National Conservatism: Self-Servitude Abounds

Nobody likes being the subject of a hustle. Not least George D. O’Neill Jr., who details in a piece for the American Conservative his unpleasant experience of walking into what he understood to be a clandestine meeting of anti-establishment donors and political actors, only for it to be led by Matt Schlapp, best known for his role in organizing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “A head-fake to convince donors who are unwilling to support the Swamp to give money to a Swamp organization disguised as an anti-Swamp organization” is how O’Neill characterized this meeting. He’s not wrong.

Anti-establishment sentiments can often serve as a currency in ambitious political movements. The pitch often goes: The weak Republican establishment capitulates to progressives and subverts the will of its voters. What we need, then, is a new wave of conservatives — conservatives who more supposedly understand the plight of real Americans — who are willing to fight the Left. Presumably, the conservatives we need just so happen to be the very ones making this pitch. With the “right” elite in charge, this logic goes, conservatives can finally start winning.

EL

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Ethan Lamb

Ethan Lamb is a law student at Georgetown University.

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Nobody likes being the subject of a hustle. Not least George D. O’Neill Jr., who details in a piece for the American Conservative his unpleasant experience of walking into what he understood to be a clandestine meeting of anti-establishment donors and political actors, only for it to be led by Matt Schlapp, best known for his role in organizing the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “A head-fake to convince donors who are unwilling to support the Swamp to give money to a Swamp organization disguised as an anti-Swamp organization” is how O’Neill characterized this meeting. He’s not wrong.

Anti-establishment sentiments can often serve as a currency in ambitious political movements. The pitch often goes: The weak Republican establishment capitulates to progressives and subverts the will of its voters. What we need, then, is a new wave of conservatives — conservatives who more supposedly understand the plight of real Americans — who are willing to fight the Left. Presumably, the conservatives we need just so happen to be the very ones making this pitch. With the “right” elite in charge, this logic goes, conservatives can finally start winning.