Podcast appearances and mentions of Laura K Field

So how smart is the MAGA intelligentsia? According to Laura K. Field — a longtime observer of the American right and author of Furious Minds — the making of the new right has less to do with original intelligence than with timing and marketing. What the professors, philosophers, and trolls of this movement have done so effectively, Field argues, is transform rage into a winning political coalition. It's not that figures like Patrick Deneen, Adrian Vermuele, Peter Thiel or J.D. Vance are saying anything particularly original; it's that the way they're saying it feels new — sharper, more performative, more attuned to grievance. These men — and they are almost all men — have learned to ride a wave of popular anger against every form of traditional authority. Their rage, Field suggests, is what's truly revolutionary. Their ideas - particularly those of online influencers like Stone Age Pervert and Curtis Yarvin - are not.1. “We underestimate them at our peril.”The MAGA intelligentsia aren't just provocateurs. Field insists that figures like Patrick Deneen and Adrian Vermeule are serious scholars whose anti-liberal philosophies are shaping the intellectual spine of Trump-era conservatism.2. “Their anger is their originality.”Rage is the organizing principle. The MAGA thinkers' ideas are recycled, Field says, but their fury and performance—how they say things—are what make the movement feel new.3. “It's a man's movement.”Misogyny sits at the center of the new right. From Bronze Age Pervert to J.D. Vance, Field sees a backlash against feminism and modern gender equality that defines the movement's identity.4. “They've turned politics into theater.”Thinking as performance. The new right blurs intellect and spectacle, borrowing the techniques of influencers, culture warriors, and trolls to make outrage go viral.5. “Liberals need conviction, not counter-rage.”Fury can't fix democracy. Field argues that progressives must rediscover how to talk about freedom, meaning, and the common good—without imitating the anger they oppose.Keen On America is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit keenon.substack.com/subscribe

All of a sudden, nearly every Democrat in the country has started calling out Republicans for being really damn weird. And with JD Vance's pronatalist views and Trump's insistence that Kamala Harris isn't actually Black, the GOP isn't beating the allegations. When did Republican rhetoric go from fear-inducing, to groan-inducing? Jon is joined by Laura K. Field, a researcher and political theorist who recently published a piece in POLITICO on the topic, and who is writing a book about the evolution of the Republican party. She breaks down why GOP weirdness is tied to the emergence of the “New Right,” how JD Vance exemplifies this moment, and how to prevent the movement from capturing more power in American politics.

Laura's essay, "What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute?" ... Background on Harry Jaffa and the West Coast Straussians ... Why did many East Coast Straussians become NeverTrumpers? ... Michael Anton, the cosplaying conservative intellectual ... A recent "crazy rant" published by Claremont's house organ ... The tendentiousness of the 1776 Commission Report ... Trump's very strange idea for a "Garden of American Heroes" ...

Laura's essay, "What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute?" ... Background on Harry Jaffa and the West Coast Straussians ... Why did many East Coast Straussians become NeverTrumpers? ... Michael Anton, the cosplaying conservative intellectual ... A recent "crazy rant" published by Claremont's house organ ... The tendentiousness of the 1776 Commission Report ... Trump's very strange idea for a "Garden of American Heroes" ...

Laura K. Field's work in political theory didn't used to focus on today's political arena, but when prominent conservative intellectuals started backing the authoritarian, populist messages of Donald Trump in 2016, she began looking into the intellectual roots of conservative thinkers. She joins Geoff Kabaservice today to discuss how today's “reactionary conservatives” have rejected liberal democratic principles (after mischaracterizing the values of liberal democracy), and breaks down how they've combined the ideas of Aristotle, Leo Strauss, and others, as well as a scepticism of Democratic institutions to develop the line of thinking that characterizes the Intellectual Right today.

Today's ranty Ruminant finds Jonah alternately perplexed and irritated by the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, illiberalism in politics, and folks who think Twitter is real life. He begins by digging into the CDC's revised guidance on masks and the possible implications of America's stalling vaccine campaign. From there, things get nerdy, as Jonah explores the state of conservative institutions and weirdness of internet culture. Any cartoonists listening should stick around until the end for some striking inspiration. Show Notes: - Christian Schneider on anti-racism - Jonah on the new mask mandates - Wednesday's “news”letter - Last year's kooky Washington Times piece on masks - Crisis and Leviathan, by Robert Higgs - The Dispatch Podcast on the CDC and January 6 - The Remnant with Tim Carney - Marty Makary on the push to vaccinate children - Laura K. Field's essay on the Claremont Institute - The Remnant with Dan McLaughlin - Scarlett Johansson sues Disney See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's podcast Charlie Sykes talks with Laura K. Field about her recent Bulwark article: "What The Hell Happened To the Claremont Institute?"

D.W. Lafferty, Paul Fahey, and Mike Lewis discuss the desire of many to restore Christendom, the phenomenon of "highbrow" conspiracism, and other subjects entering Catholic discourse. Sources: The Church’s Mission and the Allure of Neo-Christendom by Paul Fahey https://wherepeteris.com/the-churchs-... How American Christendom Weakens American Christianity by David French https://frenchpress.thedispatch.com/p... The Highbrow Conspiracism of the New Intellectual Right: A Sampling From the Trump Years BY LAURA K. FIELD https://www.niskanencenter.org/the-hi... Visit us: www.wherepeteris.com Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/where_peter_is Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/wherepeteris Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/Where_Peter_is

Chris Beem takes the interviewer's chair this week for a conversation with political theorist Laura K. Field about her recent work that examines how the conspiracism described by Nancy Rosenblum and Russell Muirhead in their book A Lot of People Are Saying has made its way to prominent conservative intellectuals and the institutions that support them. The conversation ends with ways that listeners can take conspiracy-minded arguments with the appropriate grain of salt and perhaps disconnect from politics a little in the process. Field is a senior fellow at the Niskanen Center and scholar in residence at American University. She he writes about current political affairs from a vantage point informed by the history of political thought. Her academic writing spans antiquity and modernity, and has appeared in the The Journal of Politics, The Review of Politics, and Polity. She earned a Ph.D. in political theory and public law from the University of Texas at Austin.Additional InformationThe Highbrow Conspiracism of the New Intellectual Right: A Sampling From the Trump YearsRevisiting "Why Liberalism Failed:" A Five-Part SeriesLaura K. Field on TwitterThe Niskanen Center's podcasts: The Science of Politics and The Vital CenterRelated EpisodesHow conspiracies are damaging democracy?Is it possible to overdo democracy?