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Newt talks with Daniel J. Flynn, senior editor at The American Spectator, about his new book, “The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer.” Frank Meyer was a pivotal figure in American conservatism. Initially a fervent communist, Meyer later became a key intellectual force behind the conservative movement, influencing figures like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Their discussion explores Meyer's transformation from a communist activist to a conservative thinker. Flynn highlights Meyer's passion, his role in shaping the conservative ideology known as "fusionism," and his influence on Reagan's political philosophy. They also discuss Meyer's personal life, his relationships, and his impact on the conservative movement uncovered through extensive archival research and personal letters. Flynn provides a comprehensive look at Meyer's complex journey and enduring legacy in American politics.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Few forerunners of the modern conservative movement are as important, little known, and underappreciated as Frank Meyer. Meyer possessed the IT factor that made women want him and men want to be associated with him. He used that in his early years to advance Marxism in England—building an impressive Marxist organization that had the attention of UK's government, dating the Prime Minister's daughter while calling for the violent overthrow of the Prime Minister's government, and becoming a national celebrity as the nation debated whether he should be exiled. But later in life, when he turned to the Right, that same charisma was used to help William F. Buckley build a fledgling conservative movement that ultimately changed the politics of the nation. Joining Josh to discuss this most remarkable life is Daniel J. Flynn, author of his latest book: The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. About Daniel J. Flynn From spectator.org Daniel J. Flynn, a senior editor of The American Spectator, serves as a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution for the 2024-2025 academic year. His books include Cult City: Harvey Milk, Jim Jones, and 10 Days That Shook San Francisco (ISI Books, 2018), Blue Collar Intellectuals: When the Enlightened and the Everyman Elevated America (ISI Books, 2011), A Conservative History of the American Left (Crown Forum, 2008), and Intellectual Morons: How Ideology Makes Smart People Fall for Stupid Ideas (Crown Forum, 2004). In 2025, he releases his magnum opus, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. He splits time between city Massachusetts and cabin Vermont. About The Book Frank Meyer devised the blueprint for American conservatism—fusionism—championed by Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, and so many to this day. Yet long before and far away, Communists in London chanted “Free Frank Meyer!” to block the deportation of a comrade who was their cause célèbre. Those fervent Marxists could never have predicted that their hero would one day provide the intellectual energy necessary to propel conservatives to political power. The Man Who Invented Conservatism unveils one of the twentieth century's great untold stories: a Communist turned conservative, an antiwar activist turned soldier, and a free-love enthusiast turned family man whose big idea captured the American Right. This intellectual migration coincided with a clandestine affair inside 10 Downing Street, service as a lieutenant to the man who later constructed the Berlin Wall, and neighborly chats with the pop-star and poet celebrity next door. Present at the creation of National Review, Meyer helped launch Joan Didion's writing career. From H. G. Wells to Henry Kissinger to Milton Friedman, he rubbed shoulders with everyone who mattered. Having discovered Meyer's previously unexamined correspondence in an old soda warehouse, Daniel J. Flynn documents this saga in The Man Who Invented Conservatism, exposing the rivalries, jealousies, friendships, and fights that shaped the movement and what it means to be a conservative today.
Guests: Jonathan Gregg & Daniel J. Flynn Host Scot Bertram talks with Jonathan Gregg, assistant professor of education at Hillsdale College, about efforts to improve national math standards in education and his co-authored essay, “The Alarming Decay of Mathematical Competency in the U.S.” And Daniel J. Flynn, senior editor at the American Spectator and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, discusses the legacy of conservative luminary Frank S. Meyer and Flynn’s new book, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Devoted Know Your Enemy listeners will recall that, in November 2021, we released a fairly dense, theory-driven episode on Frank Meyer, the Communist from New Jersey whose exploits on behalf of the Party in the UK got him kicked out of the country and back to the United States, where he eventually turned right and became a key figure in the post-war U.S. conservative movement, both as an editor at National Review and an architect of institutions like the American Conservative Union, Young Americans for Freedom, and the Conservative Party of New York. Of course, we had more to say about Meyer, and we're devoting another episode to him, this time focused on the details of his incredible life, thanks to the publication of an extraordinary new biography of Meyer, Daniel J. Flynn's The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer. Flynn discovered a trove of never-before-seen papers of Meyer's that range from personal documents (tax returns, Christmas cards from Joan Didion, his dance card from college) to his correspondence with nearly every conservative writer and intellectual of note in the 1950s and 60s. Armed with these files, Flynn offers a vivid portrait of a brilliant, eccentric political life and mind.Listen again: "Frank Meyer: Father of Fusionism" (November 10, 2021)Sources:Daniel J. Flynn, The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer (2025)Frank S. Meyer, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo (Regnery, 1962)F.A. Hayek, "Why I am Not a Conservative," from The Constitution of Liberty: The Definitive Edition (2011)George H. Nash, The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 (Basic Books, 1976)Garry Wills, Confessions of a Conservative (Doubleday, 1979)"Against the Dead Consensus," First Things, March 21, 2019...and don't forget to subscribe on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!
