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WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 21, 2025


** This Week on Government Elites & Political Thought
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** Matthew Continetti on Political Tradition vs. Transformation ([link removed])
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This month on The Future of Liberty, our feature conversation explores the evolving landscape of American conservatism. Governor Mitch Daniels sits down with Matthew Continetti to consider how political leaders and government elites have shaped the movement’s trajectory, from its historical roots to its present challenges. Together, they ask whether today’s populist energy represents a natural continuation of conservative traditions or a departure from them—and what that means for the future of political life in America.
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** How do government elites and the administrative state influence the direction of political life—and how might greater civic participation strengthen trust between citizens and public institutions?
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** “Those who wield power must ever be mindful that it is lent, not owned; that it is entrusted, not absolute.” — George Washington
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Government institutions and public officials shape the policies and decisions that affect our common life. By examining the role of political elites and the administrative state, we gain perspective on both the opportunities and challenges of concentrated authority. This week’s featured resources consider how accountability, transparency, and citizen engagement can help ensure that those entrusted with power remain responsive to the people they serve.


** Articles
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** Republican Government after the Digital Revolution ([link removed])
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Alberto Mingardi, A Call to Liberty ([link removed])

We forget that liberty has always been tested by how elites and citizens alike navigate shifts in communication. The essay reminds us that technology may alter the stage, but it is political thought and civic choice that determine whether freedom endures.

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** Overcoming the Elites ([link removed])
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Titus Techera, Law and Liberty ([link removed])

When political conflict is seen only as Left versus Right, we forget that lasting questions of liberty often turn on how societies form, sustain, and renew their elites. Lasting freedom depends on institutions and citizens together preserving the moral habits that keep self-government alive.


** George Will on the Fundamentals of Conservative Thought ([link removed])
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Arnold Kling, EconLib ([link removed])

When public debate shrinks to outrage on screens, we forget that liberty depends on deeper traditions of political thought. George Will’s The Conservative Sensibility reminds us that government expands most when elites lose sight of human nature’s limits and the Founders’ vision of balanced freedom.


** Women at War ([link removed])
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Claudia Williamson Kramer, Jayme Lemke, Joshua D. Ammons, and Abigail R. Hall, Online Library of Liberty ([link removed])

Just as the Founders warned against elites who might rule for themselves, today’s wars reveal how government leaders often exploit conflict to consolidate power. This series shows how men and women experience war differently, while reminding us that liberty depends on checking elites who would use a crisis to entrench their own authority.


** Filling the Gap in Colonial Political Thought ([link removed])
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Craig Yirush, Law and Liberty ([link removed])

When we trace liberty only to 1776, we overlook the century of colonial debate that prepared the ground. From pamphlets to assemblies, colonists wrestled with rights, representation, and authority—showing that the American Founding was rooted not just in genius, but in generations of political thought.


** Who Are the Elites? ([link removed])
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Alberto Mingardi, EconLib ([link removed])

When elites claim authority by status alone, they risk decline unless they continually renew themselves with fresh talent and ideas. As digital innovation weakens traditional sources of legitimacy, the real test for political thought is whether leadership rests on virtue and competence—or simply on being there already.


** Podcasts
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** Yuval Levin on Hope and Politics in America ([link removed])
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The Future of Liberty ([link removed])
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** The Life of Leadership ([link removed])
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The Law & Liberty Podcast ([link removed])


** Videos
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** A Conversation with James M. Buchanan, Part II ([link removed])
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EconLib ([link removed])

When we look past political ideals, we see that institutions often reflect human self-interest as much as noble purpose. Buchanan’s Politics Without Romance reminds us that durable liberty depends less on the character of leaders than on the structures that guide and restrain them.
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