The right is on the rise—and we need fresh thinking about it. The first of those propositions shouldn’t be especially controversial. From Donald Trump’s successful takeover of the Republican Party to the Brexit vote, from the popularity of Viktor Orban’s explicitly antiliberal agenda in Hungary to the electoral collapse of the traditional parties of the center-left and center-right in France, ours is a time when right-wing ideas and aspirations, long thought dead and buried, have been resurrected. They are vying for political power, shaping agendas, and forming alliances across borders. It is one of most noteworthy—and troubling—facts about our historical moment.
I have been looking for a source of information about how the thinking members of the right form their opinions and view the world. I consider myself a thinking liberal; consequently many of my liberal associates disagree very strongly with my ideas. Most of the conservative writing I have seen appears to be heartless when it comes to dealing with issues that impact ordinary people - meaning those who don't have money, college degrees, or access to adequate health care.I am hoping that your newsletter will inform me so I will have a better understanding of what it means to be on the the thinking right.
Your language and outrage does nothing to further the ideals of America even corrupted by the founding owners of our country almost all being slave owners.
The masses are an uneducated mass that doesn’t give a shit about your academic theories.
They want food for their families and security. The GOP capitalizes on that instead of providing any real solutions. fear. doubt. uncertainty.
These are the tropes learned my their masters of power. These are people who would shove you into a ditch because you don’t matter.
You are unimportant to them.
It’s like insects in the sun under a insignificant bug underneath the glass of a magnifying glass. Burnt to a crisp. Fun.
These are cruel people whose pain is fuel upon the fire of their human sacrifice. They don’t care. It is a culture of degeneration to the lowest dominator.
It doesn’t make sense to make peace with these people because they are only focused on one(s) thing.
POWER
CONTROL
FEAR
LEGACY
These are the worst people of our society and they have gained power through sheer being a jerk. And my jerk being they want to control a slave class.
I found this site through Andrew Sullivan's link to your Rod Dreher piece, although I've read a number over your pieces over the years. I appreciate iconoclasts who can take a critical look at all sides of an issue. Looking forward to seen what you have to say.
As a new subscriber, I am enjoying your posts. I’d be interested on hearing your take on Russ Douthat’s column today (October 27) in the NYTimes or, more generally, on his “position” in conservative circles.
Thanks for the (unexpected) response. I am a retired university professor and was a life-long Republican until the day Trump was elected. I am also a former seminarian (and lapsed Catholic), so I found your discussion of your experience at First Things quite interesting. I decided the Catholic Church was a thoroughly corrupt institution while I was studying to be a Benedictine monk and made a quick exit.. I agree with your observations about Douthat, but I see him as insufficiently attentive to the apparent trend towards theocracy (loosely defined) in the US, perhaps because of his strong attachment to Catholicism. I recently obtained a British passport (thanks to being a “WWII war baby,”) and will move there promptly if Trump is elected in 2024, despite the current sorry state of affairs there.
I heard you on the Bulwark podcast this week and was impressed and so I subscribed. When Donald Trump was elected in 2016 I felt the need to broaden my consumption of political news and opinion so that I could understand things going on in our country and the world. I started listening to never Trump conservatives because I admired them for standing up for what they believed.
Good luck, Damon. Looking forward to your work.
I have been looking for a source of information about how the thinking members of the right form their opinions and view the world. I consider myself a thinking liberal; consequently many of my liberal associates disagree very strongly with my ideas. Most of the conservative writing I have seen appears to be heartless when it comes to dealing with issues that impact ordinary people - meaning those who don't have money, college degrees, or access to adequate health care.I am hoping that your newsletter will inform me so I will have a better understanding of what it means to be on the the thinking right.
Happy to be a founding subscriber to your new project, Damon!
Damon-I came here because of JVL but paid subscribed because of the Greenwood and Bannon pieces.
Your language and outrage does nothing to further the ideals of America even corrupted by the founding owners of our country almost all being slave owners.
The masses are an uneducated mass that doesn’t give a shit about your academic theories.
They want food for their families and security. The GOP capitalizes on that instead of providing any real solutions. fear. doubt. uncertainty.
These are the tropes learned my their masters of power. These are people who would shove you into a ditch because you don’t matter.
You are unimportant to them.
It’s like insects in the sun under a insignificant bug underneath the glass of a magnifying glass. Burnt to a crisp. Fun.
These are cruel people whose pain is fuel upon the fire of their human sacrifice. They don’t care. It is a culture of degeneration to the lowest dominator.
It doesn’t make sense to make peace with these people because they are only focused on one(s) thing.
POWER
CONTROL
FEAR
LEGACY
These are the worst people of our society and they have gained power through sheer being a jerk. And my jerk being they want to control a slave class.
A tale old as time.
How to break this cycle?
I found this site through Andrew Sullivan's link to your Rod Dreher piece, although I've read a number over your pieces over the years. I appreciate iconoclasts who can take a critical look at all sides of an issue. Looking forward to seen what you have to say.
As a new subscriber, I am enjoying your posts. I’d be interested on hearing your take on Russ Douthat’s column today (October 27) in the NYTimes or, more generally, on his “position” in conservative circles.
Thanks for the (unexpected) response. I am a retired university professor and was a life-long Republican until the day Trump was elected. I am also a former seminarian (and lapsed Catholic), so I found your discussion of your experience at First Things quite interesting. I decided the Catholic Church was a thoroughly corrupt institution while I was studying to be a Benedictine monk and made a quick exit.. I agree with your observations about Douthat, but I see him as insufficiently attentive to the apparent trend towards theocracy (loosely defined) in the US, perhaps because of his strong attachment to Catholicism. I recently obtained a British passport (thanks to being a “WWII war baby,”) and will move there promptly if Trump is elected in 2024, despite the current sorry state of affairs there.
I heard you on the Bulwark podcast this week and was impressed and so I subscribed. When Donald Trump was elected in 2016 I felt the need to broaden my consumption of political news and opinion so that I could understand things going on in our country and the world. I started listening to never Trump conservatives because I admired them for standing up for what they believed.
Richard O. Halgren