109 – The Right with Matthew Continetti

Esteemed AEI scholar Matthew Continetti returns to the podcast for a woefully brief overview of his latest book, The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism

 

From the book’s description:

 

When most people think of the history of modern conservatism, they think of Ronald Reagan.  Yet this narrow view leaves many to question: How did Donald Trump win the presidency?  And what is the future of the Republican Party?

 

In The Right, Matthew Continetti gives a sweeping account of movement conservatism’s evolution, from the Progressive Era through the present.  He tells the story of how conservatism began as networks of intellectuals, developing and institutionalizing a vision that grew over time, until they began to buckle under new pressures, resembling national populist movements.  Drawing out the tensions between the desire for mainstream acceptance and the pull of extremism, Continetti argues that the more one studies conservatism’s past, the more one becomes convinced of its future.

 

Deeply researched and brilliantly told, The Right is essential reading for anyone looking to understand American conservatism.

 

About Matthew Continetti

 

Matthew Continetti holds a BA in history from Columbia University and is a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where his work is focused on American political thought and history, with a particular focus on the development of the Republican Party and the American conservative movement in the 20th century.  A prominent journalist, analyst, author, and intellectual historian of the right, Mr. Continetti was the founding editor and the editor-in-chief of The Washington Free Beacon.  Previously, he was opinion editor at The Weekly Standard.

 

Mr. Continetti is also a contributing editor at National Review and a columnist for Commentary Magazine.  He has been published in The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post, among other outlets.  He also appears frequently on Fox News Channel’s “Special Report” with Bret Baier and MSNBC’s “Meet the Press Daily” with Chuck Todd.

 

Mr. Continetti is the author of two additional books: “The Persecution of Sarah Palin: How the Elite Media Tried to Bring Down a Rising Star” (Sentinel, 2009) and “The K Street Gang: The Rise and Fall of the Republican Machine” (Doubleday, 2006).

 

You can find Matthew Continetti on Twitter @continetti.

 

Introducing the Are We Right? Podcast

 

If you like Saving Elephants you’ll love the new podcast Are We Right? featuring Saving Elephants host Josh Lewis along with three other co-hosts: Cal Davenport, Brooke Medina, and Calvin Moore. Cal, Josh Brooke, and Calvin debate a wide range of topics from politics to religion to culture and invite the audience to weigh in on whether or not they’re right. You can find the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen, find us on Twitter @ TheAWRPodcast, and email us at [e-mail].