Is traditional conservatism dead? Is the alt-right the future?
Spoiler: I do not care. I am not going to change.
Way back in the 1990's, I was hearing that traditional conservatism is dead and Generation X conservatives would be ushering in a new kind of conservatism that will wash away the conservatism of the past. Ideologically, I was with the economically libertarian and socially conservative wing of the party that had been grown by Ronald Reagan. I am still a Reaganite conservative more than three decades later. I did not care about the alleged "future" of conservatism then, and I do not care now that Zoomers are allegedly gravitating to the "new right" or even to "alt right" (Alt Reich?) voices.
This is because my principles are the same now as they were when I was in college. Yes, I have changed course on a few applications of those principles here and there, but my worldview is basically the same as it was in 1996 when I started writing for the Indiana Daily Student.
I believe in free markets. I believe in a foreign policy that puts American interests first. I believe in protecting the right to life. I believe in private property rights. I believe in free speech. I believe in gun rights. I oppose the Nanny State. I believe that the federal government should be small and limited, leaving the vast majority of policy making decisions to the states. I believe in protecting the Christian model of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. I believe in protecting the innocent from predators, which means locking up criminals who prey on the innocent. I believe in the death penalty. And unlike the chuds in the "alt right," I am opposed to racism and anti-Semitism.
It should not be a surprise that some on the Left and in the legacy news media are cheering the alleged ascendancy of the "new right" and the "alt right," because they see both as much easier to defeat than traditional conservatives. This is especially true of the Alt Reich. They are hoping to demoralize traditional conservatives and embolden the NR and AR. Therefore, anything the legacy media says about this infighting must be taken with suspicion and an understanding of their motivations.
I do not believe the "new right" is winning. There are a lot of loudmouths on social media blabbing about taking over, but once you get offline (which you really should do) the crazies are not the majority of folks in the real world. And quite frankly, I do not care if they actually are winning over conservatives, especially younger conservatives, to their cause. I will continue to advocate for traditional conservative values. If that means I am a dissident minority on my own end of the political spectrum, then I will be that minority. I am a traditional conservative because I believe those values are morally and practically right. Living in Bloomington, Indiana, I am used to being in the minority. I am fine with being in a smaller minority, because I am not going to change.
I should probably clarify something: When I said "I do not care," I did not mean that I do not care that the alt-Reich is allegedly gaining in popularity.
Obviously, I do care, or I would not have written so many articles and social media posts condemning the alt-Reich. What I am saying is that, as it pertains to my own personal beliefs and political speech, I do not care about their alleged popularity.
I am a traditional Reaganite conservative (though a bit more non-interventionist than Reagan was) and the increased influence of the alt-Reich is not going to change that at all.