In pursuit of our mission—to promote civility and solutions—the Hatch Center seeks to elevate the most innovative policy ideas in the public discourse. To that end, we have focused our resources to dramatically expand our print and digital reach in 2022.
This year alone, we have:
- Reached an audience of millions through our opinion pieces, television programs, webinars, press statements, policy papers, and social media outreach.
- Published 12 op-eds in publications ranging from The Wall Street Journal and USA Today to The Hill and RealClearPolitics.
- Launched a nationally televised debate series known as The Senate Project, which aired on both Fox News and C-SPAN.
ICYMI, it’s not too late. Below are five media moments to catch up on in 2022.
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Orrin Hatch Played the Long Game of Politics
By Matt Sandgren, Hatch Foundation Executive Director
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In memoriam: April 2022 marked a solemn occasion with the passing of our namesake and chairman emeritus, Senator Orrin G. Hatch. Senator Hatch was a Titan of the Senate. When he retired, he had passed more bills into law than anyone alive at the time. He was a legislative powerhouse but also a principled dealmaker who had a penchant for reaching across the aisle.
In short, Hatch left behind a powerful legacy that lawmakers will look up to for years to come. To honor that legacy, Matt Sandgren—our executive director and Hatch’s final chief of staff—wrote a tribute to the Senator in The Wall Street Journal.
Key quote:
“My experiences with the man and the insights he shared during his final decades of public service allow me to say this: If every member of Congress had the wisdom, character, integrity and foresight of Orrin Hatch, our country would be stronger, more prosperous, and more united today. May our nation’s leaders honor his legacy by following his example.”
Dive deeper:
In the wake of his passing, tributes to Senator Hatch took over the internet—from Republicans and Democrats alike:
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Senators Graham and Sanders Face Off in First Senate Project Debate
A Closer Look at a New Way of Doing Politics
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Fill me in: After Senator Hatch’s passing, we wasted no time in rolling out The Senate Project. The Senate Project, which we created in partnership with the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and the Bipartisan Policy Center, is a nationally televised debate series between leading Republican and Democratic Senators.
The goal of The Senate Project is to reintroduce the culture of compromise that has been the essence of the Senate since it was conceived in 1789 and to inspire policymakers to work towards the example set by Senators Orrin Hatch and Ted Kennedy for bipartisan bridge-building.
- The first debate between Senators Lindsey Graham and Bernie Sanders premiered on Fox Nation in June. To watch the full debate, click here.
- The second debate between Senators Rob Portman and Chris Murphy aired on C-SPAN in August. To watch the full debate, click here.
ICYMI: Even the ladies of The View couldn’t help but weigh in on our new debate series. See what they had to say about The Senate Project by clicking the image below.
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We Asked Bernie Sanders to Debate Lindsey Graham. Who Will Win? America.
By Matt Sandgren, Bruce A. Percelay, and Jason Grumet
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Fill me in: As part of The Senate Project launch, we took to the pages of the most widely-read paper in America to make the case for a new model of politics—one based not on tearing down the other side but on finding common ground.
ICYMI: In this USA Today op-ed, the Hatch Foundation joined its partners at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute and the Bipartisan Policy Center to explain how The Senate Project debate series came to be and how the “Hatch-Kennedy model of politics” can break the gridlock in Washington.
Key quote:
“In contrast to the quadrennial presidential debates, the driving purpose of The Senate Project is to encourage dialogue and explore areas of common ground between the two parties. That’s why each debate will begin with senators defending their positions on a specific policy issue. But each debate will end with questions designed to help senators explore areas of potential bipartisan agreement.”
Dive deeper:
- Hatch Foundation Executive Director Matt Sandgren sat down with Boyd Matheson of KSL’s Inside Sources to unpack the philosophy behind The Senate Project and our mission to restore the culture of comity and compromise in the Senate. To listen to the full interview, click here.
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Bridging the Partisan Divide on Criminal Justice Reform by Focusing on Families
By Chris Bates, Hatch Foundation Legal Fellow
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Fill me in: Conversations about criminal justice typically center around two groups of individuals—those who are convicted of crimes, and those who are victims of crime. There is another group, however, that can and must be part of the conversation: the family members of convicted individuals.
ICYMI: Keeping families united and strong is of primary concern for all Americans—conservatives, liberals, and moderates alike. That’s why our 2021 Hatch Center Policy Review outlined solutions that can bring together Americans of all political stripes by looking at criminal justice reform through the lens of family impacts. Our legal fellow, Chris Bates, previewed his findings on family-centered approaches to criminal justice reform in a January op-ed for RealClearPolicy.
Key quote:
“For many, family is our greatest source of strength and the first place we turn when we need help. At the same time, nearly all of us have experienced the heartache of seeing a family member make a serious mistake, as well as the joy of seeing that family member learn and grow from the mistake. Evaluating criminal justice policy through the lens of family impacts provides a framework that each of us can relate to and that can help bridge the divide that too often exists on this important issue.”
Dive deeper:
- Criminal justice reform advocate Alice Marie Johnson also joined the Hatch Foundation in highlighting the benefits of a family-centered approach. In an op-ed for Washington Examiner, she outlined steps lawmakers can take to ease the burden of incarceration on family members. To read the full article, click here.
- Click here to read our full report on criminal justice reform.
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Abolishing the Filibuster Would Permanently Reshape American Democracy
By Matt Sandgren, Hatch Foundation Executive Director
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Fill me in: The drumbeat to abolish the Senate filibuster is growing louder by the day. But advocates of so-called “filibuster reform” have barely considered the consequences. Eliminating the legislative filibuster would fundamentally reshape the Senate as an institution, transforming it from a super-majoritarian body that tempers political impulses to a rubber stamp for the House of Representatives.
ICYMI: In June, the Hatch Foundation made its first foray into the debate over the filibuster when we brought on renowned Senate scholar Marty Gold as our 2022 Visiting Scholar. Marty has taken the pen on this year’s Hatch Center Policy Review, which will make the definitive case for preserving the legislative filibuster. Matt Sandgren wrote an op-ed in Washington Examiner to preview the findings from this year’s report.
Key quote:
“Our nation faces a perilous moment, with levels of division higher today than at any period since the Civil War. Abolishing the filibuster would only harden that division. A future without a filibuster is a future without bipartisanship, compromise, and meaningful deliberation — in other words, the very things that make the Senate the Senate. That’s why, for the long-term health of our democracy, we must preserve the legislative filibuster.”
Dive deeper:
- Gold and Sandgren joined Boyd Matheson of KSL’s Inside Sources to discuss the history and future of the legislative filibuster. To listen to the full interview, click here.
- To learn more about Gold’s background and the details of our forthcoming Hatch Center Policy Review, click here.
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This was only a small sample of our work in the national policy arena over the last year—and only a small taste of what’s to come.
To see more media moments from 2022, we encourage you to visit our op-ed archive, which includes:
- A Deseret News op-ed on the Orrin G. Hatch papers—one of the largest collections of congressional history ever compiled.
- A RealClearPolitics op-ed on the challenge of fatherlessness and the outsize impact it has on a wide range of social issues.
- A Washington Times op-ed on the contributions conservatives can bring to a bipartisan discussion on criminal justice reform.
- And an op-ed in The Hill on the economic, health, and social benefits of making Daylight Saving Time permanent.
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Thanks for reading our 2022 media roundup. Be sure to keep up to date with the Hatch Foundation’s publications and programming by visiting our website. And be sure to share your feedback by emailing us at info@orrinhatchfoundation.org.
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