Conservatives have contributed to Buchanan s populism by emphasizing the intrusive control exercised by government elites. However, the cobbling together of disgruntled groups is a liberal expertise. Class warfare is best left to Democrats. Buchanan does not just want freedom from the elites, but an activist government erecting high-tariff trade walls and managing industrial policy to mitigate the insecurity of a dynamic economy. Buchanan may have a conservative social agenda, but his economics have more in common with the AFL-CIO than conservative political economy.
Conservatism can only prosper if individuals are confident in their own abilities.
Conservatism flourishes when we call upon the heroic in ourselves. We all suffer when we divide into fractious groups competing for favors from our elected benefactors. Those who say that we are in a time when there are no heroes just don't know where to look. You can see heroes every day going in and out of our factory gates. Others, a handful in number, produce enough food to feed all of us and then the world beyond.