‘We’ve Lost Sight of Things We Have in Common in This Country,’ Says Brad Thor

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Thor said his politics are quite simple. “When a piece of legislation gets proposed, my question is: Do I get more freedom out of this or less? And if you fail the freedom test, I’m not interested in what you’re pushing,” said Thor. “If what you’re proposing takes liberty away from me and my family, then I’m not a fan.”

As for President Trump, Thor has both praised and criticized him on various issues. He approved of the way the Syria strike was handled and of the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, but also knows it’s important to call out Trump for “balls and strikes.”

Related: More ‘Gun Hysteria’ in the Media Than Ever, Says Author

On the subject of the cultural wars currently at play — with the recent Kathy Griffin debacle and protesters storming the stage of a “Julius Caesar” play, which depicted the death of Trump — Thor sees good and bad.

“We’ve lost sight of the things we have in common in this country. We focus on what divides us rather than what unites us,” he said, calling the “Caesar” protesters part of the “alt-right,” a group he does not particularly see as helpful to the conservative cause.

The main issues that concern Thor as a father and citizen are the power and reach of the government versus the average citizen. “Let’s not forget, the fruits of your labor — that’s your liberty. Your take-home pay, the money in your pocket, really is your liberty. It’s your freedom to make decisions for yourself and your family,” said Thor, explaining he moved from Chicago to Nashville because he was in search of a more fiscally responsible government and better tax structure.

Related: Andrew Klavan on Conservative Artists: ‘We’re the Rebels Now’

“We had people flood the United States throughout the 1800s and into the early 1900s. You know, they weren’t coming for welfare benefits. They were coming for opportunity,” Thor said, acknowledging that it’s that opportunity and other worries, such as the battle against Islamic terrorism, that are currently at stake.

What would Thor the politician do to help matters? “I think everybody should have to pay their taxes on Election Day,” he said. “Then we would really get people paying attention to what’s going on in this country.”

Though he’s an open right-of-center artist, Thor doesn’t want that to limit his audience. “My politics aren’t my writing,” he said — something the mainstream media and the artistic elite often forget when covering him and other creative conservatives. “You shouldn’t see my art through my politics. You should judge my art based on my art.”

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For now, Thor seems happy enough just discussing and promoting his latest novel, of which he is supremely proud. He said the world of Harvath and his counterterrorism adventures feels like “home” to him.

“I know what he represents. I know what he stands for because those are a lot of things I stand for. The person who believes that failure is not an option, that success is the only outcome, someone who is a patriot, who is willing to take risks on behalf of his country — and probably the most important thing for me, as far as Harvath goes, is that I realize and appreciate and am so grateful for the fact that we have people who protect the American dream. Without our brave men and women in law enforcement and the intelligence community and military, we wouldn’t have an American dream.”

“Use of Force” will be available June 27.[lz_pagination]