Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
Daily Circuit Blog
Stephanie Curtis

Op-ed: Creating a conservative welfare state

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

Matthew Continetti argues in The Evening Standard that Republicans face a Hobson's Choice if they want to win the White House and maintain their majority in the House of Representatives:

The domestic proposals that have the greatest chance of making the Republican party attractive to the "coalition of the ascendant"​--​immigrants, members of the millennial generation, single white women​--​involve far more government intervention in the economy than the GOP coalition​--​married white people, Wall Street, the Tea Party​--​will allow. And we haven't even mentioned changing the GOP approach to social issues, which would drive the Republican base of religious conservatives out of the party. Pursuing such proposals would break the coalition that puts Republicans close to a majority.

Continetti thinks the GOP should try imagining a world he calls "the conservative welfare state," in which many traditional Republican assumptions are upended:

Maybe the foremost concern of most Americans is not the top marginal income tax rate. Maybe you can't seriously lower health care costs without radically overhauling the way we pay for health care. Maybe a political party can't address adequately such middle-class concerns as school quality and transportation without using the power of government. Maybe the globalization of capital and products and labor hasn't been an unimpeachable good.

Read the entire op-ed that caught Kerri's attention. Our producer Maddy Mahon is checking to see whether Continetti can join us to explain the Catch-22 facing Republicans and how a "conservative welfare state" would play out.