The Ricochet Podcast - CPAC #19: AEI President Arthur Brooks

Episode Date: February 28, 2015

National Review’s Jim Geraghty interviews AEI President Arthur Brooks. Source

Looking for reliable IT solutions for your business? At Innovate, we are the IT solutions people for businesses across Ireland. From network security to cloud productivity, we handle it all. Installing, managing, supporting and reporting on your entire IT and telecoms environment so you can focus on what really matters. Growing your business. Whether it's communications or security, Innovate has you covered. Visit Innovate today.

Innovate, the IT solutions people. This is Jim Garrity with the National Review of Ricochet podcast. I'm joined by Arthur Brooks, the head of the American Enterprise Institute, and one of the most fascinating guys I have found in the modern political scene, writing about and analyzing the world of politics through happiness. And so, Arthur, first of all, I understand there's another book coming out this summer. That's right. Tell me a little bit about that.

July 7th, I have a book coming out called The Conservative Heart with Harper Collins. It's a look at how conservatives can not just be happier themselves, but spread more happiness around them. The truth of the matter is that, look, why are we in the movement? I talk to conservatives all the time, so do you. Conservatives are not in the movement to be tax accountants for billionaires. They actually want to lift people up, and they understand that free enterprise and American strength are the best way to do that for people by the billions. That is the essence of the conservative heart.

And if we don't actually lead with that, man, people are not just not going to vote for Republicans, they're not going to feel what we feel and what drove us into the movement in the first place. It's kind of been, I don't know about you, how have you found CPAC this year? Because it feels like a weird, semi-serious, or at least yesterday seemed like a very serious day. And it feels like as this today progresses, it gets a little odder and more off keel. What do you, you know? Well, conferences are always like that. CPAC is the scene, man. I mean, it's just, it's where people meet. CPAC is the scene, man. It's where people meet. It's where people see

old friends. It's the essence of what the movement is at this point. It's going to get goofier as the time goes on because people are more tired. Tired and maybe a little more imbibed a bit. Maybe a bit. On the topic of happiness. Exactly right. I understand today we had a lot of presidential candidates or potential

presidential candidates speaking. Phil Robertson, as I understand it, is still lot of presidential candidates or potential presidential candidates speaking. Phil Robertson, as I understand it, is still talking. And someone went on a bit about STDs and Stalin and topics like that. As you're listening to these speakers today and yesterday, you talk about the pitch of conservatism being about happiness. And it's not just about running up fiscal numbers and things like that. Are they hitting those notes? Are they talking about that? Or do you kind of wish they'd kind of readjust to that?

Well, I think the presidential candidates are doing really well here. And I like this group of presidential candidates on the right quite a lot. I mean, I think they're talking much more about the important things than they were in 2012. What's important is not just happiness. It's helping people. This is the key. In 2012, the candidates were all about fighting against things. In this round, you're going to see all the candidates, I hope, fighting for people.

The difference between being a chronic minority is minorities, political minorities, fight against things. That's what oppositions do, they oppose things. Political majorities, people who feel like they're in the ascendant, that they're going to win, they fight for people. And this is what you hear more coming from the candidates than certainly what the candidates are hearing from us at AEI. Interesting. Is there a single issue that kind of illuminates this concept of happiness and helping people? Is it education? Is there anything, if you were to tell, if a presidential

candidate said, how do I illuminate this concept, what would you tell them to talk about? Hope. Okay. Hope. Hope means it can be done and I can do it. Now, I realize that Obama tried to run off with that when he talked about his campaign of hope, but that was just bogus. That was, I hope the government will do something for me. That's not real hope.

That's the same hope as I hope my lottery numbers come up. Real hope is it can be done and I can do it. That's what Republicans should stand for. That's what conservatism really is all about. That's what Buckley was all about from the very beginning is this notion of hope. Now, hope has lots of policies behind it.

Education reform that's kid-centric. The whole idea that work is a blessed and sanctified thing and the center of a dignified life and we have to be radicals for work. And entrepreneurship, not for rich people, for poor people. The idea of initiative, the bespoke venture of building your life, which is something

that is at the center of the American ethos, certainly why you and my grandparents came to this country. That's key. And if we think about hope at the center of an optimistic, happiness-centric set of campaigns that starts with kids and education, it continues through work as a sanctified thing, and it about hope at the center of an optimistic, happiness-centric set of campaigns. That is, it starts with kids and education. It continues through work as a sanctified thing, and it understands entrepreneurship is something we need to push all the way down to the bottom of the economy

so people can lift themselves up. It's a new day. Arthur Brooks of AEI, thanks very much for your time. Thank you, Jim. Take care. Take care. Ricochet. Join the conversation