Barstool conservatism explained

Barstool conservatism is a name for a type of political conservatism in the United States, associated with Dave Portnoy, founder and CEO of the Barstool Sports digital "media empire",[1] and his audience of "stoolies", made up primarily of younger men. The term was coined by journalist Matthew Walther.[2]

In general, it supports Donald Trump, and combines non-religious libertarian concerns, such as opposition to COVID-19 lockdowns and bans on abortion,[3] [4] with "tooth-and-nail, middle-finger unwillingness to accept liberal social norms",[1] such as "gender pronoun usage and diversity, equity and inclusion practices", and embraces "sexual libertinism, anti-authoritarianism, ... and lots of f-bombs".[4]

As of November 2022, barstool conservatism was alleged by some to be "growing in prominence", "changing the dynamics" of the conservative movement in the U.S.,[5] and even "largely" defining the Republican Party coalition.[1] Others complained it lacked "a clear, animating political vision".[4]

Usage

One early use of the phrase came from journalist Matthew Walther who, shortly after Trump's 2017 inauguration, described the group of voters that Trump appealed to and who would influence the Republican Party after he was gone, as "barstool conservatives". He described them as having a libertarian streak at odds with Republican Christian "traditional social conservatives" —they did "not oppose or even care about abortion or same-sex marriage, much less stem-cell research";[6] but instead accepted "with varying degrees of enthusiasm .... pornography, homosexuality, drug use, legalized gambling, and whatever GamerGate was about"; but do side with conservatives in having "vague concerns about political correctness and 'SJWs', opposition to the popularization of so-called critical race theory, sentimentality about the American flag and the military, the rights of male undergraduates to engage in fornication while intoxicated without fear of the Title IX mafia."[6] Reporter Robert Silverman used the term "Barstool Republicans" in a 2020 tweet.[7]

Writing in November 2022, Benjamin Schnurr, describes Barstool, or at least Dave Portnoy's ideas, as "a mixture of politically incorrect and, at times, misogynistic behavior" with "more liberal stances on issues such as women's and LGBTQ rights".[5]

Some other descriptions of barstool conservatism are: "horny-bro aesthetic that embraces sports, sex and generally letting 'you do you' (provided you avoid making him do pretty much anything)" (Jane Coaston);[8] the meeting of "frat culture and cultural conservatism" (Eumenes of Cardia).[9]

Place in the conservative coalition

The traditional American conservative/Republican Party coalition was said to be analogous to a "stool", needing "three legs", namely,

Analogues of "barstool conservatives" were not part of this coalition, but with the end of the Cold War the last leg of foreign policy "declined significantly",[5] in recent years religious belief in America has declined,[9] suggesting a diminished importance for the first leg, and low tax, small government conservatism has also reportedly lost support [10] [11] In the meantime, barstool conservatism gains ground.

In the words of Derek Robertson of Politico, when Trump "dismantled that old fusion" of free-market economic enthusiasm and "country-club traditionalism, Barstool was ready."[1] In this new era, Trump was able "to mobilize a varied group of constituencies", particularly barstoolers and social conservatives, who shared "a resentment for new liberal social norms".[5] Matthew Walther and Rod Dreher (and Matthew Schmitz)[12] argue that though traditionalists and non-religious "will never agree", they can "ally" with each other,[6] to form a new conservative coalition against woke utopianism, ascendant in the Democratic Party.[13] [6] Schnurr, however, thinks it remains to be seen whether the conservative cultural grievances of "stoolies" with microaggressions and political correctness will overcome its libertarian streak for keeping abortion legal[5] (a major issue for Portnoy).[4]

Politicians

Examples of the strength of barstool conservatism in the Republican Party, according to Derek Robertson, are, Madison Cawthorn, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Donald Trump.[1] Another example is former New York Republican congressman George Santos (the first openly LGBT member elected to Congress as a non-incumbent Republican).[14]

Support for Donald Trump

Robertson credits a 200 word long blog post by Portnoy in August 2015 with the birth of the barstool Republican:

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Robertson . Derek . June 20, 2021 . How Republicans Became the 'Barstool' Party . Politico . August 10, 2023.
  2. News: Cecchini . Evan . Where Barstool Conservatism Belongs in the Republican Party . August 14, 2023 . W & L Speculator . September 16, 2022.
  3. News: Hochman . Nate . June 1, 2022 . What Comes After the Religious Right? . . August 10, 2023.
  4. Web site: McGrew . Bethel . June 29, 2022 . The Problem with 'Barstool Conservatives' . August 10, 2023 . National Review.
  5. News: Schnurr . Benjamin . The growing prominence of Barstool conservatism . August 10, 2023 . Massachusetts Daily Collegian . November 3, 2022.
  6. News: Walther . Matthew . February 1, 2021 . Rise of the Barstool conservatives . . August 10, 2023.
  7. Web site: Portnoy, Dave . December 17, 2020 . This guy has had a hand in almost every negative article ever written about me. He masquerades as a journalist bouncing from freelance gig to freelance gig. Imagine taking anything he says seriously? Yet people do cause they don't do the research to realize he is a lunatic.. September 11, 2023 . X (formerly Twitter) . en.
  8. News: Coaston . Jane . The Debate Hugh Hefner Won and William Buckley Lost . August 14, 2023 . New York Times . March 14, 2023.
  9. Web site: Eumenes of Cardia . Against Barstool Conservatism . New Conservatives . August 14, 2023 . June 30, 2021.
  10. Web site: https://www.gzeromedia.com/amp/the-era-of-limited-government-is-over-for-conservatives-2658218348?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=17214557323831&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gzeromedia.com%2Fviewpoint%2Fthe-era-of-limited-government-is-over-for-conservatives . the-era-of-limited-government-is-over-for-conservatives . GZERO . Jon Lieber . 15 September 2022.
  11. Web site: The Dead End of Small Government . 16 June 2022 . Brink Lindsey.
  12. Web site: Schmitz . Matthew . The Woke and the Un-Woke . Tablet . August 14, 2023 . September 24, 2020.
  13. Web site: Dreher . Rod . Barstool Conservatism . The American Conservative . August 14, 2023 . February 1, 2021.
  14. News: McCoy. Terence. Dias. Marina. For George Santos, a life in Brazil at odds with his GOP politics. The Washington Post. August 31, 2023. August 31, 2023. August 31, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230831154427/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/08/31/george-santos-brazil/. live.