The Gray Area with Sean Illing takes a philosophy-minded look at culture, technology, politics, and the world of ideas. Each week, we invite a guest to explore a question or topic that matters. From the the state of democracy, to the struggle with depression and anxiety, to the nature of identity in the digital age, each episode looks for nuance and honesty in the most important conversations of our time. New episodes drop every Monday.
https://www.vox.com/vox-conversations-podcast
episode 253: The rocky marriage between libertarians and conservatives
Hello, everybody! I'm Jane Coaston, senior politics reporter at Vox with a focus on conservatism.
Today, I'm speaking with Conor Friedersdorf, a staff writer for the Atlantic, who has been navigating the fractious divides within the conservative movement since long before 2016.
Friedersdorf is extremely hard to pin down. His intellectual hero is Friedrich Hayek and he believes the Supreme Court “ought to thwart the will of democratic and legislative majorities.” He’s also staunchly anti-war, an outspoken critic of police brutality, and has even occasionally praised Bernie Sanders.
This is what makes Friedersdorf so interesting to talk to: He doesn't fall neatly along partisan lines. We discuss a lot here: the importance of police reform; the way the term “racism” is used and misused in American politics; the future of the GOP; and what it means to be politically homeless in Trump's America.
References:
"A question for conservatives: what if the left was right on race?" by Jane Coaston, Vox
"What Ails the Right Isn’t (Just) Racism" by Conor Friedersdorf, the Atlantic
Book recommendations:
The Authoritarian Dynamic by Karen Stenner
Kindly Inquisitors by Jonathan Rauch
The Constitution of Liberty by Friedrich A. Hayek
Want to contact the show? Reach out at ezrakleinshow@vox.com
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