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The Corrosion of Conservatism

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The Corrosion of Conservatism

Why I Left the Right

Liveright,

15 mins. de lectura
10 ideas fundamentales
Audio y Texto

¿De qué se trata?

Trump’s presidency has exposed the Republican party’s dark underbelly.

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Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Controversial
  • Analytical
  • Engaging

Recommendation

What happens when power trumps principles, and self-interest puts an end to integrity? Author and global affairs analyst Max Boot was a conservative and a member of the Republican party pretty much all his life; but Donald Trump’s entry into the political arena caused him to reassess that commitment. Trump led many Republicans to turn their back on their values in pursuit of a place at the president’s table and otherwise revealed the darker side of conservative politics. Boot tells the story of how he became a conservative and why, in the end, he chose to abandon his political home. His account offers sharp and insightful criticism not only of Trump and his administration, but of the party and people that have chosen to support them.

Summary

The Making of a Conservative

Russian-born immigrant Max Boot’s journey to becoming a conservative started in the late 1970s when he received a subscription to the National Review from his father. The National Review was the “Bible” of the neo-conservative movement at that time. Founded by William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955, the journal was home to intellectual writers who propagated a form of conservatism called “fusionism.” This perspective combined a belief in free market economics with more traditional social views and a strongly anti-communist foreign policy.

Inspired by Ronald Reagan’s presidency, Boot joined Ed Zschau’s 1986 campaign for the US Senate. He also founded an “underground” publication called The Forum. Boot wasn’t shy about voicing his conservative opinions – a pattern which continued during his time at UC Berkeley, a university renowned for political activism and liberal ideals. There, Boot became a writer for the Daily Californian, the official student newspaper. Initially he reported only on events; but then, Boot became a columnist, which allowed...

About the Author

Max A. Boot is Senior Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations, a global affairs analyst for CNN and a columnist for the Washington Post. His other books include The Road Not Taken, Invisible Armies and War Made New.

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