THE AFF NETWORK

February 23, 2005

Should conservatives and libertarians divorce?

Conservatives and Libertarians: Can This Marriage Be Saved? During the Cold War era, conservatives and libertarians united around hostility toward communism and liberalism. The National Review's Frank Meyer called this union "fusionism," and argued that it wasn't just a marriage of convenience, but a union based on the deep compatibility of liberty and tradition. Increasingly, however, that ideological marriage has been punctuated by long, sustained spats: over war, gay marriage, stem-cell research, and a host of other issues. Just another rocky patch, or is it time for a divorce?

Arguing to keep the marriage together was W. James Antle III of The American Conservative and Jeremy Lott of the Cato Institute. Amy Mitchell of The American Spectator and Nick Gillespie of Reason took the side of divorce. The event took place on Wednesday, February 23rd, at the Fund for American Studies in Washington, DC.

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