Ill Conceived

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Health & Human Sicko

Josh and June look into the past of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the current Health and Human Services secretary, and how his history led to him getting involved with the MAGA movement. Once a liberal and advocate for environmental issues, Kennedy took a turn into anti-science and pseudo-health political movements later in life and gained notoriety within Trumpworld. Now that this conspiracy theorist holds the reins of America’s largest government health institution, we zoom into how these beliefs inform what he has done, what he still intends to do with this power, and why his long-standing emphasis on children's health resonates so strongly with people who are invested in the natalist agenda.
SOURCES:
RFK Jr. Suggests Not Enough Teens Are Getting Pregnant, Rails Against Youth Testosterone Levels
Inside RFK Jr.'s nonprofit's legal battles over vaccines and public health
'RFK'ing the french fries': Steak 'n Shake becomes a MAHA darling
RFK Jr.: I’m fighting chronic disease, slashing unhealthy fat at HHS
RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info
How R.F.K. Jr. Went From Environmental Champion to Trump Backer
AUDIO CLIPS:
16:29 - Bernie Sanders asks RFK Jr. if he is supportive of these onesies in a Senate hearing (C-SPAN, January 29, 2025)
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Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com
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FOLLOW JOSH:
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Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Western Kabuki
Writing: June's Substack

Promise Keepers: 700,000 Dicks Out for Jesus

Josh and June take a look at Promise Keepers, the organization that massed 700,000 men on the National Mall in Washington, DC for a 1997 rally that promised to bring spiritual renewal to its attendees and a new order to the social health of the country. While they didn't quite pull off the fundamental transformation they were hoping for, Promise Keepers left a significant impact on the evangelical Christian psyche. And somehow, they're still around today, desperately trying to convince the world of their definition of fatherhood and family.
SOURCES:
The First Promise Keepers Event: Witnessing the Power of God" by David Roadcup
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes du Mez
Seven Promises of a Promise Keeper by Bill McCartney et al.
"Promise Keepers pledge to move from stadium rallies to the marketplace" by Adelle Banks, Religion News Service
"New Promise Keepers CEO ready to see a revival among men" by Maina Mwaura, The Christian Index
"Promise Keepers Pour Into The Nation's Capital" (CNN, 1997)
"The Promise Keepers Opens Its Doors To Women" (NPR, 2009)
 
AUDIO CLIPS:
6:18 – Bill McCartney in a profile by WXYZ-TV Detroit (September 24, 1994)
32:46 – Norm MacDonald on Saturday Night Live Weekend Update (October 4, 1997)
33:23 – Joseph Garlington, Promise Keepers worship leader, at the 1997 Stand in the Gap rally
34:55 – Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women, on Charlie Rose (October 3, 1997)
36:31 – Huron Claus, Native American Christian evangelist, at the 1997 Stand in the Gap rally
38:00 – Bill McCartney, Promise Keepers founder, on Larry King Live (October 7, 1997)
47:49 – Shane Winnings, current Promise Keepers CEO, on Morning Joe (April 3, 2025)
50:50 – Web trailer for Wake-Up Call, the 2025 Promise Keepers in-person summit in Yakima
 
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@ill-conceived-pod.bsky.social‬
Tumblr: @illconceivedpod
 
FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds
Stream: Traditional Scrench
 
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Western Kabuki
Writing: June's Substack

Ill Conceived launches on June 20. Here's what we're all about.

Ill Conceived is a new podcast about natalism—the ideology that sees declining birthrates as the most important issue in modern American politics—and how it's a skeleton key to understanding both the MAGA movement and reactionary conservatism more broadly. Hosted by Josh Boerman of The Worst of All Possible Worlds and June Sternbach of Western Kabuki, each week the show will take a look at the actions and effects of this movement, as well as the people and organizations that paved the way to the moment we're now in.
New episodes every Friday, beginning on June 20.
FOLLOW THE SHOW:
Website: illconceivedpodcast.com
Bluesky: ‪@ill-conceived-pod.bsky.social‬
Tumblr: @illconceivedpod
FOLLOW JUNE:
Bluesky: @junlper.beer
Other podcast: Western Kabuki
FOLLOW JOSH:
Website: joshboerman.com
Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world
Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds