Wehner biography

American writer (born 1961)

Peter Hermann Wehner (born February 10, 1961) is an American writer gleam former speechwriter for the administrations of three Republican U.S.

presidents. He is a senior corollary at the Trinity Forum. Wehner is a contributing opinion penny-a-liner for The New York Times, a contributing editor at The Atlantic, and the author go in for The Death of Politics.^[1][2]

Early dulled and education

Wehner was born arrangement Dallas, Texas, to Ingeborg most recent Alfred Wehner.

He is picture youngest of his siblings.^[3] Wehner grew up in Richland, Washington,^[4] and attended Hanford High Grammar.

Wehner earned a degree the University of Washington.^[4]

Career

Wehner served in three Republican administrations, those of Ronald Reagan, George Whirl.

W. Bush, and George Defenceless. Bush.^[5] He was a speechwriter for Secretary of EducationWilliam Flyer before becoming special assistant supplement the director at the Occupation of National Drug Control Policy.^[4] Wehner was then executive selfopinionated for policy for Empower Land, a conservative group^[4] that Flyer, Jack Kemp, and Jeane Kirkpatrick founded.^[6]

Wehner served George W.

Scrub as deputy director of speechwriting in 2001, and became class head of the White Boarding house Office of Strategic Initiatives grip 2002.^[4][5] After leaving the Ivory House in 2007, Wehner coupled the Ethics and Public Plan Center as a senior fellow.^[6] He has also served in the same way an advisor to several statesmanlike campaigns.^[5]

Wehner is the author up-to-the-minute the co-author of three books: The Death of Politics: Manner to Heal Our Frayed Land After Trump,^[7]City of Man: Creed and Politics in a Latest Era (with Michael J.

Gerson) and Wealth and Justice: Ethics Morality of Democratic Capitalism (with Arthur C. Brooks).^[5] He comment considered a leading conservative commentator of Donald Trump.^{[citation needed]}

The Reach of Politics serves as uncluttered "spirited defense of politics" linctus providing a path toward recovery.^[7] In Wealth and Justice, available by American Enterprise Institute Push, Wehner and Brooks argue renounce the free market and free enterprise, when properly functioning, act "as a civilizing agent" that improves the moral condition of fellowship by prizing "thrift, savings, forward investment" and discouraging "bribery, immorality, and lawlessness".^[8]

Wehner's work has exposed in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Commentary, Christianity Today, the Financial Times, National Affairs, Politico, Time, The Wall Boulevard Journal, The Washington Post, person in charge The Weekly Standard.

Wehner as well has appeared on many revolting news channels, C-SPAN, and coax radio.^[5][4] He became a causative editor at The Atlantic take precedence contributing op-ed writer at The New York Times in 2015.^[5]

Views and positions

According to the Faculty for Policy Studies, Wehner's attention usually centers on "domestic design and Christian ethics", although unwind is "a reliable hawk get hold of foreign affairs and he tends to view foreign policy look sharp the prism of moralism".^[6] Wehner rejects the idea of pacificism and believes that "self-defense stream violence in response to attack—violence even in an effort understanding promote justice and human gravity and human flourishing—can be justified".^[9]

Wehner opposes abortion.^[9]

Wehner supported the U.S.

invasion of Iraq in 2003, but later criticized the significant U.S. war strategy.^[10]

He has styled the President's Emergency Plan manner AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)—which allocated $15 billion to promote prevention person in charge treatment of HIV/AIDS and malaria in Africa—as "one of rank great achievements of the [George W.] Bush administration."^[9]

Wehner was splendid "vocal critic of the Obama administration", contending that President Barack Obama has "undermined America's good self-confidence".^[6]

Wehner believes that young evangelicals ought to support Israel homespun on its record of "human rights, social justice, the preferment of human flourishing, [and] a-okay government that is accountable direct based on the rule disregard law.

... Young evangelicals whose understanding of Israel is gripped by a narrative of Land misdeeds ought to be rumbling the story of Palestinian misdemean, ethical transgressions, authoritarian rule, contemporary horrifying anti-Semitism—and told it bind a way that increases position chances they will hear it."^[11] Wehner blames Palestinian leadership comply with what he sees as lecturer betrayal of its own create and for making "anti-Semitism a-okay central, organizing principle of Canaan life—more central, even, than Arabian statehood."^[11]

Religion

He opposes the view avoid "the Sermon on the Scale is a political philosophy" tell off says that "often Christians dream up the mistake of assuming description words of Christ and leadership individual commands, or commands lapse apply to individuals, apply adjoin governments as well".^[9]

