... If he hasn't seen a safe, blue neighborhood, I'll be glad to take him out for some drinks and polite discussion whenever he wants!

Glad to hear about no copyright strikes. I’ll gladly share your content on my small but growing channel now that I know this. Thanks.

I also have a question for Sam… involving green eggs and ham.

I wish Sam would have let him talk a little bit more, not that I think Sam was cutting him off, but because I wanted more about what's keeping him in some conservative ideology. That said, nice to hear from a former Trumper rather than a current Trumper. Jan 6th should have been the final wake-up call

You’re so nice Sam 😭🥺💯

They put the link in the description. What class

I'm at a loss of words, i feel like it's been so long since ive heard such a kind and open political conversation. Sam didnt attack him for his values, they very openly respects each other, and their opinions throughout the conversation and created an environment where it is okay for someone to say they dont know. I feel like thats so important when discussing things because if someone feels attacked they shut down, and you lose the ability to connect with each other in the conversation! I need to learn to be more like this, sometime i become so combative when i talk about politics, i so quickly jump to disprove and dismantle their argument because i need to be right that i dont stop to think about them being receptive. I appreciate the lesson in perspective.

Glad to see all the positive comments! Lots of nice and supportive folks. Cheers people.

When public schools are funded by property taxes, we see that poverty is baked into the system

I trace the insanity back to Rush Limbaugh. I remember he was the first person who blamed everything on the Ds. And he would make fun of Chelsea Clintons appearance, other women's appearance. Just vile stuff. I was shocked by it at the time, but I never realized how bad it would get. Respectfully disagreeing was what I always thought America was about. Agree or Disagree, but in the end we are all Americans.

For me, the thing that moved me away from the Conservative movement was the Palestinian genocide. When I saw every channel and personality I admired up to that point at best, stay silent on the issue, and at worst full-on support it, I knew I had to reevaluate my values.

Whoa, this caller is clearly a person who is actually thinking about individual issues and doing the homework and asking the right questions. This is very refreshing, asking questions in good faith. You love to see it.

Good pokerface on Palladino LMAO

Respect for the caller. Developing empathy, sympathy, and compassion with a desire to help your fellow humans is not easy from depths of conservatism's soulless polar opposites.

It's very refreshing to hear someone on the other side who is at least a serious person actually trying to figure things out instead of a grifter or a bigot trying to justify why they're not a bad person.

This was humbling to watch. It takes two very open minded individuals to set aside their personal beliefs and have this type of dialogue with a willingness to ask questions, answer questions with earnest and possibly change their minds.

Hello is this me? 😂😂😂😂😂

You added the link to the description. That's awesome of you guys!

That segment was legitimately refreshing! Seriously, so nice to see people who don’t see eye to eye interacting in a respectful and positive way. Thanks Sam.

Wow! Sam gets it!!

This caller sounds nice, interesting conversation.

Wonderful call, both the caller and Sam carried themselves in such a great manner. I have hope for the caller.

One of the best calls and honest exchanges in the show since I’ve started watching. Hope the best for the guy, it sounds like he’s had a wild past.

Loved the look on Sam's face when dude said "Paladino"

If a liberal had contacted a conservative channel with ideas or questions- the repubs woulda shouted him out of the room. There would be no back and forth conversation.

i work with a guy who is voting for trump because he "was doing better when trump was in office", while completely ignoring the fact that millions of people are either doing very poorly, or are homeless.......no matter who is in the oval office. the stupidity of people never ceases to amaze me.

what a great segment. The dude was awesome and Sam was as others have said a class act. :)

I love that gentleman’s story. Conservative, but not brainwashed. These are the kind of people I grew up with; folks who recognized the many faults in modern conservatism in an organic way. They *want* to understand. I have enormous respect for Conservatives who engage in intellectual honesty, and if I’m honest, in one on one conversations these are the type of people that “switch sides” when they understand how they’re being misled.

