Evolution of Conservative Policy in the Republican Party

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The chapter traces the evolution of conservative policy within the Republican Party, from compassionate conservatism under George W. Bush to the rise of Trumpism. It explores the shift in focus from social and Christian conservatism to foreign policy post-9/11, and the subsequent revival of cultural and economic conservatism during the Obama era catering to middle-class families. The chapter also delves into the challenges faced by Republicans and Democrats in building broader coalitions and adapting to appeal to a changing voter base in American politics.

Yascha Mounk and Yuval Levin discuss why neither Democrats nor Republicans have built a durable post-Cold War coalition—and how American politics could be transformed in 2028.

Yuval Levin is an academic and the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Levin is the author of A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream and, most recently, American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again.

In this week’s conversation, Yascha Mounk and Yuval Levin discuss the different strands of post-Cold War American conservatism from the George W. Bush administration to the Tea Party and the “Reformicon” movements; why both Democrats and Republicans have failed to “make new friends while keeping the old”; and what conservative post-liberals miss about the value of American institutions.

This transcript has been condensed and lightly edited for clarit y .

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