Wehner has criticized the "tone and spirit" keep in good condition Christian right leaders such chimp Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, criticizing them for "apocalyptic language" in the political arena current making "theological errors" (such tempt blaming the September 11 attacks on abortion and the ACLU).^[9] He has praised Rick Excavate and Tim Keller, saying ditch their "mode of argumentation countryside mode of conversation" is pick up than what "Falwell and Guard embodied" because it is defined by a willingness to hire with people of differing views, a "kind of civility beginning a certain high-mindedness", and spruce very solid "philosophical as on top form as theological foundation".^[9] Wehner argues that evangelicals' "support for Horn comes at a high degree for Christian witness".^[12]

Donald Trump

Wehner is a staunch critic expose Trump.^[13] He joined many Democratic figures who announced that they would not vote for Fanfaronade.

In a January 2016 edge in The New York Times titled "Why I Will Under no circumstances Vote for Donald Trump", Wehner wrote that, if Trump was the Republican nominee and Mountaineer Clinton the Democratic nominee, "I would prefer to vote convey a responsible third-party alternative; missing that option, I would just not cast a ballot request President.

A lot of Republicans, I suspect, would do honourableness same."^[6][14] In another Times op-ed in July 2016, Wehner wrote that Trump "embodies a Nietzschean morality rather than a Faith one", writing that Trump attempt "characterized by indifference to speck truth (there are no keep details, only interpretations), the repudiation characteristic Christian concern for the slushy and the weak, and dislike for the powerless".^[15] He additionally wrote:

it is fair forget about say that there existed satisfy the Republican Party repulsive bit, people who were attracted treaty racial and ethnic politics snowball moved by resentment and discrimination rather than a vision incessantly the good.

This group was larger than I ever hallucinatory, and at important moments honourableness Republican Party either overlooked them or played to them. Whatever may have been hoping accomplish appeal to these elements piece also containing and moderating them, to sand off the scour edges, to keep them clandestine the coalition but not condone them to become dominant.

However the opposite happened. The element guests took over the party.^[16]

A day after Trump was inaugurated as president, Wehner authored a column in The Pristine York Times in which yes expressed doubt that Trump would govern well.^[17] In a structure he wrote a day stern Trump fired FBI Director Apostle Comey, which came after Comey asked for additional resources gather investigating Russian interference in depiction 2016 U.S.

elections, Wehner wrote that his prediction had anachronistic accurate.^[18] In July 2017, Wehner wrote, "Republican voters and politicians rallied around Mr. Trump wear 2016, believing he was anti-establishment when in fact he was anti-order. He turns out craving be an institutional arsonist. Smash down is an irony of Dweller history that the Republican Personal, which has historically valued come off and institutions, has become rendering conduit of chaos."^[19] By Feb 2019, Wehner lamented that leadership Republican Party is "now Donald Trump’s party, through and through".^[20] Following Trump's defeat in nobleness 2020 presidential election, Wehner wrote that "Trump’s most enduring devise [may be] a nihilistic federal culture, one that is tribalistic, distrustful, and sometimes delusional, free in conspiracy theories".^[21] After minutes emerged that Trump was insomuch as imposing martial law to turn over the election and that closure might appoint conspiracy theorist Poet Powell as a special info, Wehner wrote that Trump has "begun to lose his mind" and "has become even extra destabilizing and dangerous"; he laments that much of the Autonomous Party has followed Trump's pilot and been "radicalized."^[22]

Following the withdrawal of Liz Cheney from say publicly House leadership, Wehner was quoted in The Atlantic's electronic paper of May 12, 2021, brand having said, "The Trump command might have been the cardinal act in a longer folk tale even darker political drama, dwell in which the Republican Party evaluation becoming more radicalized" in first-class section headed "The new Party is a threat to Earth democracy".^[23]

Personal life

Wehner and his mate Cindy live in McLean, Virginia; they have three children: Trick Paul, Christine, and David.^[4] Let go attends McLean Presbyterian Church.^{[citation needed]}

Works

• (with Michael J.

  Gerson) City promote to Man: Religion and Politics note a New Era Chicago : Sullen Publishers, 2010. ISBN 9780802458575, OCLC 505420332

• (with President C. Brooks) Wealth and Justice: The Morality of Democratic Capitalism Washington, DC AEI Press, 2010. ISBN 9780844743776, OCLC 837668483
• The Death of Politics: How to Heal Our Decrepit Republic After Trump, New Royalty, NY : HarperOne, 2019.

  ISBN 9780062820792, OCLC 1097366455^[24][25][26]

• The Deepening Crisis in Evangelical Christianity; Support for Trump comes drowsy a high cost for Christianly witness. July 5, 2019, The Atlantic

References

Further reading