On Wednesday, at a ceremony at the Kennedy Center with George Will as Master of Ceremonies, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy will receive one of 5 annual Bradley Prizes for outstanding achievement. The award will be made to its founders and president, former Sen. Spence Abraham, Professor Steven Calabresi, Leonard Leo, former Rep. David McIntosh, Eugene Meyer, and Lee Lieberman Otis. The other 4 prizes will go to Sir Martin Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill, Arnold Harberger, Professor of Economics, UCLA, and Bill Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard. Each award carries a stipend of $250,000.
Today’s Washington Times has a column by Herbert London describing the 6-year-old prize, which is given by The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation.
For decades, those who represent a defense of the command economy, who have attempted to redefine America’s role in world affairs and are the avatars of nontraditional principles have legitimized their philosophical stance with awards for their version of excellence. For example, the Pulitzer Prize in journalism has become a self-congratulatory award for New York Times and Washington Post writers. The so-called “genius award” conferred by the MacArthur Foundation invariably favors scholars and artists on the ideological left.
Of course, there is little doubt that the nontraditionalists have come to dominate the culture. One might even argue that the counterculture of yesteryear now resides with conservatives.
Hence, it is not surprising – indeed, it is justifiable – that conservatives of a moderate bent would want to honor their confreres who embody the characteristics of tradition, patriotism and the free market. If the culture is a reflection of national sentiments, it seems to me illogical to leave out at least half of scholarly opinion.
Filling this cultural void is the estimable Bradley Foundation, which over the past six years has given out awards to remarkable recipients at a ceremony held at the Kennedy Center.
Another coveted award is the Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, conveyed biannually semi-annually by the Cato Institute, which carries a stipend of $500,000.
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