The National Conservative Conference is a project of the Edmund Burke Foundation, chaired by Israeli-American philosopher Yoram Hazony. Over the years, the National Conservative Conference has provided a forum for different constituencies of conservatives from different countries to discuss ways to strengthen, improve, and think about their respective nation-states.
Organizer
Define “National conservatism” is “a movement of public figures, journalists, scholars, and students who understand that conservatism’s past and future are inextricably bound up with the concept of the nation, the principle of national independence, and the revival of the only national traditions capable of binding people together and bringing prosperity.”
The attempt by Belgian socialist authorities to shut down the NationalCon conference earlier this year highlighted the perceived threat that speakers at such conferences pose to left-wing internationalism, globalism, and other agendas aimed at the elimination of borders and individual sovereign states. Some speakers also explicitly threaten a liberal agenda.
“America is a nation. A people with a common history and a common future.”
Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) spoke at NationalCon on Wednesday, revealing the fundamental beliefs behind his economic nationalism that have drawn him to President Donald Trump’s America First policies and that justify the kind of protectionism criticized by Vivek Ramaswamy at the conference the day before.
According to Vance, America was founded “on great ideas,” but they cannot be reduced to “mere ideas,” as some suggest.
“America is a nation. A group of people with a common history and a common future,” Vance said. “One of the things we have in common as a people is that we admit newcomers into this country, but we do so on our terms – on the terms of American citizens. And that’s how we maintain the continuity of this project from the last 200 years and hopefully into the next 200 years.”
The senator reflected on the generation of his family that grew up in Central Appalachia, and others like them, “who love this country not because it’s a good idea, but because they know in their hearts that this is their home, this is their children’s home, and they’re willing to fight and die to protect this country.”
Vance stressed that the men and women who “fight for this country, who build this country, who make things for this country, and who would fight and die to defend this country if called upon” are not sweating, bleeding and giving their all for something as abstract as America, but rather for the future of their homes, their families and their children.
Vance said that while he initially criticized President Donald Trump, he became a “convert” after realizing that Trump’s America First policies are not directed at the protection of an idea, but at the protection and prioritization of concrete realities: the American people and their physical homeland.
Vance’s people-centrism includes securing our borders, ending immigration policies that flood our markets with cheap foreign labor, reversing the trend of deindustrialisation and offshoring, and, as suggested in a recent New York Times article,
interview — “To the extent possible, put upward pressure on wages and downward pressure on the services people use.”
“Strange little nubs of the old consensus still bubble up to the surface and continue to fight us on all of the most important issues.”
The Blaze News previously reported that Ramaswami suggested at the NationalCon conference that the America First movement could choose to embrace one of two types of nationalism going forward: “nationalism”;[m]Also known as “economic populism” or “national libertarianism”[m]He argued for state liberalism and suggested that Vance was biased towards state protectionism.
According to Ramaswami, protectionism is driven by a desire to “protect American workers from the effects of foreign competition so that American workers can earn higher wages and American manufacturers can sell their products at higher prices.” Protectionists also seem to believe that “the regulatory state should be reformed to redirect its focus toward supporting American workers and manufacturers.”
In his speech on Wednesday, Senator Vance made no secret of his nationalism, and instead doubled down on the kinds of comments that have infuriated libertarian observers.
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Vance, who is likely to be Trump’s running mate, has argued, for example, that the U.S. should not allow China to “make everything” and should reindustrialize the U.S.
“Even the libertarians and market fundamentalists, and I think there are a few in the audience, aren’t very judgmental,” Vance said. “Even they acknowledge that you can’t have unlimited free trade with countries that hate you. That’s like letting Nazi Germany build all of our ships and missiles in 1942.”
“People recognize that that era is over. Even people who generally disagree with us about how much protection we should give to American industry going forward agree that we can’t let the Chinese make everything,” the Ohio senator continued. “But I would say that even as we’ve made great strides, weird little nuggets of the old consensus still bubble up to the surface and continue to be at odds with us on all the issues that matter most.”
“The real threat to American democracy is if American voters continue to vote for less immigration, and then politicians continue to reward us with more immigration,” Vance said.
He suggested that Western elites are happy to “accept a constant influx of cheap labor” but that immigration is “making our societies poorer, less safe, less prosperous and less progressive.”
Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, Shown On Monday, the former president announced he was ready to announce his running mate within the week. Vance, whose name has been floated by the campaign in the past and who has reportedly received vetting packages, appears to be the leading candidate for the vice presidential nomination. As of Thursday morning, Vance said in a speech that he plans to “make a name for himself and his people.” Resonate Very similar to Donald Trump Jr. Polymarket.
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