A visible strand of Republican politics is normalizing a lineage‑based definition of American identity that privileges 'heritage' ancestry over civic commitment. If adopted more widely by GOP figures, this framing could reshape immigration policy, candidate selection, and local civic norms by making ancestry a salient criterion for political inclusion.
— This converts a cultural philosophy into a practical political lever that affects who is considered a legitimate political actor and who is 'let in' to full civic participation.
Steve Sailer
2026.01.07
100% relevant
Vivek Ramaswamy’s New York Times op‑ed excerpt (quoted in the article) explicitly argues that ‘heritage Americans’—those with colonial/early immigration ancestry—hold symbolic and practical priority, exemplifying the move from civic to lineage claims.
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