One Year Later: The Future of Postliberalism

At the one-year anniversary of The American Postliberal’s founding, it is necessary to analyze where we are and what comes next.

“Liberalism has failed — not because it fell short, but because it was true to itself. It has failed because it has succeeded,” wrote Patrick Deneen in Why Liberalism Failed over six years ago.

Needless to say, a lot has happened since the publication of that world-changing book. At the one-year anniversary of The American Postliberal’s founding, it is necessary to chart our future and create a map for our path forward. Today, many questions surround postliberalism and its vitality, as well as the direction it is going. Some terminally-online figures have gone so far to declare that “postliberalism has failed.”

While the purpose of this article is not to respond to critics, it is evident that those still preying on postliberalism’s downfall are the same ones that screeched having to come to terms with the publication of Deneen’s book and its criticisms of liberalism — not to mention acknowledging that the liberal order is indeed collapsing.

Yet, none of these observations are the focus of what is written here. In this article, three short, but vital points will be addressed: the term postliberal itself, the postliberal coalition, and most importantly, where the postliberal “movement” intends to go.

First, the term postliberal itself, for at least the time being, must remain. It is often observed by some political commentators that right-wing political identifiers are our version of left-wing gender pronouns. There seems to be a lot of truth to this, yet, how we identify ourselves, for all political purposes, remains important.

The term postliberal, while academic, remains the most comprehensive way of attacking the liberal establishment. The term, as the “postliberal professors” often pointed out, connotated purely negative content — beyond liberalism. What is more, as has been observed, is that the battle over the merits of liberalism has been won decisively in favor of its critics. Liberalism has failed. There is no reason to debate it any further.

As coalitions change, different terminology may become necessary. However, insofar as the term properly targets the true enemy and obstacle to winning back our country — liberalism — then it is necessary to use it for identification. Incredible work and scholarship has been done to advance the positive political content lacking immediate recognition from the term.

So many individuals have also rallied around the term and identify themselves with it that it would also be foolish to attempt to reorganize now. Instead, we must build upon our coalition, which leads directly to the next point.

Second, the postliberal coalition remains strong. Again, his article is not meant as a defense of where postliberalism is, but to chart our future. For whatever has been said and done amongst the postliberal professors, there is no reason to divulge any details. Needless to say, however, is that we are fully united at The American Postliberal.

As the youngest members of the postliberal coalition, and the editors of a magazine that has punched far above its weight, we are in a unique position to determine the future of postliberalism. In many ways, the term has divulged onto us. Therefore, we intend to take postliberalism into new territory. That is, reaching out and building new coalitions for our moment.

This “ecumenical political coalition” should take as its starting point an important recognition that no sect of the “New Right” has the numbers by themselves to save this country. We must work together. This is not a new observation, but an essential one. Any precise ideological disagreements or what political terminology one on the New Right uses, including postliberal, is secondary to the larger mission of working together and winning our country back.

And so, none of this neglects our Catholic faith — we are still animated by the same spirit of Christ and His Church — as some may claim to the contrary. Rather, it enhances its vitality in an age openly hostile to religion. Religious debates should happen, but not at this time. Defeating our common enemy is necessary.

Postliberals should see our role within the New Right and its institutions as a continued positive endeavor, and we look forward to continuing our work side by side with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we do what is necessary to defeat liberalism in this country and return to a form of constitutional government. 

Third, with this coalition in mind, the postliberal movement intends to continue its support for President Trump and do everything in our power to ensure he is elected this fall. It is no secret that Trump is the long-time candidate of choice for the writers at The American Postliberal.

While focusing on the most important issues of our time, that is, immigration, trade, industrialization, and foreign policy restraint, we intend fully to contribute to the collapse of our ruling liberal elite and foster the building of a new class that seeks to govern for the common good and in the name of the people.

Some have opted to go towards the left in seeking new coalitions. Let me be clear: this is not the opinion of our publication. Our movement is definitively and ideologically pre-committed to conservatism rooted in the common good.

Postliberals also have a positive vision for the future rooted in a traditionally conservative outlook. We will continue to partner with organizations that seek to advance that vision, while preserving our great American tradition and the incredible achievements our country has undertaken.

As our publication celebrates one-year, we look forward to what comes next. The fight we are engaged in is real, and it is our intention for this article to clarify several questions, not respond to critics or concede any ground. While this article was not comprehensive, it is a starting point and a guide for what is to come. Others will flesh out the particulars, and through that, we will win. We have the same resolve with which we founded the publication one year ago.

We at The American Postliberal would like to thank all of our readers and supporters, without whom this project would be impossible. This publication, founded by a group of college students just a year ago, has gone on to define many topics of conversation in the political discourse, and we could not be more grateful and proud of what we have accomplished. The best is yet to come!

As one of our writers remarked at the beginning of our publication: “We can move beyond liberalism — we can all be postliberals — if only we have the courage and the imagination.”

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