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Freedom Conservatives believe policy victories lead to political success
When Freedom Conservatives released our statement of principles in mid-2023, we left no doubt about our purpose.
It was not to engage in partisan politics, although some of our signatories have extensive experience in elective office and political campaigns.
Nor was our purpose to stage theatrical spats or ignite online “flame wars” to gain attention. Our signatories already reach millions of readers, listeners, and viewers through popular broadcasts and podcasts, widely circulated columns, and other prominent platforms.
What has brought together more than 300 leaders from across the conservative movement is our shared concern about the rhetorical excesses and policy mistakes of the progressive left and populist right.
“To ensure that America's best days are ahead,” FreeCons pledged to “apply the timeless principles of liberty to the challenges of the 21st century.”
Avik Roy, one of the organizers of the FreeCon project, explained its political promise in National Review. “Freedom conservatives seek to build a coalition that can attract a majority of the country,” he wrote, a “patriotic coalition of libertarians, social conservatives, blue-collar voters, and old-fashioned Republicans.”
How? By offering practical policies to address Americans’ biggest worries and greatest challenges.
“We stress what we are for, not what we’re against,” wrote another project founder, John Hood, in RealClearPolitics.
“We believe in free enterprise, free trade, free speech, strong families, balanced budgets, and the rule of law. We champion equal protection and equal opportunity. We think Washington has too much power and our states, communities, private associations, and households have too little.”
Want to learn more about FreeCons? Then you should attend our inaugural Freedom Conservatism Conference in Washington. It will be held on Feb. 24, 2025 at the National Press Club. Click here for more details.
Avik Roy and John Hood will be there. Today we spotlight other speakers you’ll see at FreeCon 2025.
Losing proposition
O.J. Oleka is CEO of the State Financial Officers Foundation and one of the featured speakers at the Freedom Conservatism Conference, to be held Feb. 24 at the National Press Club.
Prior to leading SFOF, Oleka was a senior executive at a global business-processes company, president of the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities, and Deputy Treasurer for the State of Kentucky.
The child of Nigerian immigrants, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Louisville and an MBA and PhD in higher-education leadership from Bellarmine University.
Oleka is one of the signatories of a recent series of Alliance Defending Freedom letters to Fortune 1000 companies, calling on executives to reject discriminatory, risky, and discredited policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“DEI is a losing proposition,” said Oleka. “The American people are increasingly rejecting this morally bankrupt and discriminatory ideology, and it’s time American business leaders respond accordingly.”
What works best
Charles Murray holds the F. A. Hayek Chair Emeritus in Cultural Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
The author of Losing Ground, Coming Apart, and many other pathbreaking books, Murray is a FreeCon signatory and a featured speaker at the Freedom Conservatism Conference, to be held Feb. 24 at the National Press Club.
Previously a scholar at the Manhattan Institute and the American Institutes for Research, he began his career as a Peace Corps volunteer and federal-aid worker in Thailand.
In a paper for AEI, Murray tracked changes in the structure of American families and their effects on substance abuse, educational attainment, employment, and emotional health.
“On average,” he wrote, “children growing up with married birth parents fare better than children growing up in any alternative arrangement.
“This does not imply that all children raised by married birth parents turn out well nor that all children in other family structures turn out poorly. The question is which family structure works best. No serious scholar disputes the answer.”
In another paper, Murray decried the decline of “broken-windows policing” in major American cities. The effects “are not borne by people in elite suburbs,” he argued. “They are borne by people living in the urban cores.
“Most of them are minorities, working class, or both. If social justice is the goal, then restoring broken-windows policing should be part of the solution.”
Disappointing results
Brian Blase is the president of Paragon Health Institute, a FreeCon signatory, and one of the featured speakers at the upcoming Freedom Conservatism Conference on Feb. 24.
During the first Trump term, Blase served as special assistant to the president for economic policy. During his previous career on Capitol Hill, he guided health care and entitlement investigations for the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and served as the Senate Republican Policy Committee’s health policy analyst.
He is a visiting fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability and has also worked at the Mercatus Center and the Heritage Foundation. His articles have appeared in such outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, and The Hill.
In a recent newsletter, Blase outlined a bold agenda for health care reform.
“Put simply: government policies and regulations result in inefficient and distortionary spending and the over-subsidization of hospitals, insurers, and others,” he wrote. “And because of sophisticated Medicaid money laundering schemes, states are paying a much lower percentage of the Medicaid bill than they ever have before.”
As costs rise, “Americans collectively are not getting healthier,” Blase added. “It’s time for policymakers to stop pouring more taxpayer money into old and ineffective public policies that achieve such disappointing results.”
Federal overseers
Tony Woodlief is senior executive vice president at State Policy Network and a FreeCon signatory. He will also be a featured speaker at the Freedom Conservatism Conference on Feb. 24 at the National Press Club.
Woodlief previously served as president of the Bill of Rights Institute, president of the Market-Based Management Institute, and president of the Mercatus Center.
The author of the book I, Citizen: A Blueprint for Reclaiming American Self-Governance and the novel We Shall Not All Sleep, Woodlief has appeared in such media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and The New York Post.
In a recent article for National Review, Woodlief pointed to the Trump administration’s brief pause of federal grants as a teachable moment for everyone who believes in the Founders’ conception of the American constitution.
“In 1993, the average state counted on federal agencies for 23% of its revenue,” wrote Woodlief, who also serves as senior fellow at SPN’s Center for Practical Federalism. “Last year this average reached 39%.”
Even the briefest interruption in (borrowed) federal funds threw many state and local officials into panic — and therein lies the lesson. Among the core principles of Freedom Conservatism is decentralization, restoring the proper relationship between Washington and the rest of the country.
“If you’re a conservative lawmaker and you’re wondering why your state is spending federal grant money on electric lawn mowers and unreliable disciplinary fads that undermine classroom safety, start by looking in the mirror,” he wrote.
“State legislatures that do not police their agencies’ interactions with federal agencies are effectively abandoning large swaths of their state operations to the whims of federal overseers.”
In the mix
• In Reason, columnist Veronique de Rugy profiled FreeCon signatory Kevin Hassett, whom President Trump tapped to lead the National Economic Council.
Hassett, who chaired the White House Council of Economic Advisors during the first Trump term, is a Hoover Institution scholar with vast knowledge about taxation, fiscal policy, and regulatory reform.
“Hassett’s appointment should not be overlooked,” de Rugy wrote. “It signals a focus on growth, job creation, and even elusive fiscal responsibility — not just short-term populist measures.”
• In The Wall Street Journal, campaign strategist and FreeCon signatory Karl Rove clarified the trade-policy views of former President William McKinley.
A “high protectionist” early in his congressional career, McKinley came to oppose tariffs set too high to maximize revenue and embraced the idea of negotiations to reduce trade barriers.
McKinley “recognized reciprocal low tariffs were important to U.S. prosperity,” wrote Kove, who wrote a book about the Republican president. “That’s still true today. Let’s hope his fan in the Oval Office realizes it.”