BV with Author Daniel Flynn " The Man Who invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer" plus a another grizzly crime in Taos on News Radio KKOBSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Article- Democrats Fleeing the Democrat Party. Dinesh D'Souza, Steven Crowder, Matt Walsh. PROOF: You CAN Fix a Leftist SH*THOLE, The U.S. IS South Africa. THE DEMOCRAT EXODUS Dinesh D'Souza Podcast Watch the entire show at- https://youtu.be/M9RlpMLBlDs?si=sFZzSvzsFtYuKaHc Dinesh D'Souza 793K subscribers 10,271 views Aug 21, 2025 The Dinesh D'Souza Podcast In this episode, Dinesh considers new data to reveal why voters nationwide are fleeing the Democratic Party. Dinesh D'Souza is an author and filmmaker. A graduate of Dartmouth College, he was a senior domestic policy analyst in the Reagan administration. He also served as a research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He is the author of many bestselling books, including "Illiberal Education," "What's So Great About Christianity," "America: Imagine a World Without Her," "The Roots of Obama's Rage," "Death of a Nation," and "United States of Socialism." His documentary films "2016: Obama's America," "America," "Hillary's America," "Death of a Nation," and "Trump Card" are among the highest-grossing political documentaries of all time. He and his wife Debbie are also executive producers of the acclaimed feature film "Infidel." — Want to connect with Dinesh D'Souza online for more hard-hitting analysis of current events in America? Here's how: Get Dinesh unfiltered, uncensored and unchained on Locals: https://dinesh.locals.com/ Facebook: / dsouzadinesh Twitter: / dineshdsouza Rumble: https://rumble.com/dineshdsouza Instagram: / dineshjdsouza Parler: https://parler.com/user/DineshDSouza GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/dineshdsouza Email: https://dineshdsouza.com/contact-us/ We would like to thank our advertisers for our podcast: https://www.mypillow.com Discount code DINESH https://www.balanceofnature.com Discount code America https://www.birchgold.com text “DINESH” to 989898 https://Mybrightcore.com/Dinesh 25% Off Kimchi One with code: DINESH at Or dial (888) 927-5980 for up to 50% OFF and Free Shipping – ONLY when you call! https://angel.com/dinesh https://myphdweightloss.com/ Give them a call right now at 864-644-1900 Don't forget to mention the word “Dinesh” for a load of savings! Books or guest info: Daniel J. Flynn, author The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer https://a.co/d/b5axTR5 https://dineshdsouza.com https://dinesh.locals.com to join Dinesh's page and support his work! PROOF: You CAN Fix a Leftist SH*THOLE. Louder with Crowder Watch this video at- https://youtu.be/4crP611Ck_E?si=4KE6ul8S8pK7Oy18 CrowderBits 1.28M subscribers 62,301 views Aug 21, 2025 President Donald Trump has been in charge of Washington, D.C. for seven days and has already set the bar for fixing blue cities. What's up, Dems? Where you at? Click here for today's sources: https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/sou... Click here for Crowder Shop: https://crowdershop.com/ Louder with Crowder Website- https://www.louderwithcrowder.com/ Post Matt Walsh- Why did "White flight" occur, and what were its underlying causes??
