To Save the American Way, Build Anew

To Save the American Way, Build Anew
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
Wher
e is much to commend about the descriptive elements of Tom Klingenstein’s essay, “Preserving the American Way of Life.” In particular, Klingenstein correctly identifies identity politics as corrosive to national unity and both personal and civic virtue.

However, I have one overarching critique about the prescriptive element the essay offers. We are past the point where “preserving the American way of life” is the urgent political imperative. It is true that the politics we now need are regime-level politics—who are we and how shall we live? But the regime of the founders no longer exists, so the institution of a regime that is true to the best promises of America would be in fact not an act of preservation but a new creation. Read Full Article »


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