Tea Time: Can There Be a Populist Conservatism?

Event Description

  Pence, Kristol, Armey, Goldberg, and Barone

Off-year elections and opinion surveys suggest that the public is increasingly frustrated with the current direction of public policy. It seems to many that Washington is out of touch with the concerns of the American people, pursuing sweeping overhauls of health care, education, and environmental regulation, while ignoring immediate concerns like disappearing jobs and the likelihood of greatly increased taxes to cover runaway government spending. Clearly, liberalism has provoked a populist insurgency against its ambitious plans for making America anew. But how should American conservatism relate to this mood? After all, conservatism stands for tradition, high culture, social order, and moderation, none of which jibe well with the populist passions of the moment. Is the notion of populist conservatism an oxymoron? Or can conservatism tap into this new populist energy without compromising its essential principles?

The 2010 Bradley Symposium, hosted by Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal and National Affairs, featured a discussion with Congressman MIKE PENCE (R–IN); FreedomWorks chairman and former House Majority Leader RICHARD ARMEY; MICHAEL BARONE, Washington Examiner senior political analyst and co-author of Almanac of American Politics; and JONAH GOLDBERG, journalist and author of Liberal Fascism. The Weekly Standard's WILLIAM KRISTOL moderated the discussion.
   

Program and Panel

9:30
Welcome by National Affairs' YUVAL LEVIN

Introduction by WILLIAM KRISTOL, Weekly Standard

9:40

Panel Discussion

Congressman MIKE PENCE (R–IN)
Congressman RICHARD ARMEY

MICHAEL BARONE, Washington Examiner

JONAH GOLDBERG, author of Liberal Fascism

10:40
Question-and-answer session

11:30
Adjournment

Event Video

Video footage of the discussion is available here.

To Request Further Information

To request further information on this event, past Bradley Symposia, or the Bradley Center, please visit our web site or contact Kristen at (202) 974-2424 or Kmcintyre@hudson.org.   

Previous Bradley Symposia

Click links below for details.

Vision and Philanthropy. The 2005 Bradley Symposium
Many think the key to success for conservative philanthropy is its willingness to give imaginatively and consistently, and according to a larger, coherent vision of public policy. But what is the conservative vision for American today? And how can philanthropy best promote it?
On February 16, 2005, the Bradley Center brought together twenty-one prominent conservative thinkers, writers, and philanthropists to discuss these essential questions. The day’s keynote address was given by White House Director of Strategic Initiatives Peter Wehner. Nearly 150 invited guests attended the event.
Commissioned essays and an edited transcript of the discussion are available online.

What's the Big Idea? True Blue vs. Deep Red: The Ideas that Move American Politics
The 2006 Bradley Symposium
On May 25, 2006 in Washington, DC, a panel of distinguished commentators tackled the following questions about the political divisions in American society: Are our political divisions indeed significant and based on such grand themes? Or can they be explained by more superficial social and economic divisions? Is a politics driven and divided by large and contrasting ideas dangerous and volatile? Or is it healthy and vigorous—the source of American renewal? How are these larger intellectual divisions played out in specific policy debates over the size of government, immigration, foreign affairs, economic inequality, higher education, and other questions? Clearly, if American politics is driven by “big ideas,” think tanks and foundations are key players. Should such institutions seek to sharpen and enrich those ideas, or should they rather attempt to moderate and bridge major intellectual divides?
The commissioned essay by James Ceaser, an edited transcript of the discussion, and other event documents are available online.

Who Are We Today? American Character and Identity in the Twenty-First Century
The 2007 Bradley Symposium
What is the condition of our national character or identity? Multiculturalism, postmodernism, intolerant secular relativism, uncontrolled borders, a toxic culture, the rise of radical Islam, the decline in civic understanding and awareness, the growth of "transnational" beliefs and institutions – these powerful trends seem to be tugging at and undermining our peculiar American sense of national character or identity.
Who are we today? American conservatism has always prided itself on its ability to define and defend our national sense of self. Liberalism, on the other hand, often seems less resistant – sometimes even hospitable – to corrosive contemporary trends. What can we do to halt or reverse corrosive trends? What in particular can philanthropy contribute to this effort?
Commissioned essays on these questions by Wilfred McClay of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, the Manhattan Institute's John McWhorter, and Fr. Richard John Neuhaus of First Things served as the basis for discussion at the 2007 Bradley Symposium, held on May 3. Ten distinguished panelists joined an audience of approximately 150 invited guests in vigorous discussion.

The commissioned essays and a complete, edited transcript are available online.

Encounter at 10: The Power of Ideas. The 2008 Bradley Symposium
Too often ideas are discounted as the effete playthings of the chattering classes, yet they have the power to transform our nation’s institutions, from our courts and legislatures to marriage and family life. Since 1998, Encounter Books has aimed to broaden public debate by bringing many new voices to bear on important policy and cultural issues.
On June 4, 2008, the Bradley Center held its fourth annual Bradley Symposium, co-sponsored by Encounter Books, on the themes of the power of ideas, publishing, and preserving liberty and democracy. Three panels drew from prepared essays and featured seven prominent Encounter authors.
Commissioned essays, an edited transcript, and an audio recording of the discussion are available online.

Making Conservatism Credible Again. The 2009 Bradley Symposium

Many pundits today suggest that conservative ideas have been consigned to the ash heap of history, and that the only important political question we face is how dramatic America’s turn toward liberalism will be. But even in these tough times, some conservatives have managed not only to reaffirm their beliefs, but to find success with the electorate as well. The 2009 Bradley Symposium featured two such officials, reflecting on ways American conservatism can be made credible once again: Congressman Paul Ryan (R–WI) and Governor Mitch Daniels (R–IN).

An edited transcript, an audio recording, and video clips of the discussion are available online.

For more transcripts, opinion pieces, and prepared remarks, or for additional information about the Bradley Center and its director, William Schambra, please visit the our web page at http://pcr.hudson.org.

Thank you for your interest!