I'm going to have to agree with John Wright (among others) that I find it very hard to reconcile the libertarianism of the tech right with the nationalism of the MAGA right. I appreciate Deneen's insight into Vance's thoughts, that the two both want onshored jobs and no more cheap labor for these jobs. This is true.
But this is also ignoring the elephant in the room. The MAGA nationalists don't only want no cheap labor. They want National (i.e., American) labor. And at the heart of this sentiment is the debate bubbling just below the surface: Who is an American?
The spat around H1Bs and Vivek's subsequent fall from grace exemplifies this secondary debate. Much of the MAGA right does not want a multiracial working class coalition. They want a White and Christian nation. Conversations that were taboo just five years ago are now being had by the likes of Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles on the Daily Wire, not to mention their prevalence on X, among other places. At its worst, these conversations sound like a far right revival that is only nominally Christian.
But at its best, these conversations are speaking to something forgotten by liberalism - nations (same root as 'natal') are made up of particular people with particular customs which have been badly disrupted in the name of liberal equality and individualism. Now, while we might all admit to the "particular customs" part of this formulation, it is the "particular people" element that needs addressing. Can you snag anyone in the world and form them into a particular custom, thereby making them part of the particular people eschewed by liberalism? The far right would say no, never. The liberal would say, sure, just have them take a civics course and pass a test (at most). But what should the Postliberal say?
It seems like the libertarian emphasis of the Trump administration stands in tension with the MAGA emphases-not the tech bros per se. Musk appearing as a South African-American chain saw yielding Milei that threatens jobs and thinks that private industry is necessarily more productive than the public sector work exemplifies this libertarianism. Privatization is the old neoliberal strategy that sucks productivity from the economy by rent extraction. Voters rejected neoliberalism and its presence is alienating much of the base that sees their jobs threatened by reckless cuts. Everyone is for cutting waste in government and DEI programs. But taking a chain saw to publicly owned endeavors is alienating the base and raising concerns. Chain saws do not provide efficiency in cuts but only clears Forrest’s for neoliberal privatizers.
I’ll have to agree to disagree with Dr. Deneen. From my reading of Regime Change and other Postliberal works, I thought Postliberalism stood for taking the reins of government for Postliberal ends. I don’t see how DOGE accomplishes this at all. DOGE and the broader Trump Admin’s policies regarding the administrative state is really just the same reheated Tea Party, libertarian, “government needs to be small enough to drown in it a bathtub” agenda that right liberalism has been spewing for years (but with a Populist paint job) in my humble opinion.
We’re all under various deadlines this week, so we have a guest podcast for you this week instead! Check it out! But have no fear —“The Briefing Room” will be back next week and you can find out what we think is and is not a fiasco!
I'm going to have to agree with John Wright (among others) that I find it very hard to reconcile the libertarianism of the tech right with the nationalism of the MAGA right. I appreciate Deneen's insight into Vance's thoughts, that the two both want onshored jobs and no more cheap labor for these jobs. This is true.
But this is also ignoring the elephant in the room. The MAGA nationalists don't only want no cheap labor. They want National (i.e., American) labor. And at the heart of this sentiment is the debate bubbling just below the surface: Who is an American?
The spat around H1Bs and Vivek's subsequent fall from grace exemplifies this secondary debate. Much of the MAGA right does not want a multiracial working class coalition. They want a White and Christian nation. Conversations that were taboo just five years ago are now being had by the likes of Matt Walsh and Michael Knowles on the Daily Wire, not to mention their prevalence on X, among other places. At its worst, these conversations sound like a far right revival that is only nominally Christian.
But at its best, these conversations are speaking to something forgotten by liberalism - nations (same root as 'natal') are made up of particular people with particular customs which have been badly disrupted in the name of liberal equality and individualism. Now, while we might all admit to the "particular customs" part of this formulation, it is the "particular people" element that needs addressing. Can you snag anyone in the world and form them into a particular custom, thereby making them part of the particular people eschewed by liberalism? The far right would say no, never. The liberal would say, sure, just have them take a civics course and pass a test (at most). But what should the Postliberal say?
It seems like the libertarian emphasis of the Trump administration stands in tension with the MAGA emphases-not the tech bros per se. Musk appearing as a South African-American chain saw yielding Milei that threatens jobs and thinks that private industry is necessarily more productive than the public sector work exemplifies this libertarianism. Privatization is the old neoliberal strategy that sucks productivity from the economy by rent extraction. Voters rejected neoliberalism and its presence is alienating much of the base that sees their jobs threatened by reckless cuts. Everyone is for cutting waste in government and DEI programs. But taking a chain saw to publicly owned endeavors is alienating the base and raising concerns. Chain saws do not provide efficiency in cuts but only clears Forrest’s for neoliberal privatizers.
I’ll have to agree to disagree with Dr. Deneen. From my reading of Regime Change and other Postliberal works, I thought Postliberalism stood for taking the reins of government for Postliberal ends. I don’t see how DOGE accomplishes this at all. DOGE and the broader Trump Admin’s policies regarding the administrative state is really just the same reheated Tea Party, libertarian, “government needs to be small enough to drown in it a bathtub” agenda that right liberalism has been spewing for years (but with a Populist paint job) in my humble opinion.
What happened to this week's briefing room? Are you guys avoiding commenting on the Signal fiasco?
We’re all under various deadlines this week, so we have a guest podcast for you this week instead! Check it out! But have no fear —“The Briefing Room” will be back next week and you can find out what we think is and is not a fiasco!
ok, thanks! I'm listening to Phillip's podcast now.