From the recent Sohrab Ahmari-David French debate over liberalism to Republican gerrymandering and manipulation of the census, there's a lot happening on the right—and it's not good. In this episode, Matt and Sam connect conservative theory and practice to explain the illiberal politics that threaten American democracy.
Interested in the background reading we did for this episode? There's a lot of it. But we want to show our work and give you the chance to dig deeper. Below are the articles we referenced, read, or drew upon for our conversation on the illiberal right.
Primary Sources:
Against the Dead Consensus, First Things
Sohrab Ahmari, Against David French-ism, First Things
David French, What Sohrab Ahmari Gets Wrong, National Review
R.R. Reno, What Liberalism Lacks, First Things
Romanus Cessario, O.P., Non Possumus, First Things
Edmund Waldstein, O. Cist., Integralism in Three Sentences, The Josias
Ross Douthat, What are Conservatives Actually Debating?, New York Times
Rod Dreher, The Meaning of the Benedict Option, The American Conservative
Adrian Vermeule, Integration from Within, American Affairs
Adrian Vermeule, A Christian Strategy, First Things
Commentary:
Matthew Sitman, Liberalism and the Catholic Left (a review of Patrick Deneen's Why Liberalism Failed), Commonweal
Emma Green, Imagining Post-Trump Nationalism, The Atlantic
Jane Coaston, David French vs. Sohrab Ahmari, Explained, Vox
Damon Linker, How the Intellectual Right is Talking Itself into Tearing Down American Democracy, The Week
Sam Adler-Bell, With Census Decision, Trump's GOP Falters in March to White Minority Rule, The Intercept
Isaac Chotiner, Interview with Ross Douthat on the Crisis of the Conservative Coalition, New Yorker
Eric Levitz, Oregon Republicans Flee State to Block Action on Climate Change, New York
Patricia Mazzei, Florida Limits Ex-Felon Voting, Prompting a Lawsuit and Cries of ‘Poll Tax’, New York Times
Adam Liptak, Supreme Court Bars Challenges to Partisan Gerrymandering, New York Times