Two smart takes on a fractured conservative movement

North Carolina conservative leaders weigh in on the national split—and the kind of leadership it takes to keep the coalition intact

Two new pieces on the fractures in the conservative movement, both by N.C. conservative leaders I highly respect, are worth your time.

Over at the John Locke Foundation, CEO Donald Bryson writes that one of the reasons for the drama is that the coalition no longer agrees on fundamental principles, especially about the moral limits of power and what we’re conserving in the first place.

Pope Foundation president John Hood takes a more tactical angle in a new episode of the Do Politics Better podcast.

He lays out two competing visions — Freedom Conservatism and National Conservatism — and explains where they came from and where they differ.

I’m a signer of the FreeCon statement of principles, but I’m glad both movements exist. NatCon is a bit too collectivist and comfortable with federal power for my liking. But I do admire its seriousness about religion in public life and its defense of the family.

I think these two factions can coexist in the same coalition, and of course, the real world r…