EP. 035 - Why Libertarianism and Traditionalism Keep Colliding

About this episode

Dan McCarthy explores the convergence of libertarianism and traditionalism on the American Right and the historical debates surrounding government power.

If conservatives favor limited government, how limited should it be? In this episode, Dan McCarthy explores that unexpected convergence on the American Right. We revisit the late-20th-century debates between libertarians, paleoconservatives, and neoconservatives over trade, borders, national sovereignty, and the growing power of the federal state and why those arguments are resurfacing today in the New Right. The discussion turns to a deeper question: whether either the market or the ...

People in this episode

Host: Dan McCarthy

Topics covered

• libertarianism
• traditionalism
• conservatism
• government power
• national sovereignty
• New Right

Keywords

• libertarianism
• traditionalism
• conservatism
• government
• national sovereignty
• New Right
• federal state

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: American Right, libertarians, paleoconservatives, neoconservatives, federal state

More episodes of Modern Age with Dan McCarthy

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• EP. 033 - Is This the End of the Conservative Era? · January 29, 2026 · 51 min
• EP. 032 - The Case for Law Enforcement · January 16, 2026 · 40 min
• EP. 031 - Venezuela and the "Donroe" Doctrine · January 8, 2026 · 45 min
• EP. 030 - After 250 Years, What Does "Created Equal" Mean? · December 29, 2025 · 48 min