In Focus delivers deeper coverage of the political, cultural, and ideological issues shaping America. Published daily by senior writers and experts, these in-depth pieces go beyond the headlines to give readers the full picture. You can find our full list of In Focus pieces here.Vice President JD Vance has called himself part of the “post-liberal” Right. Among conservative intellectuals these days, the hottest debate is over post-liberalism: Does it make sense? Is it conservative? Does it have a future?The direction of conservatism and the Republican Party is very much unsettled as President Donald Trump begins to exit the scene. The debate between the post-liberals and the classical liberals will heat up, and it won’t merely be an academic matter.
Will the Republican Party be a party of free markets and limited government, or one of industrial policy and activist government? Should the government be confined to fighting crime and preserving liberty, or should it take an active role in promoting morality and preventing self-destructive behavior?In some ways, this is a debate about the conservatism of the past 50 years, but it’s also a debate over the founding of the United States.What ‘liberalism’ are the post-liberals talking about?
