What we are seeing now on the political right in America is a bizarre but not unsurprising spasm. On the one hand, there is a portion of the right—more libertarian in its economic sensibilities and hawkish in its foreign policy—that regards its positions as the best way to resist totalitarianism and antisemitism. Many holding to this package of beliefs are old enough to remember the Soviet Union and to have known people who served in World War II, so it is no surprise that they would be particularly alert to those evils. Elsewhere I have referred to this school as “right-wing conservatives.”
On the other hand, there is a rising generation of right-wingers, often called the new right or perhaps the dissident right, who are not particularly concerned with either of those things. Rather, they feel a deep sense of hopelessness about their lives—they doubt they will ever be able to own a home, escape economic precarity, or start a family. …
Since their adolescent years, many have felt attacked over things largely outside their control—to take one example, often relatively banal expressions of maleness were attacked as “toxic masculinity.” Meanwhile, following the social script handed to them by their elders—whatever you do, go to college!—has mostly just saddled them with enormous amounts of debt as they enter adulthood and find a precarious and uncertain job market. These factors generate a great deal of anger, anger which is often quite understandable. In some cases, this can take a still darker turn, leading to a search for someone to blame.
As a result of all this, they understand their political project as an attempt to use the power of the state to fix the problems that animate them and, often, to punish the people they blame for those problems. … I have referred to this bloc as “right-wing progressives” …
There may be some age and experience that separates these two groups — in fact, I’m certain there is. But what Meador misses, and what I have been soapboxing for nearly a decade, is the fact that these two groups have wide, immense overlap. Maybe even more overlap than non-overlap.
Meador says of the latter group, “This is also the same basic media ecosystem that includes figures like the Tocquevillian Catholic Patrick Deneen, the white nationalist Stephen Wolfe, and right-wing tech leaders like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk. All of these distinct figures and the movements they are trying to lead, some far more alarming than others, are trying to either direct these alienated individuals or capitalize on their rage.” The former group may not necessarily “follow” the media ecosystem the way the latter, younger group does, but their anger and alienation has most certainly been capitalized on, in the same way, by the same ecosystem.
I’m not sure it’s possible to make sense of the rest of Meador’s piece with this in mind. In fact, it all sounds very 2015 to me.
I don’t know what exactly is going on on the right. Not so long ago, David Frum, speaking of Trump and the American right, said, “When this is all over, no one will admit to having supported it.” I think the best we can hope for is that some are finding the will to step out and say, “I was never a part of that.”
I don’t think I can get my hopes even that high. But I will say that Meador’s call to reflect on the relationship between Pope John Paul and Ronald Reagan is at least partially encouraging. In that spirit or a similar one — preferably one of common love rather than common hate — I will say that if you know or meet anyone coming out of the “postliberal” fog, embrace them.