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Mona Charen

Disciplines:
journalism
conservation/conservatism
documentary/commentary
never trump

Summary

American conservative columnist — syndicated since 1987 — author of Useful Idiots and Sex Matters — who booed at CPAC 2018 for criticizing the Republican Party's treatment of women — one of the original Never Trump conservative voices.

Core Contribution

Creates the Never Trump conservative feminist critique — Charen's Sex Matters and her public arguments combine traditional conservative views on marriage and family with direct criticism of how Republican men treat women, producing a critique that neither party fully endorses.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • Was literally booed off the stage at CPAC 2018 for saying the Republican Party had been hypocritical about sexual misconduct — the booing at what was supposed to be a conservative gathering illustrated how completely tribal loyalty had replaced principle in the Trump-era conservative base
  • Has been married for 35 years to an Orthodox rabbi — her conservatism is lived and community-based rather than ideological, and her criticisms of the movement come from someone who genuinely believed in what it was supposed to represent

Notable Works & Achievements

Useful Idiots

Do-Gooders

Sex Matters

Historical Influences

William F. Buckley Jr. Reagan conservatism

Intellectual Lineage

New York Barnard College Reagan White House Syndicated columnist

Contemporaries & Peers

Jonah Goldberg David Brooks George Will

Minds Influenced

Conservative commentary

Intellectual Posterity

Useful Idiots CPAC booingSex Matters

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Mona Charen

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