Opinion
When think tanks lose their way
When we debuted the FreeCon statement in 2023, it bore the names of several Heritage scholars. They were soon compelled to remove their names. It was a telling sign of things to come.
Opinion
What American conservatism cannot be
In today’s politics, some Americans who consider themselves to be on the right reject the classical liberalism of free markets and individual liberty.
Opinion
All Americans share heritage of freedom
Is there a hierarchy of Americanism? Many National Conservatives and other on the populist Right appear to think so. Using such terms as “legacy Americans” and “heritage Americans,” they distinguish citizens whose ancestors arrived in the United States before the 20th century from those whose ancestors arrived more recently, or who are themselves naturalized Americans....
Opinion
Freedom worth conserving
In the ongoing schism in American conservatism, I believe Freedom Conservatism is more consistent with America’s founding ideals.
Opinion
Pick your seat, conservatives: the three-legged stool or down in the mud
It was the slam heard around the world, as North Carolina’s own, Congressman Patrick McHenry of the 10th Congressional District, brought his gavel down in frustration. His friend and mentor, now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, was just ousted, as the vast majority of Republicans were unable to hold off a mutiny of eight, led...
Opinion
Freedom wins victories in state capitals
Right-of-center politicians, activists, and intellectuals are currently engaged in a vigorous debate about their movement’s present condition and future prospects. Self-styled National Conservatives, for example, argue that the federal government should play a greater role in the economy, using protective tariffs and taxpayer subsidies to aid politically favored industries. By contrast, Freedom Conservatives embrace free...
Opinion
Conservatives must stand for freedom
In North Carolina, the political label “conservative” is more popular than the terms “liberal” or “progressive.” In the most recent John Locke Foundation poll, for example, 46% of likely voters described themselves as conservatives, with 25% picking the liberal label and the rest either “moderate” or nothing at all. If we broaden out to include...
Opinion
Freedom Conservatism stands against authoritarianism of the left and right
It was a great television piece that would help shape American conservatism for the next 35 years. In a 1979 interview, Phil Donahue and Nobel laureate Milton Friedman discussed political power, capitalism, and greed. To counter Donahue’s argument about the problems with an economic system and society based on greed, Friedman responded, “You know, I think you’re...
Opinion
Is authoritarianism a new fusionism?
More government, centralized power in Washington, overreaching government intervention in the market, state-enforced indoctrination of subjective morality, centering the collective over the individual, and coercing an anti-liberty agenda into the American polity. You would be correct if you read that and thought it described progressive leftism in America. You would also be correct if you...
Opinion
Fighting the nationalist impulse: a defense of the local.
National conservatives understand better than most that many in our modern civilization feel uprooted and adrift. Their attempt to address the malaise of modernity gives them broader political support than is warranted. In the end, they do not apprehend the roots of the modern political crisis, and their suggested solutions would undoubtedly deepen the social...
Opinion
I was once a National Conservatism skeptic, but the ideas are needed
I attended the third National Conservativism conference in Miami and was pleasantly surprised by what I heard. I went skeptical: “nationalism” left a bad taste in my mouth, and I was sure I would find rabid Donald Trump supporters, QAnon types, or people who despised those from other countries. None of my preconceptions were true....
