https://thefederalist.com/2022/10/20/we-need-to-stop-calling-ourselves-conservatives/
This is a weird essay, that conflates a bunch of things.
In any case: right authoritarianism, Christian corporatism, etc. are not new or unfamiliar to the American conservative movement.
And “Western civilization” has been based on monarchy and many other things that are not part of contemporary America, so it’s awkward to cherry pick certain things that are changing recently and say therefore that “Western civilization” is at risk.
And the liberal movements about sexual freedom, abortion, and many other such things were prominent in the 19th century, so that’s not some big change either.
And the notion of religious freedom was not predicated on a public shared common cherishing of faith and an opposition to irreligiousness, atheism, or rejection of organized religion.
And as the author explains when citing allies (such as small-government advocates, and libertarians about personal rights), the particular belief system he holds doesn’t have a claim on “conservatism”. Rather, it’s a flavor of right wing statism or authoritarianism, and has long been a trend in American political thought and is already ascendant in Trump populism and does not need to be disabused of some albatross of “preservationist” thinking and anti-radicalism.
