The Failure of ‘Compassionate Conservatism’ Offers Lessons for the Trumpian Right
Patrick T. Brown Politico
Compassionate conservatism would surely struggle to find a foothold in today’s GOP. But the Trump administration, which was attacked by many as being neither compassionate nor especially conservative, was in some ways a vindication of the compassionate conservative impulse. Trump’s harder, populist edge was built on grievance, not empathy, with an approach powered by working-class resentment rather than an eye toward fighting poverty through faith and communitarianism. Yet both efforts demonstrated a skepticism toward the party’s Wall Street wing and broke with economic orthodoxy to advance its vision of what society should look like.
That same impulse is driving a new generation of Republicans talking openly about shifting the party’s orientation — people like Sens. Marco Rubio and Josh Hawley, or aspiring candidates J.D. Vance and Blake Masters. But these self-styled populists or “common-good conservatives” should embrace getting into the policy weeds, or risk suffering the same fate as their ideological forebears.
Last week, EPPC's Clare Morell appeared on Wilkow! on the Salem News Channel discussing why Big Tech should be considered common carriers and how Texas’s social media law is an excellent solution to Big Tech censorship.
Today, EPPC President Ryan T. Anderson and Alexandra DeSanctis appeared on the Heritage Foundation's Daily Signal podcast to discuss their new book, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing with host Virginia Allen.
Yesterday, Clare appeared on the Scott Beason Show to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision to temporarily block a Texas law that would prohibit social media companies from censoring political speech.
This morning, Clare appeared on KWTO’s “Wake Up Springfield” to discuss the Supreme Court’s recent decision to temporarily block a Texas law that would prohibit social media companies from censoring political speech.
On June 16, EPPC President Ryan T. Anderson, Distinguished Senior Fellow Ed Whelan, Senior Fellow Roger Severino, and Fellow Rachel Morrison will participate in a symposium co-hosted with the Heritage Foundation and Americans United for Life on Life After Roe.
Leading legal, medical, and policy experts will analyze the opportunities—and challenges—facing policymakers and the American people in their work to protect unborn children, empower their mothers, and strengthen families.
On June 28, the Catholic Information Center in Washington, D.C. will host an event celebrating the launch of EPPC President Ryan T. Anderson and Visiting Fellow Alexandra DeSanctis's new book, Tearing Us Apart: How Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing.
