THE AFF NETWORK

January 25, 2007

The Future of Fusionism

The attempt in the 1950s and 1960s to reconcile the philosophical divide between traditionalists and libertarians-dubbed "fusionism" by National Review's Frank Meyer-was politically successful, culminating in the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. In recent years, however, that broad coalition has shown signs of fraying amidst conservative frustration with Republican governance. What is the future of the alliance for 2008-and beyond? To create a winning coalition for limited government, should traditional conservatives accommodate libertarians, or vice versa? Is a new liberal-libertarian, or "liberaltarian," coalition possible?

Panelist included: David Boaz, executive vice president, Cato Institute; Ramesh Ponnuru, senior editor, National Review; Brink Lindsey, vice president for research, Cato Institute; and, Jonathan Chait, senior editor, New Republic. This discussion was moderated by David Kirby.

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