Speakers
The New York Young Republican Club Speaker Program
The New York Young Republican Club hosts some of the most dynamic speakers from politics, business, and media. Below is a list of some of the individuals who have enlightened the Club with their thoughts and ideas.
For information on booking a speaker or to find out more about the speakers program, please contact Speakers Committee Chairman Michael Salomon at
speakers@nyyrc.com.
The 2009 Series
Steve Forbes, publisher, author and 1996 and 2000 Presidential candidate
Rick Lazio, former Long Island member of the House of Representatives and current candidate for New York Governor
Harry Stein, author of “I Can’t Believe I’m Sitting Next to a Republican” and other works
Randy DeSoto, author of “We Hold These Truths”
James R. Copland, Director of the Center for Legal Policy at the Manhattan Institute
Dr. Andrew Gelman, co- author of “Red State, Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do”, and Professor, Department of Political Science and Director, Applied Statistics Center at Columbia University
Bob Bowdon, a long-time television host, journalist whose credits include six years as an anchor/reporter with Bloomberg Television covering business news and financial markets. He currently appears regularly in satirical videos for Onion.com, under the pseudonym Brian Scott.
Kimberly Kagan, an affiliate of Harvard’s John M. Olin Institute of Strategic Studies, and executive director of the Institute for the Study of War in Washington
Gary Berntsen, former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) career officer
Andrew Gelman, professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University, author
Ross Douthat and Reihan Salam, authors of Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream
Douglas J. Feith, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute
DeEtte Chatterton, The Heritage Foundation
Fran Townsend, former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
Bill Kristol, of the Weekly Standard and Fox News
David Frum, former speechwriter to President Bush, also a National Review contributor, and author.
The 2008 Series
Brett Josphe & S.E. Cupp, Author of Why You’re Wrong About the Right: Behind the Myths: The Surprising Truth About Conservatives
Alfred Regnery, Publisher and Author of Regnery Publishing
Mark W. Smith, attorney and conservative commentator, addressed the NYYRC about his book The Official Handbook of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy 2008: The Arguments You Need to Defeat the Loony Left This Election Year. Mr. Smith deconstructs liberal myths while providing facts and proof to expose liberal lies and hypocrisy.
Senator Marty Golden, New York State Senator from Brooklyn
Jonah Goldberg, Editor at Large for Naional Review, Author
The 2007 Series
Monica Crowley, Radio Personality and conservative TV Commentator
Mark Krikorian, Author and Executive Director of the Center for Immigration Studies
John Lott, Author and Pundit, known well for his book focused on Gun Rights and Economics.
Phil Kent, Author, Former President of the Southeastern Legal Foundation
Karna Small Bodman, Author, Former Reporter and Deputy Press Secretary to Ronald Reagan
Ed Cox, Former Senatorial Candidate and son in law of Richard Nixon
John Stossel, ABC News Comentator and Special Segment Reporter
Matt Mahoney, representing the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign
Grover Norquist, President, Americans for Tax Reform
Reprentative Virginia Foxx (NC-5)
Thor Halvorssen, President and CEO, The Human Rights Foundation
Daniel Donovan, Richmond County, New York, District Attorney
The 2006 Series
Ryan Sager, columnist and author, The Elephant in the Room
James Copland, Director of the Center for Legal Policy, Manhattan Institute
Panel on Emergency Preparedness Five Years After 9/11: Frank J. Tabert, Asst. Dir., NYS Department of Homeland Security; Avi Bell, Professor of Law; Philip Caracci, September 11th Survivor
Ken Mehlman, Chairman, Republican National Committee
The 94th Annual Dinner
Curtis Sliwa, Co-host, WABC’s Curtis & Kuby in the Morning, served as Master of Ceremonies
Ed Cox, attorney, NYYRC supporter, gave the keynote address
Sen. Roy M. Goodman, recipient of Herbert Brownell Lifetime Achievement Award
Maj. William Colon, U.S. Army, recipient of Sharon Thompson Memorial Award
Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor, National Review
Maj. William Colon, U.S. Army, Iraq War veteran
R. P. Eddy, Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism, Manhattan Institute
KT McFarland, Candidate for United States Senate
John Faso, Candidate for New York State Governor
Fred Barnes, Executive Editor of the Weekly Standard, author, and Fox News Channel Commentator
