The conservative movement in KY and U.S. must rescue itself from the fringe — again | Opinion

In the middle of the 20th century, American conservatism faced a crisis — not from the left, but from the fever swamps that lurked at its edges. William F. Buckley Jr., Russell Kirk, and other architects of the modern right made a courageous decision: they drew a hard line between serious conservative thought and the conspiratorial fringe that trafficked in antisemitism, paranoia, and reckless extremism. That choice did not divide the right — it saved it.

The result was the most consequential conservative movement in American history. It was confident, disciplined, rooted in faith and liberty, and capable of governing. It defeated the Soviet Union, unleashed American economic strength, and revived the moral foundation of Western democracy.

Today, conservatism once again stands at a similar moment of choosing.

A growing loud minority on the right embraces conspiracists like Nick Fuentes, indulges the reckless provocations of Tucker Carlson, and echoes the grievance-theater populism of personalities like Candace Owens. Antisemitism — a toxin Buckley spent his career purging — has re-entered the bloodstream, sometimes dressed as “anti-globalism,” sometimes as foreign-policy nihilism, and sometimes in the same old language history has heard before.

Kentucky has not been immune to this drift. Senator Rand Paul and Congressman Thomas Massie often find themselves applauded by the same voices who see Vladimir Putin as a misunderstood statesman, who excuse Iran’s aggression, and who treat Israel — our most reliable democratic ally in the Middle East — as a villain rather than a partner in the defense of Western civilization.

That is not constitutional conservatism. It is not principled non-interventionism. It is a retreat — a retreat from moral clarity, from strategic seriousness, and from the Reagan-Buckley tradition that married strength with liberty and purpose with restraint.

Real conservatism defends the American-led international order because it keeps our people safe, preserves global stability, and ensures that free nations — not tyrants — shape the future. Real conservatism rejects bigotry, including antisemitism, because it corrodes the soul and betrays the religious and moral heritage conservatives claim to defend. Real conservatism is not afraid to govern. It is not afraid to lead.

Buckley and Kirk did not police the right out of pettiness. They did it out of love — love for country, love for faith, and love for the cause of ordered liberty. They understood, as every serious conservative must, that movements which fail to discipline themselves are eventually disciplined by history.

Kentucky Republicans have a proud tradition of common-sense leadership, moral seriousness, and steadfast loyalty to America’s founding ideals. That legacy must continue — not by tolerating fringe fanaticism, but by rejecting it. Not by retreating from the world, but by shaping it. Not by indulging cynicism, but by offering something better: confidence, optimism, and a conservatism worthy of our inheritance.

The task before us is clear. We must once again choose seriousness over spectacle, principle over provocation, and courage over cowardice. Our future — and the credibility of the conservative movement — depends on it.

Roger D. Ford is an entrepreneur, founder of Kentucky Crossroads, and the Kentucky First Coalition. He works in energy innovation and writes on Appalachia, rural economic development, politics, and principled American conservatism.

This story was originally published November 13, 2025 at 11:15 AM.