In recent years, new strands of thinking on the political right have brought into question American conservatism's attachment to classical liberalism. Nationalists, populists, integralists, and other varieties of post-liberals would empower a centralized state—and thus deemphasize individual liberty—in order to promote a particular conception of the common good. This would amount to a fundamental reformation of American conservatism.
However, there is also a budding counter-reformation, which draws from longstanding American political traditions and principles pre-dating our founding. In these traditions, we find not a rejection of liberalism, but an emphasis on ordered liberty, which leads to a vibrant public life rooted in local democracy, mediating institutions, and public service. The key is to recover neglected concepts like self-government, civic virtue, and volunteerism.
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