P.J.O' Rourke: Things Are Going To Be Fine

But There's Going To Be Some Trouble Getting To The Fine Part.

- Nick Gillespie

P.J. O’Rourke writes in his new book, How the Hell Did This Happen? (Atlantic Monthly Press). “Then supporters of that politician become shocked and weepy when another politician, whom they detest, gets behind the wheel, turns the truck around, and runs them over.”

In the book, O’Rourke’s 19th, the former editor in chief of National Lampoon uses his celebrated blend of acerbity and warmth to explore the 2016 election, which he refers to as a “rebellion” against people in control. O’Rourke, a regular panelist on npr’s Wait Wait...Don’t Tell Me!, worries our changing economy is fueling a populist wave of fear and anger. “There’s a segment of America that feels threatened by change, change of all kinds,” he says. Still, he’s optimistic for the future. His kids might have three or four careers over the course of their lives, but “I think they’re pretty hip to that, actually. I don’t think that they’re particularly frightened by it.”

In March, Reason’s Nick Gillespie spoke with O’Rourke by phone about what he saw on the 2016 campaign trail, what it means for the country, and how libertarians should respond to this new populist moment.

Reason: Do you consider yourself more of a libertarian or a conservative? Where do you see the border between those concepts?

O’Rourke: It really depends upon from what angle we’re looking at things. Politically, I consider myself primarily to be a libertarian. I am personally conservative. I’m conservative about religion. I’m conservative about moral values. I’m probably even somewhat more conservative than many libertarians are in foreign policy.