Kristol Clear #177: Happy Thanksgiving!

Millennials?

Kristen Soltis Anderson is one of the leading young pollsters, campaign strategists and commentators on American politics today. You can (and should!) read her columns in the Washington Examiner every two weeks. Here and here are a couple of recent examples of her trenchant analysis. Now the Foundation for Constitutional Government has released a Conversation with Kristen Soltis Anderson on Conversations with Bill Kristol. I think you'll find her consideration of the millennial generation and discussion of her research on their political, social, and cultural attitudes quite interesting. Kristen also reflects on the longstanding failure of the Republican Party to attract younger voters, and explains why these difficulties may be getting worse.

Those of you who were at the Broadmoor this year had the pleasure of hearing and meeting Kristen. Whether you were there or not, here's a chance to hear from one of our finest young analysts, who sheds special light on the attitudes of millennials and the broader implications of this rising generation for our politics going forward.

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College kids

Speaking of millennials, I was at Tufts University and Amherst College this week for talks and sessions with students. I found the visits encouraging: I wasn't shouted down or treated in any way that was less than friendly, and—so far as I could tell—the conservative students with whom I was able to speak were sober and impressive in coming to grips with the political situation they face. They don't like Trump; they're not attracted by an increasingly intolerant and close-minded progressivism. So they're inclined to try to do something about finding a new and different way to build on the healthy aspects of recent conservatism, which they were eager to hear about. Maybe there is hope...

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A New Reacher

I forgot to mention last week that one reason I was in such a good mood when I returned from London was that, as I killed time at the newsstand at Heathrow, I came across a British edition of the just-published Lee Child novel (starring Jack Reacher, of course!) The Midnight Line had just been released simultaneously in the U.S. and the UK. So I bought it and read it on the flight back, which was bad from the point of view of catching up on all kinds of serious things I thought I might read, but good from the point of view of happiness. I assumed when I bought it that the British edition would be identical to the American, but then I noticed at one point there was discussion of "tyres" in the context of an auto repair shop. I was surprised that someone (or some robot?) bothers to go through a book like this to change Americanisms to Briticisms, but am now saving my copy as a collector's item undoubtedly worth a lot in the U.S. a decade or two. Or not.

Is the book any good, you ask? I'd say it's not among the best Reachers, but enjoyably readable and, as always with Lee Child, quite gripping. I recommend it for Thanksgiving or Christmas travel.

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Thanksgiving

Speaking of Thanksgiving: Looking for some appropriate readings to reflect upon or celebrate the day? Take at look at the website What So Proudly We Hail, the website that offers excerpts from the book of the same name, an invaluable collection of readings in American history approached through literature. You can find it here.

Which to read? Up to you, but for a balanced intellectual repast, perhaps the excerpt from Daniel Webster's "The First Settlement of New England" and O. Henry's short story, "Two Thanksgiving Day Gentlemen." And have a great Thanksgiving!

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