The Claremont Institute

SOURCE:  Wikipedia, captured 2020-08-27
This page last modified: 2022-11-07 09:14:05 -0800 (PST)

  • Formation: 1979
  • Type: Non-profit
  • Location: Upland, California
  • President: Ryan Williams  [Claremont Institute page: local copy (html)]
  • Key people: John C. Eastman  [The Claremont Institute page:  John C. Eastman  [local copy (html)  |  Charles R. Kesler  |  Ryan Williams
  • Revenue (FYE June 2016): $5,588,691
  • Expenses (FYE June 2016): $4,972,703
  • Website:
  • In 2005, [notorious media troll, disinformationist] Mark Steyn received the Henry Salvatori Prize in the American Founding at the The Claremont Institute, established by philanthropist and conservative leader Henry Salvatori. It is awarded in honour of those who "distinguish themselves by an understanding of, and actions taken to preserve and foster the principles upon which the United States was built."


    The Claremont Institute is an American conservative think tank based in Upland, California. The Claremont Institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa. The Claremont Institute publishes the "Claremont Review of Books," as well as other books and publications.

    History

    The Claremont Institute was founded in 1979 by four students of Harry V. Jaffa, a professor emeritus at Claremont McKenna College and the Claremont Graduate University, although The Claremont Institute has no affiliation with any of the Claremont Colleges. The Claremont Institute came to prominence under the leadership of Larry P. Arnn, who was its President from 1985 until 2000, when he became the twelfth President of Hillsdale College.

    The current President is local copy, who previously served as the organization's Chief Operating Officer from 2013 until being named President in September 2017. Williams succeeded Michael Pack, who served from 2015 to September 2017.

    The conservative National Review said in 2020 that "Claremont stands out for beclowning itself with this embrace of the smarmy underside of American politics," although it noted that "many conservative institutions and individuals have adjusted their standards and long-proclaimed principles to accommodate Trump and Trumpism." Slate Magazine in 2020 called The Claremont Institute "a racist fever swamp with deep connections to the conspiratorial alt-right," citing as examples a 2019 fellowship granted by Claremont to Pizzagate conspiracy theory enthusiast Jack Posobiec. and the publication of a 2020 "birther" essay by The Claremont Institute Senior Fellow John C. Eastman  [local copy]. The Claremont Institute was an early defender of then-candidate Donald Trump; The Daily Beast stated The Claremont Institute has "arguably has done more than any other group to build a philosophical case for Trump's brand of conservatism

    John C. Eastman drew attention in 2020 for an op-ed which erroneously suggested that then-presumed Democratic nominee for U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris might not be legally eligible for the position.

    The Claremont Institute also publishes the Claremont Review of Books, as well as other books and publications, including reprints of Harry V. Jaffa's works.

    During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, The Claremont Institute received between $350,000 and $1 million in federally backed small business loans from Chain Bridge Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. The group stated it would allow them to retain 29 jobs.

    Staff

    Publications

    The Claremont Institute publishes the "Claremont Review of Books," a quarterly journal of political thought and statesmanship founded in 2000. The "Claremont Review of Books" is edited by prominent scholar and The Claremont Institute mainstay Charles R. Kesler, and features regular columns by Boston College faculty member Martha Bayles, as well as novelist and journalist Mark Helprin.

    Publius Fellows program

    The Publius program is The Claremont Institute's oldest fellowship program. Since 1979, The Claremont Institute has hosted a number of young conservatives for seminars and symposia on American politics and political thought. Publius fellows, usually college seniors, recent college graduates, and graduate students meet with the The Claremont Institute's fellows and other distinguished scholars for several weeks during the summer.

    Lincoln Fellows program

    Since 1996, the internship has offered fellowships to young professionals serving elected officials or appointed policy-makers in the federal government, as well as staff members of national political parties and non-profit institutions that research and publish on public policy and constitutional issues. Among the 60 alumni of the program are senior staff members of U.S. Representatives and Senators, White House speech writers, legal counsel and senior advisors in the U.S. Departments of Justice and State, as well as political editorialists for the Wall Street Journal and the Weekly Standard.

    Notable alumni of the Lincoln Fellowship include Pizzagate promoter Jack Posobiec, talk radio host Mark Levin, and Delaware politician ("not a witch") Christine O'Donnell, former California State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, now a Vice President with the Texas Public Policy Foundation, political commentator Carol Platt Liebau, editorial cartoonist Michael Ramirez.

    More recently The Claremont Institute has come under heavy criticism "for beclowning itself with an embrace of the smarmy underside of American politics" by naming certain fellows such as Mytheos Holt  [local copy (html)], and the conspiracy theorist   Jack Posobiec.

    Ronald Reagan Freedom Medallion

    2010 Nevada Senate candidate Sharron Angle received the Ronald Reagan Freedom Medallion from The Claremont Institute in 2004 a year after she hired John C. Eastman of The Claremont Institute to fight the Supreme Court decision when then Governor Kenny Guinn sued the Legislature to nullify the state constitution and allow a simple majority of the legislature to pass an $836 million tax increase in Angle v. Guinn. In 2006, the State Supreme Court reversed its 2003 decision and restored the Nevada Constitution's two-thirds vote provision.


    Additional Reading

  • [📌 pinned article] [theBulwark.com, 2021-07-13] What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute?  How the once-distinguished conservative think tank plunged into Trumpism, illiberalism, and lying about the election.


  • [Vox.com, 2021-11-19] The intellectual right's war on America's institutions.  "It's time to clean house in America," one influential right-wing activist wrote this week. And he's not alone.

  • [MotherJones.com, 2021-10-30] The More We Learn About John Eastman's Involvement in Trump's Coup, the Worse it Gets.  While rioters raged through the Capitol, he blamed Mike Pence for the insurrection.

  • [Alternet.org, 2021-07-13] "The dark post-conservative ideas at a right-wing think tank give a foreboding glimpse of Trumpism's future."
  • [theBulwark.com, 2021-07-13] "What the Hell Happened to The Claremont Institute? How the once-distinguished conservative think tank plunged into Trumpism, illiberalism, and lying about the election."

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