How The Restraint Movement Lost Its Way
The restraint movement's attachment to Trump has compromised its ability to offer a credible alternative to American foreign policy orthodoxy.
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Who's Really Zero-Sum?
As is so often the case with insults hurled at liberals, the charge of zerosumness is one of rightwing projection.
The Modern Far Right Canon
Modern far right thinkers style themselves as an insurgent movement against power, combining a self-pitying victimhood with exaggerated fantasies of rediscovered manliness.
Neon Liberalism #36: Strange Bedfellows
In recent years, a number of prominent right-wingers have moved left dramatically. In particular, a surprising number of libertarians have abandoned their "fusionist" association with the Republican Party, and become more closely affiliated with the progressive movement. How did this happen? What was fusionism and why did it
Half the Answer #23: Far-Right Perspectives on Israel
Trent and Caitlin check in with Maureen Kosse, linguist and researcher of far-right ideologies, about the various strains on the right when it comes to Israel and America’s involvement therewith. They go over the different groups of right-wing Israel supporters, including those opposed to sending military aid to Israel
Reclaiming Our Inheritance
It is time to take back the traditions, institutions, and ideals that lapsed Christians have allowed others to define.
The Editors' Chat #4
We discuss Tesla, the courts as an impediment to Trump, Epstein, and more.
Moyn's Muddle on Ukraine
Moyn makes both historical and moral errors in his analysis, and at times he uncritically adopts Putin’s perspective.
We Need to Talk About Pedocon Theory
The connection between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein is no accident, but reveals a deep logic at the heart of reactionary politics.
Neon Liberalism #35: Tell Me a Story
Join Samantha and author Robert Jackson Bennett as they discuss the power of fiction to shape politics, from 20th-century detective fiction to modern-day QAnon. Along the way they discuss the fiscal-military state, the meaning of liberal society, and why it matters that conservatives have fun engaging with conservative narratives. Neon
The Politics of Humiliation
The politics of humiliation has moved to the center of the reactionary project under Trump II.
What Today’s Reformers Can Learn From the Temperance Movement
Before its more famous 20th century iteration, the temperance movement demonstrated the value of mass persuasion over force as a tool of cultural change.
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Neon Liberalism #24: The Border Crisis Is an Everything Crisis
Join Samantha and guest Professor Anna Law as they talk about the exploding constitutional crisis over Donald Trump's deportation program, exemplified by the removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Along the way they address the importance of due process, the Fugitive Slave Crisis and the origins of birthright citizenship,
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Neon Liberalism #23: The Porn Brain of the New Right
Content warning: rape, pedophilia, and historical atrocities. Join Samantha and guest Alan Elrod as they talk about the role of rape in conservative ideology, biopolitics as the Rosetta Stone of authoritarian reaction, and the pornographic fantasies that pervade the new right. Alan is the president and CEO of the Pulaski
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Neon Liberalism #22: We Can Fix Housing
Samantha and guest David Vatz, founder of Pro-Housing Pittsburgh, discuss the meaning of the housing crisis, the death of the "asset economy," and what we liberals can do to fix housing despite Trump. We CAN Fix HousingPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 04/07/2025 · 1h 2mApple Podcasts Neon Liberalism
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Neon Liberalism #21: A New Reconstruction?
Samantha and guest Jamelle Bouie talk the present crisis, the many ages of the American Constitution, and how we might set about rebuilding what MAGA is breaking. A New Reconstruction?Podcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/29/2025 · 1h 1mApple Podcasts Neon Liberalism can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on
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Neon Liberalism #20: The Sulla Fantasy
Samantha and guest Bret Devereaux talk the fall of the Roman Republic, Elon Musk's obsession with the dictator Sulla, and what it takes to make constitutional change stick. The Sulla FantasyPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/25/2025 · 1h 16mApple Podcasts Neon Liberalism can be heard on Spotify, on
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Neon Liberalism #19: Liberal...Socialism?
Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editor Paul Crider talk to Matt McManus, author of The Political Theory of Liberal Socialism, about a forgotten political tradition, the intellectual fallout of the Russian Revolution, and what this all means for how we think about the contemporary dangers of oligarchy and reaction. Liberal.
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Neon Liberalism #18: Knowing the Question Is Half the Answer
Samantha and fellow Liberal Currents editors Caitlin Green and Trent Nelson talk the crisis of misinformation, taking responsibility for your own beliefs in the social media age, and their new podcast, Half the Answer. Knowing the Question Is Half the AnswerPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/18/2025 · 51mApple Podcasts Neon
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Neon Liberalism #17: The Trouble With Realism
Samantha and Professor Phillips O'Brien have a wide-ranging talk, including Trump's abandonment of Ukraine, the failures of "realism" as a theory of international politics, and the shape of the future in a Europe without American leadership. The Trouble With RealismPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/
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Neon Liberalism #16: Taking Trump Voters Seriously
Join Samantha and guest Toby Buckle of the Political Philosophy Podcast as they explore the foundations of Donald Trump's enduring popular support, the legacy of the Southern Strategy, and the importance of taking people's beliefs seriously. Taking Trump Voters SeriouslyPodcast Episode · Neon Liberalism · 03/01/2025
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Neon Liberalism #15: Winning a Rigged Game
The Civil Rights Movement, which stretched across decades, caused big changes in society that persist today. As some of the gains it brought about are now threatened by racists in the White House, what can we learn from the tactics and, more importantly, the strategy pursued by the movement'
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Neon Liberalism #14: A Turn Toward Taiwan?
Taiwan is a free country, a powerhouse in technology, and it has about one-twentieth the population of Europe less Russia. JD Vance talks about the U.S. possibly disengaging with Europe, but is such disengagement necessary for, and does it really herald, increased engagement with Asia, and particularly with China
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Neon Liberalism #13: The Ketamine Koup
The chaos coming out of Washington, D.C., over the past week seems to be emanating from one man, and for once it's not Donald Trump—it's Elon Musk. Project 2025 is still happening, but Musk's seizure of government computer systems is happening more