

FDR’s New Deal: Good or Bad?
Oct 23, 2024
Sohrab Ahmari, an influential author and thinker known for his insight into the New Right and America First movement, discusses the complex legacy of the New Deal. He challenges conventional conservative views on free markets, advocating for a reevaluation of tariffs and the administrative state. The conversation highlights the struggles of American manufacturing in a globalized economy and critiques the oligopolistic tendencies of capitalism. Ahmari emphasizes the importance of community and labor rights in rebuilding a balanced economic future.
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America First Factions
- The America First movement has distinct factions like national libertarians and national protectionists.
- These groups differ on trade, immigration, and the regulatory state, but unite against neoliberal orthodoxy.
Sohrab Ahmari's Shift
- Sohrab Ahmari initially opposed Trump's rejection of traditional conservative orthodoxies.
- Trump's appeal to the working class, challenging neoliberal and neoconservative views, intrigued him.
The State and Common Good
- Sohrab Ahmari's conversion to Catholicism and observations of working-class struggles shaped his view.
- He believes the state's role is to secure the common good, not maximize individual liberty.