Workin’ for the Weekend #18: Please Missus Kennedy (Uh-oh), the Nu New Right, and the Trouble with Media Criticism
Plus, Rufo does Gilliespie, and Kmele does panels.
Oh my garden was it nice to be back on the eponymous televisual program of America’s libertarian girlfriend Kennedy. And, obviously, to enjoy the post-game debriefing (pictured above). Here’s a lil’ snippet, pulled by the ever-vigilant Busty Wimsatt:
* We talked a stretch in #378 about the Nat/Trad-Con Nu Right or whatever it’s being called this week; here is that long Tyler Cowen attempt to define and delineate by that I heartily recommended without necessarily agreeing with. Cowen is coming at the question as a New Right-curious Classical Liberal skeptic; for those preferring definitionals direct from Team Trad (or at least Trad-adjacent), here’s John Daniel Davidson in The Federalist writing “We Need To Stop Calling Ourselves Conservatives,” and Jon Gabriel over at Ricochet with “We Are No Longer Conservatives; We Are Restorationists.” Me, I’m still bummed that Rod Dreher’s “Crunchy Cons” concept never really took off back when he was still calling people with very 2022-Dreheresque foreign policy “unpatriotic.”
* Speaking of right-wingers who want to harness the power of the state to punish their domestic opponents, Chris Rufo (#322) had a lively Reason discussion last week w/ my colleagues Nick Gillespie (SD72) and Zach Weissmueller:
* I know what you’re saying, you’re saying: I need to watch Kmele on a panel discussion about individualism, DEI & CRT, preferably intro’d by Michael Jackson’s “Black and White.” I hear you, people. Along with philosopher Stephen Hicks and Atlas Society Senior Scholar Jason D. Hill:
* Not enough Kmelian panelizing? Here, from earlier in the year, is our NFC’er doing the heterodox thing w/ Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Delano Squires:
* As discussed on the latest epi & long teased, here is my book review of Margaret Sullivan’s latest: “'Pro-Democracy' Journalism's Problem With the Facts: Influential media critic Margaret Sullivan demonstrates the perils of letting narrative get ahead of verification.” Note that the blatant mischaracterizations begin in her second paragraph (which you can hear directly in my Paloma Media audio reading). Also related, and referenced, from this January: “The Strategic yet Self-Defeating Hyperbole of 'Democracy in Peril' Journalism.”
* Speaking of democracy, here’s my LibertyCon interview with Enes Freedom:
* My ancient pal (and musical collaborator!) Ken Layne was in NYC earlier this month for a live performance of his great/weird Desert Oracle radio show/podcast that several of us enjoyed. If you like John Lennon and UFOs and spooky people with beards, listen on.
* Should we end on some music? Let’s end with some music. One of my favorite scenes and songs from one of my favorite movies of this century, Inside Llewyn Davis. Uh oh!
Goddamn Cassanova Brown at AEI, those pants showing some thicc legs 👀👀👀
Best WFTW yet! Really enjoyed the exposure to other events/outlets.