John Avlon’s Final Warning (w/ Rye Barcott) | How to Fix It

John Avlon closes his tenure at The Bulwark with a powerful final episode spotlighting courage as the antidote to America’s deepening polarization. In conversation with Rye Barcott, co-founder of With Honor and author of 'Courage Can Save Us,' Avlon explores a rare breed of political leaders—military veterans from both parties—who have shown moral courage by defying party lines, standing for unpopular truths, and prioritizing the common good over political survival. Barcott’s book profiles ten such figures, from Senators Todd Young and Mark Kelly to Governors Wes Moore and Mike Sherrill, revealing a unifying thread: courage as a deliberate, principled choice rooted in service and integrity. The episode confronts a crisis of civic disconnection—fewer than 2% of Americans serve in the military or federal civil service—and argues that national service, civic education, and structural reforms in primaries could rebuild the shared experience that once united the country. Barcott warns that civilizations fall not from external conquest but from internal decay, and that today’s political system actively discourages courage by rewarding conformity. Yet he remains hopeful, pointing to growing bipartisan support for expanded national service as a potential 80-20 solution to America’s crisis of purpose and unity.