Lost Debate Minnesota, Powell, MAGA Intellectuals
Jan 14, 2026
Laura K. Field, a political theorist and author of Furious Minds, delves into the overlooked intellectual undercurrents of the MAGA New Right. She highlights why mainstream media often misses the significance of right-wing thinkers. Field categorizes key factions, like the Claremont Institute's nostalgics and post-liberals advocating for church-state integration. They discuss the consequences of extreme ideologies, including rising misogyny and shifts in identity loyalty. Field emphasizes the need for civic resistance against radical ideas as a means to protect democratic norms.
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Media Misses The MAGA Intellectuals
- Mainstream media often underestimates or ignores the MAGA New Right intellectuals because their ideas feel too extreme to be taken seriously.
- Laura K. Field argues exposing these thinkers reveals how they shape policy and deserve attention.
Shared Core: Nativist Populism Over Liberal Order
- The MAGA New Right unites around rejecting liberal internationalism and embracing nativist populism.
- Field frames the movement as a networked cluster of overlapping factions driving policy and politics.
Claremont's Ahistorical Founding Ideal
- The Claremont/Claremont-affiliated faction idealizes the Founding and views departures as degradation.
- Field calls their constitutional reading ahistorical and prone to counterrevolutionary, apocalyptic rhetoric.