As a former conservative, your videos on Bill Maher are what made me think i could be wrong for the first time. My leftist journey started here with this channel ❤

Welcome onboard, Comrade!

I don't think anyone who is actually concerned about the topic of public health will be able to remain a conservative for very long.

Upstate and Central NY is chock full of walking, talking right wing stereotypes.

Really liked this guys vibe

Listened to this call live, and it was so good. This is how conversations about things and reach across the belief spectrum. Kudos, caller! I hope you call into the show more!

Love how real Sam can get and how comfortably he spoke as one creator to another. =)

Seems like another person identifying as conservative, but as their political awareness grows they are finding that they aren't that conservative.

So many people like him out there, who are "conservative" and when you ask why they list super common buzz word things that can apply to both side but the right has tried to monopolize. Its sad be cause it leads to many people like this voting against their own interest on a regular basis.

This is such a good caller. Very reasonable, open-minded, and respectful. Love it.

That guy is battling some demons

Also from Upstate NY here. I know pretty much exactly what he's talking about. NY goes blue, but there are some pockets of very deep red around here.

I liked how Sam exposed the "safety" of this dude's "enclave" as a chimera

The thin blue line flag should be called the "Do tread on me" flag

He said Niagra Falls, and I immediately feared he was on our side of the border 💀

Perked up when I heard the area code. Fellow WNYer here! Best of luck on your political journey and writing career. I know the differences between urban and rural here can be *stark* but stay safe and keep going! We can always move in a more positive direction and I'm happy to hear it!

I hope this man calls in again. Between his sincerity and open mindedness and Sam's genuine compassion, this kind of dialogue is very valuable to many. No smug attitudes from either side and a willingness to change your mind with new information and perspectives and critical thinking. You could hear that he was nervous, but I think more conversations like this could help this guy come out of the shell he seems to want so badly.

This sweet man deserves neighbors who smile and engage with him. So much love and appreciation for this pod.

Kudos to him for calling in

Wow a sane conservative. These guys are like unicorns.

Wow, an open minded conservative, refreshing

You gotta listen to people, to understand people, if you want to affect people. Sam provides a master class on this, in this video ❤

Just like everyone else is saying, respect to this dude and glad he found Sam (mostly cause some leftist creators would just tear into him even though he's genuinely thinking about these things)

Respected for this. Good people good hearts

This is the only kind of Conservative i like

The humility and respect that you've shown to this person, you would never see the same on the other side of political commentators.

"Ppl say I don't like conservatives!" 😂😂😂

This made me all warm inside

I thought it was Gus Fring on the phone for a minute 😂😂😂

It’s nice of you guys to plug and link his substack. Whether we agree or disagree positive discourse and a relatively open mind can go a long way. Also single payer healthcare is common sense. Not a conservative or liberal thing, just common sense.

This guy is so based. Just an honest guy, understanding his biases and where he comes from, but just being open minded and trying to learn. What a legend.

This guy has a really interesting story to tell. Good to see that good faith exchange of opinions is still possible :).

Sam's observation about comfort through fundamentalist structure, rather than specifics, is dead on. I saw it with my father who rejected my grandfather's hardcore Catholicism and only to trade it in for evangelical fundamentalism that ended up just making him as close-minded as his dad. It's why people will so often just flip over into whatever dogmatic belief system they first encounter after leaving the one they were raised in. Whether it's falling into a religion like Islam or Christianity, or a political cult that is as fundamentalist as religions themselves (ex. worshiping Rand or Marx or whatever). Having grown up in a religious fundamentalist household and seen how that hook works, I've become very suspicious and sensitive to unbending cult-think of any kind, regardless of what the group states their goals might be.

My dude im home all day painting and makeing no money. Dont let others eyes judge your life that thay know nothing about.

This is so sweet. In love that Sam gave this guys platform a shoutout. Everyone can grow We just need to give them sunlight and water to do so

I thought this was Robert F. Kennedy Jr prank call

These are my favorite calls.

Seems like our new friend is on their way out of a bad place. I'm happy for him. Been there myself.