From Reagan to Trump and Beyond: The Future of Conservatism in America
Setup
If an American conservative from the 20th Century paid 2019 a visit, he or she might be quite perplexed to see a Republican president rallying his party around aggressive protectionism, taking swings at the post-WWII order, and perhaps most surprisingly, championing a federal executive branch with almost limitless power. Indeed, “Trumpism” and “conservatism” have very little in common. Are we witnessing the full-scale redefinition of the right in American politics — or do classical conservative principles still resonate? What are the prospects for the Buckley/Reagan brand of conservatism that challenged deficits and debt, embraced free trade and strong international alliances, and imagined the best from limited government? And if those prospects are not so good, what kind of conservatism is growing in America now, and what does the next generation of conservative thinkers want for America’s future?
Speakers
-
Bret StephensOpinion columnist at The New York Times -
Karl RoveOp-ed Columnist, The Wall Street Journal -
Charles SykesEditor of The Bulwark -
Robert DoarPresident, American Enterprise Institute -
David AzerradFellow, The Heritage Foundation -
Inez Feltscher StepmanPolicy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum -
Mike AllenExecutive Editor of Axios -
Reihan SalamPresident of the Manhattan Institute -
Benjamin DomenechEditor at The Spectator World -
Mona CharenSyndicated Columnist
- 2019 Festival
- USA
- Full transcript
Explore More
USA
Capitalism has delivered prosperity for many, but not for all. Disparities according to gender, race, and geography have left millions behind, while rising concentrations of w...
Global conflicts and health crises have put into stark relief deeply-ingrained gender roles in society. Yet the past years have also seen record-high numbers of women running...
Creativity is as intrinsic to our species as any of our basic instincts, says Debbie Millman, designer and curator. But for millions of people in the United States, the abilit...
Of course, Black history shouldn’t just be a month-long nod on our yearly calendar — it is inextricable from American history and fundamental to the very soul of our nation an...
Many more Americans are struggling to survive and make ends meet than is typically portrayed in the media and public policy debates. And when poverty is depicted, harmful and...
America’s “second founding” came on the heels of the Civil War, when the architects of the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments thought long and hard about how to enshrine civil rig...
It’s been decades since the United States has updated its immigration policies in any sort of comprehensive way, and the problems and suffering at the southern border have per...
Whether they publicly tout it or not, U.S. technology companies play a powerful role in politics, cultural issues and the way we live. Founder and investor Peter Thiel is one...
The 2024 presidential election is only months away, and the past few weeks alone have brought shocking headlines that change the political ground we stand on — an attempted a...
Sizable electorates around the world are flocking to populist candidates who promise power, domination and a return to better times. The global experiment in liberalism seems...
The federal right to abortions in the United States has been overturned, access to contraception and IVF services are threatened in many states, and the gender wage gap persis...
The Supreme Court has issued another series of controversial and consequential decisions this term, fueling discussion on the current state of the judicial branch. Recent poll...
The rollback of reproductive rights, the push to end no-fault divorce, and gun laws that allow domestic abusers to own a firearm are turning the clock back on women’s rights....
Americans feel more polarized than ever, but two governors from opposite sides of the aisle have made it their mission to show otherwise.
Former Senators Bill Nelson and Kay Bailey Hutchison discuss the bipartisan work that defined their careers, suggest ways for today’s elected officials to find common ground,...
As the Supreme Court concludes another contentious term, it is once again reshaping the legal landscape. With cases on abortion, gun rights and social media — and potentially...
Two billion people worldwide are set to vote in elections this year, amid global conflict, societal mistrust, broken information ecosystems — and the truth-destroying disrupti...
Amid seismic shifts in the entertainment world, Oscar-, Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning Brian Grazer has managed to keep pivoting to new ways to tell stories in movies, TV and...
Firearms are one of the leading causes of death among children in the U.S., a country where there have been more than 150 mass shootings in the first five months of 2024. Sit...
Hurray for the Riff Raff is more than Alynda Segarra’s musical moniker; they spent their youth hopping trains across America, capturing that life in youthful poetry then and a...
