Classical Liberalism's Conservative Opponents

Classical liberalism is the Enlightenment theory and practice of government embodied in the United States’ 1776 Declaration of Independence, the 1787 Constitution, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments passed during the Lincoln and Grant administrations. Classical liberalism has been continually under attack since then, by the Progressives who dominate the Democratic Party but also, recently, by factions within the conservative movement.

The discussion that follows addresses the opposition to classical liberalism within the conservative moment since the 2016 election of President Trump. Thus, Yoram Hazony asks “Is ‘classical liberalism’ conservative?” (Wall Street Journal Oct. 14, 2017) and decides that No, it is cosmopolitan and globalist. An American Greatness columnist asserts that “Libertarians are handing America over to socialists.” And Patrick Deneen, writing in American Compass, calls for “Taking Back America From the Libertarians.”