Kennedy School's Rightward Shift

The Kennedy School has shifted to the right in recent months--and the move seems to be effective. The New Members of Congress Conference is back--with a conservative tilt--after the temporary exile of many Republican members to The Heritage Foundation in 1994. Since shedding its liberal slant, the Kennedy School has finally emerged with a thankfully bipartisan point of view.

Republicans turned down their invitations to the conference two years ago, accusing the Kennedy School's seminar of a liberal bias. However, the decision of some of the members of the GOP to attend the seminar this year is based less on the trends at the Kennedy School and more on nationwide political shifts. The Republicans held their own conference in 1994 to ideologically mobilize their freshmen representatives in an attempt to ram the Contract with America through Congress in 100 days. Their legislative failure and Newt Gingrich's political freefall have led the GOP to attempt to adopt a more centrist demeanor.

Thankfully, the Kennedy School has responded to the newfound centrism of the Republican party, encouraging bipartisan participation at the seminar and inviting a wide range of speakers, including George Will, the renowned conservative journalist, and Roger Porter, a former policy adviser to George Bush. The school's move toward bipartisanship is necessary both for the Kennedy School to maintain its reputation as a national think tank and for the New Members of Congress Conference to foster interaction between Representatives of both parties. The renewed possibility for deliberation and dialogue that transcends party lines is the key to the Kennedy School's continued success. We hope that this trend continues, within the walls of the Kennedy School and all the way to Washington, D.C.