Bob Murphy Show Ep. 501 The Notorious Red and Blue Button Brouhaha
Apr 30, 2026
A sharp critique of arguments for relying on electoral politics to solve foreign policy problems. A deep dive into Tim Urban's viral red vs blue button thought experiment and why intuition can mislead. Discussion of coordination, population effects, low‑probability catastrophic risks, and moral framing around life‑and‑death voting dilemmas.
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Tom Woods Clip Called A Non Sequitur
- Bob recounts a clip from Tom Woods arguing foreign policy requires political action since electing different parties doesn't stop the war machine.
- Murphy calls this a non sequitur and rewound his car audio to confirm he heard it right.
Populist Wins Don’t Guarantee Systemic Change
- Populist strategies (e.g., Trump, Ron Paul) can fail or be subverted; apparent successes may be allowed by elites if controllable.
- Murphy suggests elites might prevent genuinely incorruptible threats from reaching real power.
Make Secession A Clear Democratic Option
- Promote secession conversation by making it a clear democratic option and insist large supermajorities (e.g., 70% in Texas) are needed before acting.
- Murphy argues public clarity prevents excuses like 'Washington wouldn't allow it' and avoids violent suppression.