Republican

Rick Wilson

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Rick Wilson is a longtime Republican political strategist, infamous negative ad-maker, and commentator. He has successfully worked for numerous GOP campaigns including, presidential, senate, mayoral and gubernatorial. Since 2015, he's been a leading conservative critic of Donald Trump. He went on to co-found The Lincoln Project, a group of Republican and conservative leaders who are critical and oppose Donald Trump. 

A pioneer of and leader in the Never-Trump movement, Wilson released the best-selling Everything Trump Touches Dies in August 2018. In the book, Wilson brings his dark humor and biting analysis to confront the absurdity of American politics in the Age of Trump. He mercilessly takes down Trump and exposes the damage Trump has done to the country, to the Republican Party Wilson served for decades, and to the conservative movement that has abandoned its principles for the worst president in American history.

Wilson writes several opinions and columns for newspapers like The Daily Beast, Politico, and The Federalist. 

Rick Wilson participated in the 2020 Post-Election Roundup with Charlie Cook, Jonathan Capehart and Al Franken. After approximately two years, $14 billion and countless hours of attention, the 2020 campaign has finally come to a close. Rick Wilson was a part of the historic panel to discuss Joe Biden winning the presidency and President Trump is still contesting the results.

Kevin Phillips

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Kevin Phillips

Writer

Kevin Phillips is an American writer and commentator on politics, economics, and history. Formerly a Republican Party strategist, Kevin Phillips has become disaffected with his former party over the last two decades, and is now one of its most scathing critics. He is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio, and is a political analyst on PBS’ NOW with Bill Moyers.

Phillips was a strategist on voting patterns for Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign, which was the basis for his book, The Emerging Republican Majority. It predicted a conservative realignment in national politics and is widely regarded as one of the most influential recent works in political science. Phillips also was partly responsible for the design of the Republican “Southern strategy” of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

His book, Bad Money, examines America’s great shift from manufacturing to financial services. He also discusses America’s petroleum policies and the tying of the dollar to the price of oil.

Phillips was hosted by The Common Good in 2008 for a Meet & Greet.

Steve Levy

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Steve Levy

Politician

Steve Levy was the seventh County Executive of Suffolk County, New York, elected on November 4, 2003. Originally a fiscally conservative Democrat, Levy joined the Republican Party in an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination for governor.

Levy has promoted strict anti-immigrant policies and has supported employer verification efforts and restrictions on drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants. On March 19, 2010, Levy announced that he would seek the Republican Party’s nomination for New York Governor, competing with former New York Congressman Rick Lazio and Buffalo developer Carl Paladino for the party nomination. Levy’s platform focused on getting the state’s financial house in order and reining in spending while decreasing property taxes. He also called for the creation of an independent control board, much like the ones formed by the state for counties who are in financial crisis, to help address New York’s fiscal woes.

Twitter: @SteveLevyNY

Cong. (ret) Jim Leach

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the honorable Jim Leach

Academic, politician

James “Jim” Leach is a congressman and academic. He served as ninth Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa (1977–2007).

Leach was the John L. Weinberg Visiting Professor of Public and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University. He also served as the interim director of the Institute of Politics at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University from September 17, 2007, to September 1, 2008.

Previously, Leach served 30 years (1977–2007) as a Republican member of the House of Representatives, representing Iowa’s 2nd congressional district (numbered as the 1st District from 1977 to 2003). In Congress, Leach chaired the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services (1995–2001) and was a senior member of the House Committee on International Relations, serving as Chair of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs (2001–2006). He also founded and served as co-chair of the Congressional Humanities Caucus. He lost his 2006 re-election bid to Democrat Dave Loebsack.

Michael Steele

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Michael Steele

Politician

When he was elected Lt. Governor of Maryland in 2003, Michael Steele made history as the first African American elected to statewide office, and again with his subsequent chairmanship of the Republican National Committee in 2009. As chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele was charged with revitalizing the Republican Party. A self-described “Lincoln Republican”, under Steele’s leadership the RNC broke fundraising records (over $198 million raised during the 2010 Congressional cycle) and Republicans won 63 House seats, the biggest pickup since 1938.

As Lt. Governor of Maryland, Mr. Steele’s priorities included reforming the state’s Minority Business Enterprise program, improving the quality of Maryland’s public education system (he championed the State’s historic Charter School law), expanding economic development in the state and fostering cooperation between government and faith-based organizations to help those in need.

Mr. Steele’s ability as a communicator and commentator has been showcased through his current role as a political analyst for MSNBC. He is the author of Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, which is a call to arms for grassroots America and co-author of The Recovering Politician’s Twelve Step Program to Survive Crisis.

Steele spoke at The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2016.

Twitter: @MichaelSteele

Kenneth Mehlman

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Kenneth Mehlman

Businessman, attorney, political figure

Kenneth Brian Mehlman  is an American businessman, attorney, and political figure who served as the campaign manager for the 2004 re-election campaign of George W. Bush and Chairman of the Republican National Committee from 2005 to 2007. In 2007, President Bush appointed Mehlman to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.

On August 26, 2010, Mehlman came out as gay, making him one of the most prominent openly gay figures in the Republican Party.

Mehlman is currently a member and Head of Global Public Affairs for Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co, and is responsible for overseeing the firm’s global external affairs activities. He previously served as a partner at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.

Mehlman spoke at The Common Good’s Elections 2012 Forecast – Mehlman, Shrum, Wolffe – November 17, 2011.

Twitter: @MehlmanKen

Congressman Joe Walsh

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the honorable Joe Walsh

Former Congressman

Joe Walsh was a U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district and is currently a conservative talk show host.

Walsh began his career with Jobs For Youth, working in inner-city Chicago teaching high school dropouts basic academic and job skills. He worked on state and local public policy issues with the Heartland Institute, a free market think tank, and he ran the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund, a Chicago-based privately funded school voucher program which gives high school scholarships to low-income Chicago eighth graders. Walsh also helped launch the Legislative Education Action Drive and Americans for Limited Government, national organizations working to get fiscally conservative state legislators elected in targeted states and advance the causes of limited government. He raised funds for and helped advance the cause of school choice for two of the nation’s leading school choice organizations, the American Education Reform Council and the Milton & Rose Friedman Foundation. Walsh continues to build support for an international charity which uses education and micro-enterprise to deliver Nicaraguan children from poverty, the Fabretto Children’s Foundation.

Walsh has run campaigns for elected office twice, first as a Republican candidate for the United States Congress in 1996 and then as a Republican candidate for the Illinois State House in 1998. He served one term in the United States House of Representatives for Illinois's 8th congressional district.

Congressman Walsh spoke at The Common Good in 2012: Tea Party Congressman Joe Walsh – February 13, 2012.

Twitter: @WalshFreedom

Secretary Jack Kemp †

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secretary Jack Kemp †

American politician

Jack Kemp was a pro football player, congressman, cabinet secretary and vice-presidential candidate.

Kemp served in Congress for nine terms (1971-1989). He was elected the incoming Republican freshman class president, and 10 years later was chosen Chairman of the Republican Conference (third ranking in House Republican leadership). Kemp served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1989-1993, where he championed affordable housing, tenant management, and a housing voucher program for homeless veterans and their families. Upon leaving office in 1993, he joined forces with William Bennett and Jeane Kirkpatrick to found Empower America. He also served as chairman of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform, which promoted major reform and simplification of the U.S. tax code.

Jack Kemp died on May 2, 2009. President Obama posthumously awarded Jack Kemp the Presidential Medal of Freedom in August, 2009.