Dear John,
The subject line of this email was, a short while ago, the title of a front-page article in The New York Times. Though we’re not the sole focus of the article, we are the lead, so this is, in effect, our second major profile in as many years.
The Claremont Institute is routinely described as the “Brain Trust” of an emerging conservatism that is at once more pugnacious, tactical, and determined than its forebears. We are also—by design—spreading across America.
As the article describes, Claremont now has outposts or staff in California, D.C., Texas, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina—and beyond. But we are not populating America out of a mercenary desire to claim that we have all “policy areas covered.” We are setting down roots, intellectual and physical, in the new places we call home.
Call it Manifest-Destiny, Claremont style.
To reclaim America, and return her to the meritocratic, color-blind state envisioned by our Founding Fathers, it is insufficient to simply churn out white papers from cubicles on the West or East Coast. You must practice what you preach, make real your words through deeds.
And while this article is not exactly “fair” in some of its characterizations, I do encourage you to give it a read and let us know what you think. We remain grateful, as always, for your support.
