Trump’s Revolt Against Vows

by Alexi Sargeant

The debate last night underlined the reasons why Donald Trump’s character and temperament should be disqualifying in the eyes of conservatives. Continue Reading »

27 Sep 2016

A Vote for Honor

by Greg Forster

More is at stake in a presidential election than four years' possession of the office of the presidency. We should vote accordingly. Continue Reading »

19 Sep 2016

The Conservative Lawyers versus the Never Trumpers

by Hadley Arkes

I yield to no one in my recoil from Donald Trump. But for anyone who shares the perspectives of the Republican Party, far more is involved here than aversion to an implausible candidate. A conservative should have an interest in repealing and replacing Obamacare, a program that tends inexorably to the political control of medicine. Continue Reading »

16 Sep 2016

Catholic Voters and the Ethical Strategy of Abstention

by Scott Liebertz

If Catholic Republicans accept the logic that abstention is almost always a selfish and unjustified act of free-riding, then they admit that they have no exit threat and undermine the incentive for a candidate like Trump to respond to their complaints. They need the exit threat as a bargaining chip. And the exit threat will be credible only if the voters are actually willing to use it. Continue Reading »

15 Sep 2016

Does the Goldwater Comparison Really Hold Up?

by Geoffrey Kabaservice

Goldwater by 1964 was the unquestioned leader of the emerging conservative movement. Trump, by contrast, has channeled a populist impulse that has yet to become a movement. It’s true that his candidacy has resonated deeply with a segment of the population and has similarities with other right-wing, anti-immigrant movements in Europe. But at this point he heads a personal, candidate-centric campaign. Continue Reading »

13 Sep 2016

The Ruins of the Pat Buchanan Coalition

by Pete Spiliakos

Being the candidate of social-conservative conviction politics was Buchanan’s appeal. But in today's political landscape, social conservatives need to reach beyond their base. Continue Reading »

1 Sep 2016

Goldwater Déjà vu

by Russell E. Saltzman

Whatever variety of outsider populism Trump awakened, he’s walked all over it. His collapse in early polling heralds a Republican debacle. Nothing like it has happened since Goldwater. Continue Reading »

25 Aug 2016

Voting Is Only a Moment

by Richard J. Mouw

When I vote for one of the major party candidates for president this year, it will in good part be as an act of solidarity with people for whom talk of the “privilege” of voting is more than rhetoric. Continue Reading »

22 Aug 2016

Don’t Feed Trump’s Trolls

by Pete Spiliakos

Baffled conservatives should take the time to talk to real Trump supporters, not internet provocateurs. Continue Reading »

18 Aug 2016

Against Optimism

by Pete Spiliakos

Surely it is less important that a speech be optimistic or pessimistic, than that it be true to the realities of the moment, true to the capabilities of the government, and true to the responsibilities of the citizenry. Continue Reading »

4 Aug 2016