A symposium on “Making Conservatism Credible Again” stressed the necessity of social conservatives and libertarians co-operating again, as they did in the Reagan era. Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan said this:
A “libertarian” who wants limited government should embrace the means to his freedom: thriving mediating institutions that create the moral preconditions for economic markets and choice. A “social issues” conservative with a zeal for righteousness should insist on a free market economy to supply the material needs for families, schools, and churches that inspire moral and spiritual life. In a nutshell, the notion of separating the social from the economic issues is a false choice. They stem from the same root.
I’m not sure this formulation will convince the two sides. I know some of you are libertarians and some of you are social conservatives. I also know some of you are Christian, pro-life libertarians. So what differences remain with social conservatives? Don’t social conservatives also want a limited government? How can the two factions find common ground against the statism of the ruling party?
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