R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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Britain is Coming Apart, Too

Over at the Guardian, Paul Mason writes about the disintegration of Britain's working class. The occasion is the publication of a report on educational achievement, analyzed in terms of the ethnicity of pupils. It turns out that white British kids fall behind during their school years, with . . . . Continue Reading »

5 Apr 2016

The Disconnected Establishment

Rod Dreher recently posted excerpts of a letter from one of his readers. It was an extended, largely negative assessment of my analysis of our political moment, “An Abandoned White Middle Class.” There I argued that the changing nature of our leadership class explains the populist rebellion, at . . . . Continue Reading »

11 Feb 2016

The Republican Message of Hate?

You can always count on establishment liberals. On cue, the New York Times editors today commented on the Iowa caucus, speaking of Marco Rubio as trying “to put a younger and more charming face on the basic Republican message of anger, xenophobia, fear and hate.” The implication, of course, is . . . . Continue Reading »

2 Feb 2016

Cathleen Kaveny is Wrong About Richard John Neuhaus

What was Cathleen Kaveny smoking? Her recent column in Commonweal attacks First Things founder Richard John Neuhaus for “sowing division” among Catholics and reducing theological commitments to “mere instruments of political will.”I’m not interested in defending Neuhaus against the charge . . . . Continue Reading »

1 Feb 2016

The Politics of Moral Denunciation

We've all heard that Donald Trump has strong support from working class white males. Apparently he's broadly popular among all Americans with a high school education or less. Writing in the New York Times, Eduardo Porter reports that a recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Trump beating Hillary . . . . Continue Reading »

6 Jan 2016

Eliot and Liberalism

I‘ve been rereading T.S. Eliot's Idea of a Christian Society. He wrote the book as World War II was beginning. It was a time when many were questioning whether liberal democratic societies had any future. Fascism and Communism seemed the vital new movements that had the upper hand. The gist of . . . . Continue Reading »

4 Jan 2016

​The Real Role of Diversity

Why campus leaders are so craven. Continue Reading »

31 Dec 2015

​Against the Academic Culture of Privilege

Olivia Legaspi is a Haverford College freshman. After working at McDonalds during the summer to save up enough for her contribution to her financial aid package, she entered into the dream-world of elite higher education where everyone is encouraged to speak up, feel safe, and give priority to their . . . . Continue Reading »

30 Dec 2015

No More Tirades

First Things stands for something. Many things, actually. One of them is a commitment to reality-based conservatism, both in matters of faith and of public life. I mention this, because I've decided to end our hosting of Maureen Mullarkey’s blog.Maureen has a sharp pen and pungent style. Her . . . . Continue Reading »

29 Sep 2015

​Francis at the United Nations

Francis and the dialectics of exclusion Continue Reading »

25 Sep 2015