But as a resident of the state who doesn’t even live in Austin, the answer would surprise most of the country. Same number of masked students at Baylor (although it has maintained the mask requirement on University grounds); same number of masked people, if not even more, in the grocery store; same number in every public space that you can imagine. Continue reading The Texas mask mandate and the true nature of Conservatism
Aurelian Craiutu is Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is the author, most recently, of A Virtue for Courageous Minds: Moderation in French Political Thought, 1748-1830 (Princeton University Press, 2012) and Faces of Moderation: The Art of … Continue reading Prudence and the Future of Conservatism
Laura Field recently posted a summary of and links to the discussions of Trump by those affiliated with the Claremont Institute. Their unabashed and even enthusiastic support of Trump has perplexed many who were sympathetic to and even supportive of Claremont’s mission prior to their Trumpian term. Why were they supporting a man who seemed so contrary to their prior celebration of and veneration for the American tradition of prudence as represented by someone like Abraham Lincoln? I suppose Lincoln and Trump both believe in America…but what else do they have in common? Why were they defending a man who … Continue reading A Definition of the New Conservatism and Claremont’s Role In It
Intellectuals on the right have primed conservatives for secessionist thinking with their attacks on democratic processes, their attacks on liberals, and numerous ideas about the need for separate conservative communities and spaces. After four years of Trump, I find many things about the American political landscape disorienting, and this includes recent gestures towards secession on the right. When Rush Limbaugh suggests that he believes that “there can’t be peaceful coexistence between conservatives and liberals” and that “the US is trending towards secession,” is it something to take seriously? On the one hand, the answer seems clear: no, not really. Limbaugh … Continue reading Secessionist Chic
A recognition that maintaining the integrity of the process is important is necessary for the survival of a constitutional regime. As Greg Weiner writes, “The fact that the goals differ is incidental to the emerging consensus that they are more important than the process.” Continue reading The Dangers of Telocratic Politics
