The prominent gay conservative (no, that’s not exactly an oxymoron) Andrew Sullivan reflects on a recent discussion with Michael Anton and concludes that a reactionary is a conservative who has been driven to extremes by unwelcome “top-down” social change. The theory sounds plausible. Does it fit the facts?
No. The increased restiveness of reactionaries is a recent development, but there have been no new affirmative action programs, the only significant new addition to the welfare state has been Obamacare (a repackaged and colorblind Mitt Romney program once embraced by the GOP), and the most significant legal/social change is gay marriage (Sullivan can hardly complain about that).
Reactionaries are more militant today because their sense of victimhood has vastly increased. This is due in part to their inability to prevail in the court of public opinion in the culture wars, a development that is clearly “bottom up.” The role of Fox News in stoking their anger cannot be overstated. But the biggest single change was the election of an African-American president. It suggested to reactionaries that the arc of history was running against them; they responded accordingly.