@slade
Senior editor at Reason magazine + fellow in liberal studies at the Acton Institute.
about.me/sladesrMy latest is this month’s Reason cover story: Project 2025 is strong, but MAGA dysfunction may be stronger.
Project 2025 is no match for MAGA dysfunction
Trump promised to hire "only the best people," yet his presidential plans were repeatedly thwarted by his staff. Will a second term be different?
reason.com
The modern tendency to conceive of "fusionism" in coalitional terms reduces its philosophical claims to party politics. But a coalition is a construct fit for a particular time and place, while philosophies have pretensions to perennial importance and even eternal truth.
Fusion Is Philosophy, not Party Politics
By Stephanie Slade For the last seven years, and perhaps even longer than that, figures within the conservative chattering classes have been filing reports on the supposed death of fusionism. If those sweeping declarations didn’t strike you as questionable at the time, last summer’s release of a statement of principles for “freedom conservatives,” which boasts more than 250 signatories who have decidedly not given up on fusionist ideas, should prompt at least some pause. But if reports of its d
fusionaier.org
New, from me. A response to the curious idea that because rent seekers will always exist, we have moral carte blanche to use public power on behalf of whichever special interests we like best.
Not all policy is industrial policy
Just say no to empowering policy makers to put their thumbs on the scale on behalf of certain sectors.
reason.com
Is America undergoing a political realignment? I explore that question at some length.
Can free markets win votes in the new GOP?
As the party grows more populist, ethnically diverse, and working class, will Republicans abandon their libertarian economic principles?
reason.com
Have just been invited to an event with Lech Wałęsa. I'm going to try to give him a copy of Reason's special issue commemorating 30 years since the fall of the Soviet Union, which includes my piece on how Pope John Paul II and Solidarity helped bring down Communism.
The Pope Who Helped Bring Down Communism
"I have no doubt," Polish President Lech Wałęsa once said, that without John Paul II "the birth of Solidarity would not have been possible."
reason.com
My latest, a fun little essay from our recent Florida theme issue.
Long live the Conch Republic
The colorful, mostly libertarian history of Key West, Florida.
reason.com
All Florida, all the time!
A bonus 'Reason Roundtable' featuring four 'Florida men' of our own
Listen now: A bonus, fully Florida-themed episode of the Reason Roundtable podcast.
reason.com
My latest—on the 75th anniversary of Richard Weaver’s iconic “Ideas Have Consequences.”
'Ideas Have Consequences' turns 75
Richard M. Weaver seemed to question whether liberal order was compatible with human flourishing. By the end of his life, he saw individual liberty as more than incidental to the good society.
reason.com
Me, on the Ezra Klein Show, talking the New Right.
Opinion | Your Guide to the New Right
From U.S. senators to the “lost boys,” the New Right is far from a monolith. Stephanie Slade breaks down how each faction departs from conventional conservatism.
t.co
An incredible honor to be invited to respond to an essay by AEI’s Yuval Levin.
The Promise of the Bill of Rights
The key to stanching conflict among our increasingly intransigent factions is to take more issues off the political table.
lawliberty.org
Sohrab Ahmari’s new book, TYRANNY, INC., is out today. And so is my review.
'Tyranny, Inc.' Blames Private Actors for Government Failures
Sohrab Ahmari inadvertently gives even more reasons to reduce the power of the state.
reason.com
My latest is a long and (I'm sorry to say) not very flattering review of a controversial new book by the Notre Dame professor Patrick Deneen.
Liberalism isn’t rule by elites
But Patrick Deneen’s “common-good conservatism” almost certainly would be.
reason.com
Fun convo on fusionism with CEI :)
Free the Economy Podcast Episode 17: Political Fusionism with Stephanie Slade
This week we talk about Michael Strain’s and Dominic Pino’s arguments for economic optimism, Jessica Melugin’s defense of mergers and acquisitions, why the “pink tax” on women’s products is a myth, and Josh Bandoch’s argument for the abundance agenda. Our interview this week is with Stephanie Slade of Reason magazine. We discuss the history of fusionism in American politics, and how it has been frequently misunderstood. We consider questions like “What is the balance between order and liberty?”, “Can people who believe in small government use big government for their own ends?” and “Can libertarians and conservatives stay friends?” Free the Economy is hosted by Richard Morrison. Our producers are Scooter Schaefer, Phoebe Gersten, and Ryan Kracinski. Keep up with the show by following us on Twitter at @freethe_economy and read our episodes summaries with links to the stories we cover at cei.org/blog.
youtube.com
I'm not a Substacker as yet, but sign up here for (free, obviously!) updates if that ever changes.
Fused | Stephanie Slade | Substack
On fusionism. Click to read Fused, by Stephanie Slade, a Substack publication. Launched 2 years ago.
fused.substack.com
