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Just after the inauguration, we invited Bog Beef from Good Ol Boyz to our weekly EXIT full-group call to discuss a topic of mutual interest: the power of patronage.

Patronage is just a word for the default state of human organization, where people are in control instead of systems, and power flows from relationships rather than the manipulation of procedural outcomes.

20th century “political science” was an extension of the Enlightenment project to rationalize and systematize government — to deliver it from the corruption of human influence.

Of course, the problem with this approach is the moral hazard: if you make it illegal and illegitimate to rule, people aren’t going to give up power — your ruling class will simply be selected for a nihilistic attitude toward the law.

In this Q&A, Bog Beef discusses the importance of the human relationships within the new Trump insurgency, and the history of patronage in American urban political machines.

Recognizing the legitimate role of human judgment in politics should completely change how we think about good government. Rather than fine-tuning the procedural systems, we should be focused on identifying and cultivating leaders.

EXIT is in the business of cultivation, because we think we should be in charge.

We want to expand the scope of our stewardship and our capacity. We want our guys deploying power virtuously, effectively, and confidently. We want to build empires, and cultivate children with the competence and ambition to inherit them.

Join us at exitgroup.us.

EXIT News

* EXIT now has a meeting space at Hightower Dallas, through our friends at New Founding. Big thanks to the D/FW EXIT crew for closing the deal. We’ll hold regular meetups there, in addition to using it as a coworking space. Dallas guys can check the #texas chat for more information.

* Tickets for Natal Conference 2025 are on sale now. March 28th and 29th, Austin, Texas. We’ve just added Steve Turley, Lomez, and Cremieux to the lineup. More to come! Use offer code NATALISM for 10% off at checkout.

* On last week’s full-group call (1/28), we heard from Indian Bronson on Family Offices, as well as the Late Unpleasantness over H1Bs. Recording will be available for Substack subscribers, once I have edited out IB’s shocking deluge of slurs.

* On this week’s call, we are having a Book Club on The Diamond Age, by Neal Stephenson.

* Cocktail hour invites for Dallas (2/17), Salt Lake City (3/1), and Seattle (3/8) available to subscribers below the paywall. EXIT cocktail hours are a great way to get to know the EXIT guys in your area and see if the group is right for you.

EXIT Member Q&A: Bog Beef on Patronage

EXIT Podcast (private feed for joe@hootman.org)