You may not have ever heard the name of a man who was among the most profound intellectuals of the modern conservative movement in America. Frank S. Meyer was the man who came up with the idea of fusionism, an alliance between traditionalists and libertarians that underpinned the anti-communist bloc that composed the American Right for the latter half of the 20th century. Ironically enough, Meyer first came up with the idea of fusionism when he was an out-and-proud Communist, though he initially used the term as a unification of the American Founding and communist ideas a la Howard Zinn's “A People's History of the United States.” Daniel Flynn, a Hoover Institute fellow and senior editor of “The American Spectator,” has spent the last few years writing a new biography of Meyer called “The Man Who Invented Conservatism.” His book brings to light new documents and information about Meyer's life previously unknown, and he joined “The Signal Sitdown” to discuss the man-turned-missing-link in the conservative movement. Keep Up With The Daily Signal Sign up for our email newsletters: https://www.dailysignal.com/email Subscribe to our other shows: The Tony Kinnett Cast: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2284199939 The Signal Sitdown: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL2026390376 Problematic Women: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL7765680741 Victor Davis Hanson: https://megaphone.link/THEDAILYSIGNAL9809784327 Follow The Daily Signal: X: https://x.com/intent/user?screen_name=DailySignal Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedailysignal/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheDailySignalNews/ Truth Social: https://truthsocial.com/@DailySignal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform and never miss an episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4pm: Video Guest – Daniel Flynn – Writer for American Spector // Author of “The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer” // Inside Silicon Valley’s Growing Obsession With Having Smarter Babies // The quest to create gene-edited babies gets a reboot // China’s 2026 Reveal Promises “Robots will carry life now” as Nation Unveils World’s First Pregnancy-Capable Humanoid Prototype // Paying tribute to the brilliance of Philly’s announcer John Kruk
6pm: Video Guest – Daniel Flynn – Writer for American Spector // Author of “The Man Who Invented Conservatism: The Unlikely Life of Frank S. Meyer” // Inside Silicon Valley’s Growing Obsession With Having Smarter Babies // The quest to create gene-edited babies gets a reboot // China’s 2026 Reveal Promises “Robots will carry life now” as Nation Unveils World’s First Pregnancy-Capable Humanoid Prototype // Paying tribute to the brilliance of Philly’s announcer John Kruk
In this episode:Eugene Meyer, son of Frank S. Meyer and President and CEO of the Federalist Society, joins to talk about the legacy of Fusionism, the philosophy pioneered by his fatherFrank Meyer's conversion from communism to championing politics centered around individual freedomthe enduring debate over the timeless principles of freedom and virtue in American political historyTexts Mentioned:In Defense of Freedom by Frank S. Meyer"Common Good Originalism" by Josh HammerThe Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien Become a part of ISI:Become a MemberSupport ISIUpcoming ISI Events
Matt and Sam dedicate an entire episode to an under appreciated but indispensable figure in the founding of post-war conservatism: Frank Meyer, the father of "fusionism."Meyer was a man of contradictions: an ex-communist ideologue who longed for consensus; a cantankerous, unyielding debater who kept his friends and rivals close; a bohemian, individualist Jew who argued vociferously for freedom and against repressive orthodoxies, but who converted to Catholicism on his death bed. In this episode, we explore his life, work, and legacy — including a close reading of his most famous book, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo. Along the way, we ask some big questions: Why was it so important for Meyer to find a philosophical justification for fusing the traditional and libertarian strains of the conservative movement? How did he go about doing it? And did it work? Today, many — especially younger — conservatives consider fusionism to be a dead consensus, a marriage of erstwhile convenience in which one partner, economic libertarians, got everything they wanted, while the other, Christian traditionalists, have seen unfettered capitalism and licentious liberalism destroy the precious permanent things they had hoped to conserve: Church, family, and community. As the seams of the fusionist alliance fray, we look back to the man who conceived it in the first place. This one is for the nerds. We hope you enjoy it! Further Reading: Frank S. Meyer, In Defense of Freedom: A Conservative Credo (Regnery, 1962)George H. Nash, The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America Since 1945 (Basic Books, 1976)Jeffrey Hart, The Making of the American Conservative Mind: National Review and Its Times (ISI Books, 2006)Garry Wills, Confessions of a Conservative (Doubleday, 1979)Kevin J. Smant, Principles and Heresies: Frank S. Meyer and the Shaping of the American Conservative Movement (ISI Books, 2002)Various, "Against the Dead Consensus," First Things, March 21, 2019Frank S Meyer, "The Twisted Tree of Liberty," National Review Jan 16, 1962L. Brent Bozell Jr. "Freedom or Virtue," National Review, Sept 11, 1962...and don't forget to subscribe on Patreon for access to all of our bonus episodes!
