This week on theamericanconservative.com, James Pinkerton pined for the One Nation conservatism of Coolidge, Lincoln, and Disraeli, R.J. Stove explored the politics of the death penalty in the Commonwealth of Nations, and Jordan Bloom excavated the Institute of Peace’s shoddy historic preservation efforts. Daniel Larison forecasted the GOP’s future post-2012, and Daniel McCarthy explained the refusal of some conservatives–and TAC in particular–to embrace Mitt Romney.

We also welcomed Alan Jacobs to The American Conservative. Jacobs introduced himself, set out a comments policy, and reflected upon Thomas Nagel’s review of Alvin Plantinga’s new book Where the Conflict Really Lies.

Scott Galupo reacted to the leaked Romney fundraiser video bombshell, and Larison continued to critique Romney’s attempt to gain politically from the attacks on U.S. missions in Cairo and Libya. W. James Antle III was similarly critical of what he described as Romney’s “over-reach”. Rod Dreher widened the issue to reflect on the lack of accountability within the GOP on foreign policy issues.

Samuel Goldman revealed that Romney’s base is concentrated in those parts of the country ”where large numbers of households pay no net federal income tax.” Larison emphasized this point and predicted that the GOP would fail to adapt to new realities in the wake of its likely defeat in the presidential election. Galupo questioned Romney’s class-warfare rhetoric and argued that that middle-class Americans also benefit from federal spending, and Dreher highlighted David Brooks, Rusty Reno, and Iain Murphy’s criticisms of Romney’s leaked remarks.

Larison argued that “the GOP is running on nothing” and that a “Romney administration would represent the return to most of what went wrong with the right during the Bush years.” He also responded to Dreher’s post on the prospect of a GOP civil war.

Wick Allison reflected on the chances of the GOP losing the house, and Scott McConnell noted that Bibi Netenyahu’s interventions might be the most blatant ever made by a foreign leader in an American election.

Finally Dreher reflected on the political dilemma of dealing with entitlements and Jacobs  contemplated the benefits of home-schooling.