[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 136 (Thursday, September 24, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING IRVING KRISTOL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE PENCE

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 24, 2009

  Mr. PENCE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life of 
Irving Kristol, an extraordinary modern intellectual leader who sadly 
passed away recently.
  Irving Kristol will be remembered as ``perhaps the most consequential 
public intellectual of the latter half of the 20th century'' as The 
Daily Telegraph recently memorialized him.
  Born to Jewish immigrants in New York City in 1920, Irving grew up 
during the Great Depression, and his experience during those dark times 
undoubtedly shaped his worldview.
  Kristol was a Trotskyist in his youth who embraced socialism long 
before he ever advocated for free markets and tax cuts; however, he 
broke from liberalism and will be remembered most for his conservative 
thoughts and writings that had a profound impact on generations of 
Americans.
  He worked as the managing editor of Commentary magazine, executive 
vice president of Basic Books, and in the Mid-1960's, Kristol co-
founded The Public Interest, a domestic policy journal that cast wide 
influence among policymakers.
  Kristol also served as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences, senior fellow emeritus of the American Enterprise Institute, 
and a member of the board of contributors for the Wall Street Journal 
in addition to the many books he authored. To honor this distinguished 
career, President George W. Bush awarded him with the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom in 2002.
  Irving Kristol was a thought leader and his forward-thinking ideas 
shaped policies and helped cement the Republican Party's position as 
the ``party of ideas.''
  A soldier during World War II, Kristol once wrote that ``my army 
experience permitted me to make an important political discovery . . . 
The idea of building socialism with the common man who actually 
existed--as distinct from his idealized version--was sheer fantasy, and 
therefore the prospects for 'democratic socialism' were nil.''
  These beliefs helped shape the policies of President Ronald Reagan's 
administration in defeating communism.
  Our former colleague, Speaker Newt Gingrich recently said that it was 
Irving Kristol's insights that helped create the solutions-oriented 
Republicanism that led to the Contract with America.
  Irving Kristol was a cheerful conservative, rejuvenating and shaping 
American politics, often with a smile.
  The list of those who will mourn his loss is long and distinguished 
as he touched many lives, but I take comfort in knowing that both the 
Kristol name and legacy will live on.
  I offer my most sincere condolences to his wife Gertrude, and 
children, Elizabeth and Bill.

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