The American Mind

Why, even after electoral triumphs, have conservatives had such a hard time governing? You think this question only applies to today? Twenty years ago, as part of the American Enterprise Institute’s Bradley lecture series, Dr. Charles Kesler gave an answer to why conservatives felt adrift. That lecture is just as relevant now as it was in 1998, and it forms the basis of this episode of The American Mind Podcast.  In this interview, you’ll hear why Dr. Kesler says American conservatism can only feel grounded when it argues policy based on the principles of equality and justice. But, to get there, we have to work our way through different pieces of conservatism’s intellectual heritage. Only then can we see “what’s wrong with conservatism.”  Dr. Kesler is a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College and the editor of the Claremont Review of Books. In 2017 he was named to The Politico 50 for his pioneering work in political philosophy, and in 2018, he won the Bradley Prize for his work on, among other topics, American liberalism and conservatism. ***  Recommended Reading: "What's Wrong with Conservatism" Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org

Since this is the first episode of the American Mind Podcast, we thought we would go back to basics. What is the fundamental problem politics must solve? What does that mean for governments in general? What about for America? Helping us work through those questions is Mike Anton. He is a Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute and Lecturer at Hillsdale College’s Kirby Center in Washington DC. He has written for Pete Wilson, Rudy Giuliani, George W. Bush, and most recently he served in Donald Trump‘s National Security Council as Deputy Assistant for Strategic Communications. But many of you know him from an essay he wrote for the Claremont Review of Books titled “The Flight 93 Election.” That essay became the basis for his new book, After the Flight 93 Election: The Vote that Saved America and What We Still Have to Lose. What is his answer to the fundamental problem of politics? And how does that answer lead to his criticism that conservatives are too focused on the accumulation of wealth? Mike Anton explores these questions and many more in the inaugural edition of The American Mind Podcast. ***   Visit The American Mind for more great content. And if you have feedback for us, we'd love to hear from you at americanmind@claremont.org