Claudia Rosett, Journalist-in-Residence at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies
Ed Cox, former U.S. Senate candidate
The 2005 Series
Bill Weld, candidate for Governor of New York, 2006
Eric Pfeiffer, reporter, National Review’s NRO Buzz
Jeanine Pirro, Westchester County, New York, District Attorney; U.S. Senate candidate
Andrew C. McCarthy, contributor, National Review; Fellow, Foundation for the Defense of Democracy
Lawrence Kudlow, CEO, Kudlow & Company; CNBC commentator
Ari Fleischer, former White House Press Secretary; author, Taking Heat: The President, The Press, and My Years in the White House
The 93rd Annual Dinner
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave the keynote address for the third time in four years
Rich Lowry , editor of the National Review; served as Master of Ceremonies
Alfonse M. D’Amato, former United States Senator; partner, Park Strategies, LLC. Recipient of the New York Young Republican Club Award
Mallory Factor, Chairman & President, Free Enterprise Fund. Recipient of the Nelson Rockefeller Award
Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff, Lacher & Lovell-Taylor, P.C.. Recipient of the Herbert Brownell Lifetime Achievement Award
Joseph R. Wright, President and CEO, PanAmSat, Corp.; former director, Office of Management and Budget
Brian C. Anderson, Senior Editor, City Journal; author, South Park Conservatives
Mona Charen, columnist, author, Do-Gooders: How Liberals Hurt Those They Claim to Help (and the Rest of Us)
Stephanie Stokes Oliver, author, Song for My Father
Mark Krikorian, Director, Center for Immigration Studies
The 2004 Series
John Tierney, Senator for New South Wales, Australia
Thomas H. Lipscomb, Columnist, Chicago Sun Times; Senior Fellow, Center for the Digital Future
Michale Graves, musician and co-founder, ConservativePunk.com
Frank J. Petrilli, CEO of TD Waterhouse; Founder, Frank J. Petrilli Center for Research in International Finance, Fordham University
Steven Milloy of JunkScience.com, spoke about how politicians use science for their own partisan purposes
Richard Poe,
Front Page Magazine and Newsmax columnist, spoke about
his book Hillary’s Secret War
The 92nd Annual Dinner
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke to the New York Young Republican Club at our Annual Dinner this year
Kellyanne Conway, CEO of the Polling Company and commentator, also spoke to our membership
Bernard Kerik, former New York Police Commissioner, spoke at our Annual Dinner about his experience in rebuilding the Iraqi Police Force
New York Republican County Committee Chairman James Ortenzio addressed our Club at our Annual Dinner this year
Linda Chavez spoke to the Club about her new book, Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics
Myrna Blyth, former editor of Ladies Home Journal and More magazine, spoke to the Club about her new book Spin Sisters:How the Womenof the Media Sell Unhappiness — and Liberalism — to the Women of America
Mark W. Smith, attorney and conservative commentator, addressed the NYYRC about his book The Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy. Mr. Smith deconstructs liberal myths while providing facts and proof to expose liberal lies and hypocrisy.
John Podhoretz, former Reagan speech writer, co-founder of The Weekly Standard and contributor to The New York Post, The National Review, and Fox News spoke to our Club about his book Bush Country.
John Fund of the Wall Street Journal gave us his insight on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s rise to the Governorship in California.
Other Speakers
Dr. Rachel Bronson of the Council on Foreign Relations spoke to the NYYRC about post-war issues in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Phil Kent is the former president of the Southeastern Legal Foundation, an organization that was key in the disbarrment of President Bill Clinton. Now a private consultant and NYYRC Advisory Board Member, Mr. Kent spoke to us about his book, The Dark Side of Liberalism.
John Lott, a Second Amendment scholar from the American Enterprise Institute, spoke to our membership about his book The Bias Against Guns.
Steven Malanga is a contributing editor of City Journal and a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He spoke to our Club about urban economies, business communities, and public policy.
EJ McMahon is a senior fellow for Tax and Budgetary Studies, at the Center for Civic Innovation at the Manhattan Institute. Mr. McMahon spoke to the NYYRC about various economic issues in and about New York City and New York State.
Walter Russell Mead is a Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. He spoke to our Club about U.S. foreign policy, religion, and domestic politics.
