Featuring the author, Charles C. W. Cooke, Staff Writer, National Review; with comments by Ilya Shapiro, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Katherine Mangu-Ward, Managing Editor, Reason; and Ben Domenech, Publisher, The Federalist; moderated by Trevor Burrus, Research Fellow, Cato Institute.
Are libertarians and conservatives just variations of the same
ideological species, or do they represent unique and separate
philosophical traditions? One of National Review’s
founding editors, Frank Meyer — father of Federalist Society
president Eugene Meyer — called for a synthesis of the
traditionalist and libertarian strains within the magazine’s
followers. This “fusionism” animated Cold War conservatism and
influenced the likes of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Decades
later, facing a very different electoral landscape, another
National Review staffer, Charles C. W. Cooke, hopes to get
the band back together again. But does the political calculus still
work? Can there be a marriage of convenience when the issues that
strain the would-be alliance — gay marriage, immigration, the
drug war, foreign policy — are as salient to many voters as
issues that would cement it? With the 2016 election season already
underway, please join us for a spirited discussion of The
Conservatarian Manifesto and decide for yourself whether
conservatives and libertarians should work closely to advance their
common goals.
