{"id":2626472,"date":"2026-07-08T08:22:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-cooking-the-beach-boys-and-shipbuilding-tell-us-about-our-late-republic\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T08:22:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T12:22:37","slug":"what-cooking-the-beach-boys-and-shipbuilding-tell-us-about-our-late-republic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/what-cooking-the-beach-boys-and-shipbuilding-tell-us-about-our-late-republic\/","title":{"rendered":"What The Beach Boys And Cooking Tell Us About Our &#8216;Late Republic&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwhat-cooking-the-beach-boys-and-shipbuilding-tell-us-about-our-late-republic%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2626472&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article recounts a personal experience of meeting Michael Anton, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/school-of-conservative-studies-in-works-by-russell-kirk-center-the-college-fix\/\" title=\"Russell Kirk Center features &#039;School of Conservative Studies&#039; | The College Fix\">prominent conservative thinker<\/a> and former White House official, highlighting his intelligence, briefness in social interactions, and emotional depth in his writings. Anton,known for his political and cultural essays,is an avid fan of Tom wolfe and has a diverse set of interests including fashion,cooking,and music. His collection of essays, &#8220;Dispatches from the late Republic,&#8221; reveals his thoughtful commentary on American society, politics, and culture, touching on topics like immigration, political rhetoric, and Western civilization. The piece also discusses Anton\u2019s unique theories such as the &#8220;Celebration Parallax&#8221; and &#8220;Law of Salutary Contradiction,&#8221; illustrating his critique of contemporary political discourse and propaganda. anton is portrayed as a multifaceted individual whose work spans politics,culture,and personal passions,with appreciation expressed for his insights and hopes for future projects.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A couple of years ago, I had the privilege of attending the Claremont Institute\u2019s Lincoln Fellows program in Newport Beach, California. On the last evening of the program, students and instructors hopped on a bus to a waterfront restaurant, and I found myself seated in front of the prolific writer, former White House official, and Claremont senior fellow Michael Anton. <\/p>\n<p>Anton, who recently completed his tour as the director of policy planning at the U.S. State Department under Trump \u2014 and was <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.is\/I9uYy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> the brains behind the administration\u2019s national security strategy \u2014 is a bit of an intimidating character. What one quickly realizes is not only that he is much smarter (and probably taller) than you, but that he suffers no fools, and tires quickly of small talk. Thus was I surprised to find him on this particular warm and sunny Southern California evening eager to discuss the Summer Olympics, as several of the female swimmers representing the USA were graduates of the University of Virginia, my alma mater. <\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately for me, who was beyond thrilled to talk to one of my favorite conservative writers and thinkers, I know nothing about competitive swimming. Apart from the name \u201cMichael Phelps,\u201d I mean <em>nothing<\/em>. You might as well ask me about cricket or curling. Thus, I awkwardly smiled, nodded, and did my best to pretend like I had some idea of what Anton was describing, fearful that at some point he might, suspecting my embarrassing ignorance, query my thoughts on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/terrifying-scene-unfolds-at-olympic-pool-as-swimmer-collapses-is-removed-on-stretcher\/\" title=\"Terrifying Scene Unfolds at Olympic Pool as Swimmer Collapses, Is Removed on Stretcher\">200m individual medley<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The curious thing about Anton is that as much as his formidable intellect and seeming impatience with casual conversation can make him seem bristly and impersonal to those unacquainted with him, in his writing, the former press secretary and speechwriter often wears his emotions on his sleeve. It\u2019s an endearing quality of his prose, and routinely on display (with great effect) in his new collection of essays, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.encounterbooks.com\/books\/dispatches-late-republic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Dispatches from the Late Republic: The Culture, Politics, and Prophets of American Greatness, Decline, and Rebirth<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, like the great majority of mankind, Anton is a fanboy. In his case, one of those preeminent heroes is the late Southern journalist Tom Wolfe, author of such timeless classics as <em>Radical Chic &#038; Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers<\/em>, <em>The Right Stuff<\/em>, and <em>The Bonfire of the Vanities<\/em>. Of twenty-two essays in this collection, <em>three <\/em>of them are about Tom Wolfe, whom Anton first encountered in the 1980s while an undergraduate at UC Berkeley. In time, they developed a friendly correspondence, eventually culminating in an interview in New York City while Anton was working there. On the day of the interview, Wolfe also took Anton out to lunch, asked him about his life, and encouraged him to write a book Anton hoped to write in the \u201cNew Journalism\u201d style about Berkeley. Afterwards, Anton called his wife and apologetically declared, \u201cThat was the GREATEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!\u201d All of us can relate to something similar.