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Leading the way by Lee Edwards
The remarkable history of The Heritage Foundation, its founder, Ed Feulner, and the conservative movement in America
Leading the Way
Lee Edwards
- Imprint: Crown Forum
- On sale: March 26, 2013
- Price: $27.50
- Pages: 464
- ISBN: 9780770435783
212-782-9016
agruenspecht@randomhouse.com
“Ed Feulner, founding father of The Heritage Foundation, showed the way, and Lee Edwards’s fine biography shows how he did it.”
—George F. Will, nationally syndicated columnist
“Biographer Lee Edwards captures brilliantly the exceptional role that Feulner and The Heritage Foundation have played and continue to play in the conservative movement and American politics.”
—Cal Thomas, nationally syndicated columnist and Fox News commentator
“I hope this book helps inspire a new generation of conservatives to recover the enduring promise of America’s greatness in the coming years.”
—Congressman Paul Ryan, R-WI
“LEADING THE WAY provides a comprehensive look at a remarkable Washington career.”
—John Podesta, Chief of Staff to former President Bill Clinton
Founded in 1973 as a way to deliver research and sound arguments to Congress on behalf of conservative interests, The Heritage Foundation has shaped the conservative movement in America—and continues to play a crucial role in forming its characteristics and messages today. In LEADING THE WAY: The Story of Ed Feulner and The Heritage Foundation acclaimed biographer and historian Lee Edwards tells the story of Edwin J. Feulner, Jr., Ph.D., and how he transformed policy making in Washington and led The Heritage Foundation into becoming the most influential conservative think tank in the nation.
The Heritage Foundation mission has been to present conservative solutions for such critical issues as national security, missile defense, health care, welfare reform, and the role of the family and religion in society. The man who started it all is Ed Feulner, intellectual entrepreneur, hands-on manager, legendary fundraiser, bestselling author, and presidential adviser. Some of his and the foundation’s most striking and enduring victories, described in the book include:
The publication of “Mandate for Leadership” in 1980 that was used by President Reagan and his administration as a policy manual. Approximately 55 percent of its 2,000 recommended policies were adopted.
A 1982 study on missile defense that helped shape the Strategic Defense Initiative, which Reagan used to bring about a peaceful end to the Cold War.
Wrote a significant part of the historic welfare reform act of 1996 that transformed welfare into workfare for the first time.
Played a major role in school choice leading to the charter school movement and initiatives such as the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program.
A study on homeland security in advance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that was subsequently adopted in large part by the George W. Bush administration.
Heritage revolutionized think tank culture with its emphasis on timely, concise, and reliable information. Their creation of the “Backgrounder,” relieved Congressmen of the more weighty tomes, and gave them information that could fit in a briefcase and be read in a car or on a plane. Today, with over hundreds of thousands of members and an annual budget of more than $75 million, Heritage is a permanent Washington institution and the leading exponent of conservative ideas in America and around the world.
LEADING THE WAY: The Story of Ed Feulner and The Heritage Foundation mirrors the rise of the conservative movement through the Reagan Revolution to today.
About the author: LEE EDWARDS is a leading historian of the conservative movement, having written The Conservative Revolution, acclaimed biographies of William F. Buckley, Ronald Reagan, and Barry Goldwater, among many other books. He is the distinguished fellow in conservative thought at The Heritage Foundation and an adjunct professor of politics at Catholic University.
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