Jun

Bradley Day in D.C.

It has become a thing in D.C. for certain communities or interests to declare a particular date that group’s “Day in D.C.” One thinks, for instance, of MMAC’s “Milwaukee Night in D.C.” In the same vein, one might call this past Wednesday “Bradley Day in D.C.”

And what a day it was. It began with a symposium on the state of conservatism, sponsored by the Hudson Institute’s Bradley Center for Civic Renewal. Wisconsin’s own Rep. Paul Ryan led off with an address expounding on the moral case for capitalism.

Whenever Republicans lose an election, a factional dispute arises about “economic issues” versus “moral or social issues.” “Traditionalists” and “libertarians” blame each other, each claiming Republicans would do better without the other. … Why anyone would think a minority party can grow into a majority by splitting itself in half is a political and a mathematical mystery to me.

Thanks to the work of Michael Novak and the good folks at the Acton Institute (often building on JP2), there is a significant recent literature making the moral/Biblical case for democratic capitalism. I hope in the future we also see focus on the importance of traditional social structures to a successful economy. First, well functioning families and communities lead to a better work force, instilling the values of hard work and honesty in the rising generation of workers. Second, well functioning families and communities reduce social pathologies that would otherwise require tax-funded government services.

After Rep. Ryan, we heard from Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Yuval Levin of EPPC, and Rich Lowry from National Review, on a panel capably moderated by Arthur Brooks from AEI. Gov. Daniels gets credit for the line of the day: he quoted Chesterton’s famous phrase that conservative’s respect for tradition leads us to “a democracy of the dead” – but in Indiana, all the dead vote for Democrats!

That evening, many of the same characters convened again for the Bradley Foundation’s sixth annual Bradley Prizes celebration, held at the Kennedy Center. Many of the conservative movement’s leading luminaries (Charles Krauthammer, Karl Rove, George Will) and several friendly faces from Wisconsin (Rep. Paul Ryan, Speaker Jensen, Dean Kearney) gathered for a wonderful evening of entertainment, speeches, and finger food! The four Bradley Prizes this year were conferred upon Bill Kristol from the Weekly Standard, historian Sir Martin Gilbert, economist Prof. Arnold Harberger, and the founders and leaders of The Federalist Society (the good people who employ me!).

Herb London from the Hudson Institute, writing recently in the Washington Times, highlights the importance of these prizes:

The recipients understand and appreciate that there is much reason to rejoice in our national past and that the past can serve as a guide to our future. The land of the free and home of the brave can only remain so if we recognize those scholars who put into words and deeds what this nation stands for. In conferring the Bradley Prizes, this foundation in Milwaukee has performed a national service that all Americans should admire.

As the day drew to a close, I was reminded again how blessed we are that one of the nation’s most important philanthropies makes its home in, and focuses its investments in, Wisconsin. Thank you, Bradley Foundation!

Last 5 posts by Daniel