Does MAGA Signal the End of Traditional Conservatism?
Spectrum Street Epistemology at the Danube Institute
At the Danube Institute, I’m joined by American author and political commentator Rod Dreher, Dutch sociologist Eric Hendriks, and the Danube Institute’s Deputy Director Melissa O’Sullivan for a Spectrum Street Epistemology session tackling the charged claim: MAGA is a conservative movement.
We explore whether the MAGA (Make America Great Again) movement embodies authentic conservatism, rooted in enduring first principles like limited government, tradition, and individual liberty, or if it’s a strain of right-wing radicalism driven by populist fervor.
What does it mean to be politically conservative in a polarized America? Has conservatism been redefined by shifting cultural tides, or is MAGA a desperate response to institutions—media, academia, government—so corrupt that they demand revolutionary change? It is interesting to have this conversation with different flavors of conservatives, and I was surprised by the result.
Our discussion also raises questions about America’s future. Can the US afford a cautious, conservative approach amid our rapid social, institutional (esp. wide-scale distrust of our institutions), and political upheaval? Or does saving the country require a counter-revolution, one determined to root out corruption and restore foundational values.
Is it possible to balance tradition with the urgency of reform, or has the conservative label been stretched beyond recognition?
IMHO, all of this is a reaction to the feeling of being betrayed by the system, and it's likely to grow.
I think Populism is indicative of a reaction to circumstances we have rarely seen, or never seen. Humanity is now contending with technological society, mass crazed migration, decaying empire.
Populism as a reaction is unconscious, as nobody knows why anything got this way, or how to fix anything.