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s also a moving reflection on the Beach Boys, whom Anton (rightly) describes as writing and performing music that represented the \u201cpinnacle artistic achievement of a lost civilization, the middle-class, baby-boom, sun-soaked, clean-cut, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >work-hard-play-hard<\/a>, bungalow-and-car culture of post-war Southern California.\u201d (Anton, in case you were wondering, is a native of the Golden State.) The band\u2019s success \u2014 and collapse as songwriter Brian Wilson descended into drug-induced madness \u2014 is a fitting exhortation regarding what Americans are capable of accomplishing, and a warning of what awaits them if addiction and debauchery are given free rein. I would argue that it\u2019s wonderfully appropriate that in an America always willing to celebrate second chances, Wilson eventually emerged from his haze and enjoyed renewed popularity and success until his death last year. And rightly so \u2014 his music stands the test of time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRenaissance Man\u201d is an apt description of Anton. Beyond his passion for tailoring and menswear \u2014 he <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Suit-Machiavellian-Approach-Mens-Style\/dp\/0060891866\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pseudonymously published a book<\/a> offering a \u201cMachiavellian\u201d reflection on men\u2019s fashion \u2014 he is also an amateur chef, having <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/archive\/17508879\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cooked twice<\/a> at the White House, including for a state dinner. Two essays in this collection discuss Anton\u2019s predilection for culinary excellence, one of which amusingly portrays him jettisoning an arduously concocted <em>demi-glace<\/em> when he received a phone call from the national security adviser via the White House Situation Room demanding his presence downtown. There\u2019s also a short, illuminating piece discussing how the late chef Anthony Bourdain was \u201cgood for food,\u201d but \u201cbad for chefs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course, Anton is a writer of politics and culture, and in that regard, <em>Dispatches from the Late Republic<\/em> does not disappoint. A 2021 piece from the magazine The New Criterion on Western civilization is particularly strong for its insightful, if biting commentary on America\u2019s many problems, including, most notably, unprecedentedly high numbers of illegal (and legal) immigrants who are not assimilating. The piece ends on a decidedly mournful note: \u201cOur regime cannot, at present, unload a cargo ship, stock a store shelf, run a clean election, handle parental complaints at a school board meeting, pass a budget bill, treat a cold variant, keep order in the streets, defeat a third world country, or even evacuate said country cleanly.\u201d Those reasons quite neatly summarize why Trump was elected in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s Not Happening and It\u2019s Good That It is: A Quick and Dirty Guide to Regime Propaganda\u201d is another gem. Here, Anton discusses a number of his pet theories, some of which have become common parlance, such as the \u201cCelebration Parallax,\u201d which is that \u201cthe same fact pattern is either true and glorious or false and scurrilous depending on who states it.\u201d A perfect example of this in action, as Anton lays out, is leftist accusations that the \u201cgreat replacement\u201d theory is a contemptible racist conspiracy, even while liberal pundits and politicians regularly celebrate immigrants <em>replacing <\/em>native-born Americans. There\u2019s also the \u201cLaw of Salutary Contradiction\u201d (\u201cThat\u2019s not happening and it\u2019s good that it is\u201d) and the \u201cEnmity Counteraccusation\u201d (\u201cThe enemy calls you its enemy for recognizing its enmity\u201d). This is a trend that many employees suffering through DEI training find: DEI course instructors will tell the workforce that complaints that DEI is prejudicial toward white males or conservatives are, ironically, \u201cdivisive.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Anton has chosen well among his vast array of essays across a variety of publications over more than a decade \u2014 I haven\u2019t even mentioned his Claremont Review of Books review of Bronze Age Pervert or his four essays on foreign policy. They are all worth reading and likely to be relevant for years to come. I know I\u2019m not the only one to say I hope he can find time to finish that novel about Berkeley \u2014 and perhaps write a cookbook, while he\u2019s at it. I\u2019d certainly pay for the privilege to feast at his table.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Casey Chalk is a senior contributor at The Federalist and an editor and columnist at The New Oxford Review. He is a regular contributor at many publications and the author of three books, including the upcoming &#8220;Wisdom From the Cross: How Jesus\u2019 Seven Last Words Teach Us How to Live (and Die)&#8221; (Sophia Institute Press, 2026).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attended Claremont Lincoln Fellows; sat with Michael Anton<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":658,"featured_media":2626473,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Book-Cover-Featured-Image-3.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[56972,13412,82390],"class_list":["post-2626472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-beach-boys","tag-cooking","tag-late-republic"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Book-Cover-Featured-Image-3.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/658"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2626472"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2626476,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2626472\/revisions\/2626476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2626473"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2626472"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2626472"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2626472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}