Rachel Lu devotes a National Review Online column to the notion of making America “great again.”

From an electoral standpoint, appeasing Trump supporters might seem critically important. The GOP needs those voters, lest it become a permanent minority party. This is a real concern, but in a dynamic political moment, appeasement may not always be the best option. Traditional political coalitions are cracking: The younger generation seems badly alienated from both of our major political parties. The political landscape is still dominated by Boomer politics, but the Boomers are aging. Is it wise at such a time to be so fixated on their political demands? …

… Entitlements, secure low-skill jobs, low immigration, and a modest foreign policy are all elements of the mid-century America that Trumpites so desperately miss. We can understand why they yearn for that era. But in the 1950s, when these securities were established, America was suffused with pride and brimming with post-war confidence. Our nation was far less ethnically diverse and enjoyed a level of moral, religious, and cultural conformity that we clearly don’t have anymore. Why think, with so few of the needed ingredients, that it is possible not only to recover a robust national solidarity, but even to expand it to a “pan-ethnic conservatism”? …

… Certainly, we do need some national solidarity. Our coins still read “E pluribus unum,” after all. Still, it does seem that a range of economic and social factors are eroding the middle-class, culturally conformist solidarity of yesteryear. If that’s true, we may need to find a fresh look for our shared national identity. Shoring up the pieces of an old one (and looking for skilled orators to add the lipstick) may just leave us with a grand archaic party.