Donald Trump has from the outset of his political career freely used the word "nationalist" to describe himself, and the backlash has been to label him a racist. Tucker brought on National Review editor Rich Lowry to discuss the concept of nationalism and why that word has become anathema in the mainstream media and the political correctness movement.
Lowry is the author of a new book "The Case for Nationalism," and he traces a historical tradition of nationalism as a positive force in America. Hamilton, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt all were champions of nationalism. The Revolutionary War, the U.S. Constitution, and the Civil War were all tied to goals in nationalism.
Lowry indicated that throughout history, any attempt to wipe out national identity by empires or totalitarian regimes has been met with failure. National loyalty and feeling and old, natural, and powerful. It is also part of human nature and the wellspring of human history. People want to belong and therefore group together. People of a distinct national character want to live together and govern themselves.
Traditionally, especially during the nineteenth century, nationalism has united a people through common language and culture. It is as old as the Bible that depicted the ancient Israelites as nationalists. Nationalism is at the heart of our commonly shared history, heroes, and stories, and it is the basis for what has made this country great.
For Lowry, America is not an "idea" but rather a "place." No one lives in abstractions. Reality is thicker than that. Nations are thicker than that. Without a clearly defined, united country, the ideals are meaningless.
Lowry made reference to the perceptive social scientist Samuel Huntington, who observed that former former national interests and have given way to "global" and trans-national (i.e., international) loyalties. But it is the national, not the global, that has always kept nations strong. For Lowry, there is no such thing as a "citizen of the world." There is no international military,, nation, or language. If a nation is in trouble, the international community will typically not come to its rescue. Only the nation itself is capable of looking out for its own interests. The current trend is dangerous for the stability and well-being of the nation. The anti-nationalist strain argues that this nation is rotten to core, and this is what they are teaching our children.
Lowry is the author of a new book "The Case for Nationalism," and he traces a historical tradition of nationalism as a positive force in America. Hamilton, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt all were champions of nationalism. The Revolutionary War, the U.S. Constitution, and the Civil War were all tied to goals in nationalism.
Lowry indicated that throughout history, any attempt to wipe out national identity by empires or totalitarian regimes has been met with failure. National loyalty and feeling and old, natural, and powerful. It is also part of human nature and the wellspring of human history. People want to belong and therefore group together. People of a distinct national character want to live together and govern themselves.
Traditionally, especially during the nineteenth century, nationalism has united a people through common language and culture. It is as old as the Bible that depicted the ancient Israelites as nationalists. Nationalism is at the heart of our commonly shared history, heroes, and stories, and it is the basis for what has made this country great.
For Lowry, America is not an "idea" but rather a "place." No one lives in abstractions. Reality is thicker than that. Nations are thicker than that. Without a clearly defined, united country, the ideals are meaningless.
Lowry made reference to the perceptive social scientist Samuel Huntington, who observed that former former national interests and have given way to "global" and trans-national (i.e., international) loyalties. But it is the national, not the global, that has always kept nations strong. For Lowry, there is no such thing as a "citizen of the world." There is no international military,, nation, or language. If a nation is in trouble, the international community will typically not come to its rescue. Only the nation itself is capable of looking out for its own interests. The current trend is dangerous for the stability and well-being of the nation. The anti-nationalist strain argues that this nation is rotten to core, and this is what they are teaching our children.