The words “conservative think tank” elicit visions of number crunchers, policy wonks and heaps of quantitative evidence. But at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute, wanted to prove that impression of think tanks is only skin-deep.
In a morning panel discussion, entitled “In The Tank: The Smartest Guys in the Room,” Brooks stole the spotlight with his assertion that conservative think tanks should be in the business of quantifying compassion. Number crunching and hard-line policies only go so far and the last election proves this, asserted Brooks.
“The only statistic you need to know about November sixth is ‘Who do you think cares more about people like you?’” Brooks said. “Only 38 percent of Americans see Republicans as people who care about the normal guy.”
Brooks went on to cite troubling statistics, from the real unemployment numbers to the decline of class mobility. “Some studies show that mobility is higher in France,” warned Brooks.
For Republicans to combat this disturbing trend and be successful, Brooks questioned the impression leading Republicans are making. In light of the election, Brooks fears that Republicans are too heavy on calling out the entitlement culture instead of communicating solutions.
“President Obama said, ‘The rich people have your stuff, and I’m going to get it back,’” Brooks told the crowd. Republicans fought back by lumping struggling people into an entitled 47 percent category, instead of extending a helping hand, the policy guru said.
In order to change the unappealing reputation conservatives have created for themselves, Brooks looked to the psychology world for universal human expectations, and how this should guide the conservative movement to results.
“Americans have two universal moral values: fairness matters and we demand a system that helps the vulnerable,” said Brooks. He underscored ways in which the left has monopolized helping the poor, despite the fact that systematic solutions usually come from conservatives.
“We’re fighting against things, while they are fighting for people,” said Brooks. It is up to conservatives to better market the ways they are committed to helping people, instead of vocally opposing issues, he added.
Brooks issued a challenge to conservatives for the think tank world and grassroots supporters alike.
“Do you want to win?” he asked. “Start fighting for people instead of fighting against things.”
