Politics

New Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts Slams ‘Out Of Touch’ ‘Elitists’ Karl Rove, George Will

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James Lynch Investigative Reporter
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New Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts slammed longtime conservative commentators Karl Rove and George Will in a lengthy Twitter thread Thursday.

Roberts called Rove and Will “elitists” and said it is “comical” for them to “lecture conservatives” because they are “out of touch with reality” and “living in a bygone era.” His comments are referring to a discussion about the future of conservatism held with Will and Rove at the Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Presidential Library.

Roberts said he believes Will and Rove “didn’t understand conservatism” long before the LBJ Library event, because “they have no idea what is motivating working-class conservatives,” and he attacked their perceived views on foreign policy and immigration.

Roberts followed up by criticizing “these pundits still clamoring for ideas espoused by John McCain & Ted Kennedy,” saying “gay marriage, open borders, and Bush’s foreign policy” are the “opposite” of conservatism’s future. (RELATED: The Heritage Foundation Changes Tune On Wielding Government Power)

He questioned Rove’s “complaints about a certain ‘element'” of the conservative movement being likened to “Hillary Clinton’s complaining about ‘deplorables.'” Roberts said “the elite political class” is “out of touch … with everyday Americans,” adding “the chattering class thinks the peasants need to pipe down.”

Roberts also tweeted about Heritage’s approach to tackling the “failed policies” Will and Rove “defend” as they “pontificate from their ivory towers … without offering new ideas or solutions.” He said Will “just wants the tanks without thinking” in contrast to the Heritage foundation’s “positive vision for America’s future.”

The Heritage Foundation named Roberts its president in October 2021, making him the seventh leader in the organization’s 50-year history.