Did libertarianism put America on the road to ruin? And did the conservative movement losing fights like that of same-sex marriage, really put us on the slippery slope to transgender ideology being the norm? This week we’re talking to Declan Leary of The American Conservative magazine, about why he wants to see libertarians cast out of the Republican coalition for good & see the American right get excited about controlling government and putting it to use for a change. At the core of this show is a question about what defines “normal” when it comes to our politics. Societal norms in America have changed rapidly in the past sixty years, and a lot of good has come from it. But change also equals disruption; that’s the nature of challenging the status quo. There will always be costs to it, and there will also always be holdouts who do not accept the new “normal” or believe the consensus in politics or society at large is a consensus at all. Recognizing this is part of why we started Rightly in the first place, and why I excitedly host this show every week. The “consensus” in American politics, particularly on the right, isn’t looking like much of a consensus at all these days. Donald Trump’s campaign and presidency changed everything. Stephen’s guests this week are Declan Leary, Associate Editor of The American Conservatve magazine and Nate Hochman, a fellow with National Review. Both are from a younger generation of conservatives who would call themselves more traditionalist conservatives (tradcons), Leary most of all. The politics of Leary and increasingly so at his publication, The American Conservative, is all about challenging the decades old consensus on the right...that of fusionism between libertarian orthodoxy with conservative thought. Donald Trump was not so much an avatar of this faction as he was an inspiration to point out that the “consensus” in our politics was anything but. Whether it be gay marriage, no-fault divorce, adoption or the gender equality gains of the sexual revolution, all of this and more is up for renewed debate by a younger and quite energized conservative movement. But don’t talk to them about tax rates - their concern is what constitutes “virtue” and whether or not “liberty” is really working out so well for our society. Libertarians, progressives and liberals - in the mind of the new right, these traditional conservatives, they’re all part of the same problem in our politics, neighborhoods and families. In this episode, Declan Leary and Nate Hochman answer questions about this rising faction, what they do and don’t believe, and if America as we understand it today...is worth saving. These conversations are important, because if you don’t understand these intellectual rifts on the right, you’ll only be caught flat-footed and surprised at the ways in which these debates are reshaping the Republican Party as we’ve understood it. Subscribe to Rightly and catch more details about the episode below. Make sure to sign up for Unfettered, our new newsletter, available now. Newsletter signup: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/rightlyaj/issues/right-now-unfettered-10-16-21-814092---- Content of This Episode ---- 00:00 Episode Start 00:05 Declan Leary: What Libertarians get wrong about liberty 05:30 Decades-old debate over fusionism still not settled 12:45 Neutrality is a myth; laws are always a value statement 19:45 What is a family and why is that so hard to define? 26:10 Leary: Buttigieg family photo a “mockery” 34:15 Gender neutral pronouns as the default 38:12 Why everything is subjective now 43:11 Always some good news to share ---- Reading List ---- “The Twisted Tree of LIberty” by Frank S. Meyer https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/01/communism-conservatism-twisted-tree-liberty/“Freedom or Virtue” by L. Brent Bozell Jr. https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/01/freedom-virtue-conservatism-goal-society-freedom-or-virtue/ ---- Plugs for our Guests ---- Follow Declan Leary: https://twitter.com/DeclanLearyFollow Nate Hochman: https://twitter.com/njhochman
This week, Jonah brings The Remnant to you from the ice-wracked void of Austin, Texas. His guest is Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason magazine. Stephanie and Jonah provide some helpful explanations of what the oldest coalition of modern conservatism (i.e. “fusionism”) really is, who its members were, and what its political motivations were. Then, in an instance of “violent agreement,” our two intrepid intellectual explorers refute the idea that this fusionist project is a “dead consensus” or that it necessarily precludes membership from libertarians. Interestingly, Jonah thinks that the tensions within fusionism are strong enough that “it doesn’t make sense as a purely philosophical project,” but Stephanie is confident that American political history indicates that the tension between virtue and freedom is resolved within the fusion of these different branches of conservatism. Show Notes: -Stephanie Slade’s Reason archive -Stephanie: “Is There a Future for Fusionism?” -M. Stanton Evans: The Theme is Freedom -Jonah: “Fusionism Today” -Ramesh Ponnuru: “Fusionists and Fissionists” -Murray Rothbard: “Frank S. Meyer: The Fusionist as Libertarian” -Frank Meyer v. L. Brent Bozell Jr. -Daniel E. Burns: “Liberal Practice v. Liberal Theory” -Donald Devine’s The Enduring Tension: Capitalism and the Moral Order -William James’ “blooming, buzzing confusion” -Post-liberal conservatives See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Christian college professors Matt Parks and David Corbin explore the ideas behind today's headlines.Part 1 (1:17): Required Reading - Professor Corbin assigns two essays by Frank S. Meyer to understand the intellectual roots of modern conservatism and Meyer’s own contribution to that intellectual tradition, fusionism: “Western Civilization: The Problem of Freedom” (1968), published in In Defense of Freedom and Other Essays, and “Freedom, Tradition, and Conservatism,” chapter 1 of What is Conservatism? (1964).Part 2 (starts at 26:42): Headlines - Since the end of June, The American Conservative has been publishing a series of essays that, in the spirit of Meyer, ask the question “What is American Conservatism?” today. We discuss key elements of the debate within that symposium and the grounds for an intellectually-coherent and politically- viable contemporary conservatism. Link: “What is American Conservatism?” symposium at The American Conservative.Part 3 (45:12): Open the Grade Book - With three Power 5 college football conferences planning to play this fall and two having postponed football to the spring, we grade three plans for determining the national champion. Part 4 (51:13): Tocqueville's Crystal Ball - With the Democratic National Convention set to dominate next week’s political headlines, we make predictions about the forthcoming speeches of Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris, and Joe Biden. Opening and closing music is from the beginning of "Happy Life" by Ryan Andersen from his 2018 album, Americana volume 1. Available here. Licensed by Creative Commons.Matt Parks is an Associate Professor of Politics at The King’s College in New York City. David Corbin is a Professor of Politics and the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Providence Christian College in Pasadena, California. All views expressed in this podcast are their own.