The Case Against “Principled Conservatism”

The Case Against “Principled Conservatism”

A critical analysis of principled conservatism and the need for a clearer MAGA doctrine.

The case against ‘principled conservatism’

Frank Meyer’s fusionism combined free-market libertarianism and religion-friendly traditionalism to create the modern conservative movement. As a political alliance against the threat of communism, the movement served its purpose. But the principles that undergirded Meyer’s synthesis were not an adequate basis for attaining and sustaining national power.The difference between the defeated Barry Goldwater faction and the victorious Ronald Reagan …