This is the Cato Daily Podcast for Friday, September 6, 2024.

I'm Caleb Brown with the rise of populist, post-liberal, and self-styled national conservatives, which way forward for freedom

conservatives, those who celebrate more explicitly a liberal society rooted in the rights

of the individual and the rule of law.

John Hood is president of the John William Pope Foundation.

He discussed where freedom conservatism has been and where it's going, with me in Phoenix last month.

Where does freedom conservatism, which is a modern concept, where does that come from?

We often talk about fusionism in American political life, the idea that became popular in

the mid-20th century that the conservative movement in America would blend an interest in foreign policy and

interest in family or conservative values with a defense and advocacy of the free market.

I think that American conservatism has always been distinctive. I think probably all cultures have certain kinds of small sea conservatism

and the real difference is just what are you trying to conserve. In America, I think the conservative

movement that I've worked in for most of my life has been trying to conserve liberty,

trying to conserve the constitutional separation of powers, limited government, free markets,

free speech, free trade, free, lots of things.

Why not just describe it as classical liberal or libertarian?

I think those terms which I've used in the past,

and obviously classical liberalism is a valuable way to think about a whole body of

thought that goes back hundreds of years, but I think as a label in the 21st century

talking to people who may or may not already agree with us.

I just don't think it helps very much.

It sounds backward.

...