Nothing about conservatives’ hostility to “nationalism” is ill-informed or knee-jerk, @RichLowry. We reject it b/c it isn’t conservative. Our nation is built on liberty, constitutionalism & the idea that all can contribute, not just those from certain places or cultures.
Conservatism conserves a set of liberal ideas that were central to our founding. It doesn’t conserve any specific culture & it realizes that a truly free people may opt to change their culture peacefully over time so long as a commitment to the rule of law & equality exists.
The dissonance in any “conservative” nationalism is that it glorifies the state. It puts the government at the center of our collective identity & argues state power should be used to shape our cultural image. Limited gov’t conservatism vehemently rejects this statist view.
But let’s be clear: neither is conservatism some capitulation to Leftist whims. Lowry, Ahmari, & other nationalists defend their statism by arguing that committing to liberal values is too weak a sauce to withstand the Left’s statism.
Tell that to 243 years of American history.
Tell that to 243 years of American history.
