Why This Newsletter?
With a populist president in office and a chorus of voices on all sides clamoring for nationalism or progressivism or post-liberalism, it would seem that the cause of traditional (“fusionist”) conservatism is on the back foot. While the American Enterprise Institute, National Review, Commentary, The Dispatch, and a handful of others carry on the work of defending a free and virtuous society, while upholding the American project, it is dismaying how many forces there seemingly are arrayed against that work. Especially here on Substack, the majority of the discourse is given over to the progressive left or the MAGA right.
It remains my belief that there are more traditionally conservative voters in America who are unhappy with the status quo than we have been led to believe. It is also my view that this number is shrinking, beset as it is by the narrative that the 2024 election has ushered in a new era in which populist-nationalism has displaced three-legged stool conservatism for good. It is further my view that the majority of American citizens are potentially persuadable (not in the short term, nor in the medium term, but in the very long term) both towards and away from the principles I hold dear.
Moreover, much about the current moment is deeply dismaying. This is not the country in which I grew up, and though I love my country, I believe that we have been corrupted over the past decade and that this corruption will only continue if it is not arrested.
In light of that, I decided that remaining silent only affirmed the status quo and allowed the forces I believe to be pernicious to succeed in convincing people they are ascendent. If I believe, as I do, that more people need to do something to push back against dangerous cultural and political trends, then logically it is my responsibility to do something, however small. I have no talent for political organizing, or for politicking, or for campaigning. But I can write. That is something I can do.
Perhaps in a better world there would be no need for a project like this. I wish we lived in that world. But we do not.
Principles:
Carrying the Fire is dedicated to defending the principles of American conservatism, which George Will rightly described as the project of conserving the American Founding. In a world of actors seeking to destroy and uproot, conservatism (rightly understood) preserves and protects that which is good. Since there is some confusion about the meaning of American conservatism today, and even about what it means to be right or left, the following (non-exhaustive) list elaborates on what this newsletter exists to preserve and defend:
Free Enterprise: The American success story cannot be understood apart from our history of economic freedom and our culture of entrepreneurship. Market economies not only create prosperity better than planned alternatives. They are morally superior.
Individual Liberty and Natural Rights: It is morally right that human beings should own their own property and labor and be left alone to order their lives as they see fit, provided they do not infringe upon the rights of others. We hold these truths to be self-evident.
Ordered Liberty: Freedom is not a license for sin. It is the space in which people can build and create, and it comes with the responsibility to exercise discipline and live virtuously.
Limited Government: In order to curb abuse and allow for freedom and human flourishing, the power of governments and the power of any individual actors within governments must be circumscribed and confined to that narrow realm in which government is necessary and useful.
Civil Society: Much of the work of living goes on outside of, and apart from, government and business. Government is neither effective at, nor equipped to, solve most social problems, which are better addressed by private institutions and informal associations. Part of the project of limiting government is reducing the size and scope of government by returning many of the functions currently performed by the government to civil society.
American Constitutionalism: The U.S. Constitution established the greatest form of government the world has ever known, and to this day remains the most important document in American politics. The activities of Congress and the President must be governed by the Constitution. Judges should be guided by original intent (originalism), text (textualism), and tradition when issuing rulings.
The Rule of Law: A nation of laws, not men. No person is above the law. No agency or branch of government is above the Constitution.
American Leadership Abroad: The best era in human history for peace, prosperity, and flourishing has been the postwar American-led order. America has made mistakes, but it has made the world a better place. American hegemony - primacy on the high seas, a unipolar world - should be the goal of American foreign policy. American hegemony is in America’s interests (both national security and trade) and the world’s interests, because it establishes incentives for other nations to cooperate.
Strong Defense: The most important power in foreign policy is hard power. Primacy requires a large and well-resourced navy. A nation serious about the burdens of leadership must have a powerful military, and must be willing to spend the resources required to build and maintain such a military.
Patriotism: Love of country is a virtue. Patriotism is distinct from nationalism.
Western Civilization: The rich cultural patrimony we have inherited is worth passing on to our children’s children. Great literature, art, music, philosophy, and poetry - we stand at the end of a long chain and benefit from all that has come before us. We owe it to those who come after to ensure they can benefit as well.
Tradition and the Pace of Change: It is quicker to destroy than it is to build. The customs, technologies, institutions, and rules which have survived the longest are the most robust and the most likely to continue to be useful in the future. Newer technologies and newer rules become obsolete more quickly.
Virtue: Character and public morality are not sideshows. A corrupt culture cannot support sound government. Virtue begins at home and cannot be imposed from the top down.
Religious Faith: Human beings were made for God and by God, not the other way around. Religious freedom is not freedom from religion, but rather freedom to worship. Civil governments and social organization in this world are temporary, but the Kingdom of Heaven is forever.
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Most of my posts will be free, in order to reach the widest number of readers. But I need to be able to cover the cost of the time it takes me to write and publish multiple newsletters each week. Therefore, I ask those who are financially able to become paying subscribers in order to support this work. The lowest Substack will allow me to charge is $5 per month or $50 per year. I have enabled group discounts and will continue to establish discounts as time goes on, in order to lower the price for the greatest number of potential readers.
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A Word on My Pseudonym:
My real name is Ben Connelly and my primary Substack is Hardihood Books. Since I have two Substack profiles, I decided to try using a pseudonym to help readers distinguish between the two. If I decide I don’t like this, I’ll go back to using my name for both profiles. John Grady Cole is the protagonist of another Cormac McCarthy novel, All the Pretty Horses, which happens to be my favorite book. House Atreides is, of course, from Frank Herbert’s classic Dune.
