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National policy analyst Oren Cass shared his insights with Carthage students during a daylong visit April 28.

Conservative policy analyst Oren Cass visited Carthage on April 28, 2022. Mr. Cass was the domestic policy director for Republican nominee Mitt Romney during the 2012 presidential campaign.

“That experience provided our students with a unique perspective on politics,” said Michael Phegley, an associate professor of management and marketing.

As a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, a conservative think tank, Mr. Cass went on to testify before seven congressional committees.

“He bridges the current partisan divide through focus on concrete, practical ways to help middle income families,” Prof. Phegley continued. “Composed of all races, colors, creeds, genders, and origins working at jobs that can support families, the middle class is the lifeblood of the United States.”

In discussions with several business and political science classes, Mr. Cass described some of the policy recommendations he’s made — both at American Compass, the small nonprofit organization he founded in 2020, and in his book “The Once and Future Worker.”

Rather than denying that economic, social, and environmental problems exist, Mr. Cass urges legislators to develop more realistic solutions. Likening federal policy to professional sports rules that need to be changed periodically to ensure a more palatable product, he says the government needs to alter its approach now that “the biggest profits no longer go to the companies that create the most jobs.”

Mr. Cass fielded a wide range of student questions covering economic, immigration, labor, and education policies, as well as racial equity and the 2022 and 2024 federal elections.

“An important part of a Carthage education is exposure to many different perspectives and the opportunity to engage with prominent speakers with those perspectives,” said Ron Cronovich, a professor of economics. “The visit by Oren Cass was an important part of that.”


Mr. Cass’ visit was made possible by a Sam and Gene Johnson Distinguished Visitors Fund, which was made possible through a generous endowment gift from Imogene and Samuel Johnson.