Michael Lucchese on Understanding Reagan's Conservatism and Buchanan's Populism
A conversation with Michael Lucchese about the '90s political fallout and how it came to shape conservative thinking 30 years later.
In this episode of Civitas Conversations, Richard M. Reinsch II interviews Michael Lucchese about his recent Civitas Outlook article "Not-So-Beautiful Losers: How Conservatism Won the Cold War – and Lost the Peace." In it, Lucchese argues that figures like Samuel T. Francis and Pat Buchanan abandoned Reagan's principled conservatism in the 1990s, embracing what he calls "right-wing Marxism," which focuses on class warfare and grievances rather than the principles of the American Founding. He contends this shift toward populist extremism planted the seeds for today's polarized politics and calls for a return to Reagan's approach that appealed to Americans' better angels rather than their fears and resentments.
Michael Lucchese is the founder of Pipe Creek Consulting, an associate editor of Law & Liberty, and a contributing editor to Providence.
Politics
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Is American Nationalism Still Creed-able?
We are not there now, but there is reason to worry that the United States is in danger, if we are not careful, of ceasing to be a nation with the principles of 1776 at its core.
National Civitas Institute Poll: Americans are Anxious and Frustrated, Creating a Challenging Environment for Leaders
The poll reveals a deeply pessimistic American electorate, with a majority convinced the nation is on the wrong track.
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The Transnational Conservative Project
Intellectual conservatism has proved to be both durable and versatile over the last 250 years, and there is little reason to believe that it will be any less versatile in the future.
The Trump Fund
There may come a time when Congress will think hard about impeachment in response to a set of transactions that all too easily fit the definition of high crimes and misdemeanors, given the blatant abuse of the powers of a public office.
