The Fall 2016 Acton Lecture Series continued on October 1st with an address by American Enterprise Institute President Arthur Brooks, who spoke on the topic of his latest book, The Conservative Heart: How to Build a Fairer, Happier, and More Prosperous America.
Conservatives are often vexed by the fact that liberal policies and their supporters are viewed by the public as more compassionate to the poor even though a great deal of evidence exists to show that that liberal “solutions” to any number of social problems—while superficially compassionate—often create as many or more problems than they solve in society. Why are people so inclined to support politicians and pundits who promote policies that demonstrably disadvantage the downtrodden? And why are people inclined to credit supporters of those counterproductive policies as being more compassionate and caring than those who promote ideas that actually lift the poor out of their poverty?
Arthur Brooks argues that a major part of the problem is in the methods of persuasion that conservatives have tended to use. He then looks to the past to show why Ronald Reagan was so successful in his political career, and proposes that today’s conservatives would do well to follow Reagan’s example: be happy warriors who fight for people, and not against bad policies.
You can view Brooks’ full presentation below. And as a bonus, after the jump I’ve included videos of the two speeches Brooks mentioned in his address: Ronald Reagan’s 1980 speech accepting the Republican nomination for president in Detroit, Michigan, and Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” speech, delivered as the commencement address to the University of Michigan’s class of 1964 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Ronald Reagan accepts the Republican Nomination for President – July 17, 1980
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nukzTmu8tPA
President Lyndon Johnson lays out his vision for a “Great Society” – May 22, 1964
