The American Conservative

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The American Conservative magazine.

The American Conservative (TAC) is a biweekly U.S. paleoconservative magazine founded in 2002 by Scott McConnell, Pat Buchanan, and Taki Theodoracopulos, and edited by McConnell. TAC represents a traditionalist, anti-war and paleoconservative voice against the dominance of what it sees as a neoconservative media establishment. The magazine also has ties with paleolibertarians.

In March 2007, TAC named Ron Unz its new publisher.

History

The magazine's editorial stance differs from most other "conservative" and "neoconservative" publications in its opposition to George W. Bush's interventionist foreign policy as well as his immigration and trade policies. TAC also holds a decidedly more positive view of Europe than, for example, The Weekly Standard, National Review, or The New Republic. Many of its positions resemble another paleoconservative magazine, Chronicles, which influenced Buchanan; many writers contribute to both magazines.

TAC endorsed no single candidate in the 2004 presidential campaign, but instead offered the conservative case for six different choices. These included Buchanan for Bush, McConnell for John Kerry, Justin Raimondo for Ralph Nader, and Kara Hopkins for not voting, as well as arguments for the Libertarian and Constitution parties.

Buchanan currently holds the title of editor emeritus. Some claim he stepped down as editor of the magazine because of opposition to his endorsing President Bush, leaving Scott McConnell to replace him. While McConnell had been acting as editor in chief of the magazine from the beginning, Buchanan’s fame attracted more readers; hence, the title was originally his.

In the midterm elections of 2006, The American Conservative urged its readers to vote for Democrats saying, "It should surprise few readers that we think a vote that is seen—in America and the world at large—as a decisive “No” vote on the Bush presidency is the best outcome."[1]

Ron Unz was named publisher in 2007. Some paleoconservatives regard him as a proponent of mass immigration.[2] [3] For example, VDARE published an article called "Unzism – the (new) doctrine of American Decline.[4]

The magazine has taken critical stances towards the state of Israel more common among left-wingers than conservatives and has published left-wing Jews and Israelis. It has not written anything that can be categorized as anti-Semitic, and John Derbyshire, who has called himself a philo-Semite, wrote a negative review on Kevin B. Macdonald's Culture of Critique.

Selected articles

• "Death of Manufacturing", By Patrick J. Buchanan, August 11, 2003.
• "Whose War?", by Patrick J. Buchanan, March 24, 2003.
• "Conservative Crack-Up" by W. James Antle III, November 17, 2003.
• "The Paleo Persuasion", by Samuel Francis, December 12, 2002.
• "Big Brother Watches Britain", by Peter Hitchens, May 8, 2006.
• "End of the Rainbow", by Roger D. McGrath, December 19, 2005.
• "Among the Neocons", by Scott McConnell, April 11, 2003.
• "Americans First", by Steve Sailer, February 13, 2006.
• "America the Abstraction", by J.P. Zmirak, 'January 13, 2003.
• "The Islamic Way of War", by Andrew J. Bacevich, September 11, 2006.
• "In Defense of Freedom" by Daniel McCarthy, March 14, 2005.
• "What is Left? What is Right? (Does it Matter?)", by various authors, August 28, 2006.

Selected contributors

W. James Antle III Uri Avnery Andrew Bacevich Doug Bandow Arnaud de Borchgrave James Bovard Patrick J. Buchanan Michael Desch Lou Dobbs Rod Dreher Samuel Francis Philip Giraldi Charles Goyette Paul Gottfried William Norman Grigg

Leon Hadar Peter Hitchens Samuel P. Huntington Bill Kauffman James Howard Kunstler James Kurth John Laughland William Lind John Lukacs Eric Margolis Daniel McCarthy Brendan O'Neill Robert Pape William Pfaff Kevin Phillips

James Pinkerton Justin Raimondo Fred Reed Stuart Reid Paul Craig Roberts Claes G. Ryn Steve Sailer Kirkpatrick Sale Martin Sieff R. J. Stove Ralph de Toledano Geoffrey Wheatcroft Philip Weiss Thomas Woods John Zmirak

See also

• Pat Buchanan
• Scott McConnell
• Paleoconservatism
• Old Right

External links

• The American Conservative
• Tory Anarchist Blog - Daniel McCarthy, former literary editor of The American Conservative.
• Buchanan's Takeoff By Murray Polner, Columbia Journalism Review, January/February 2003.
• Paleocon's Revenge by Whitney Joiner. Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Sept 1, 2002.