Right Web

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Mark Gerson, author of the 1996 book The Neoconservative Vision, an oft-cited sycophantic book about the roots and trajectory of the political faction, is CEO of Gerson Lehrman Group, a consulting firm that provides firms with "access to the world's leading experts," including "physicians, scientists, engineers, attorneys, market researchers, and other professionals from around the world" (see "About Gerson Lehrman Group"). A prominent rightist networker, Gerson has served as a director of the influential but now defunct neoconservative advocacy outfit Project for the New American Century, serves on the board of trustees of the Manhattan Institute, and has written for several important neoconservative outlets, including Commentary magazine and the Wall Street Journal.

A familiar theme in Gerson's work is the alleged transformation of American conservatism due to the influence of early neoconservative thinkers like Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz. In The Neoconservative Vision, Gerson argues (erroneously, it turns out): "Neoconservatism is now coming to an end, as it becomes clear that only one generation of thinkers identifies itself as such. This is perhaps the truest testament to the success of neoconservatism in the following sense: what was once considered exclusively neoconservatism is now conservatism" (pp. 26-28).

Similarly, in a review of another Gerson book, John McManus, writing in the so-called paleocon magazine New American, argued: "Neoconservatives even proudly admit their takeover of the word 'conservative.' In his 1996 book entitled The Essential Neoconservative Reader, editor Mark Gerson jubilantly observed: 'The neoconservatives have so changed conservatism that what we now identify as conservatism is largely what was once neoconservatism. And in so doing, they have defined the way that vast numbers of Americans view their economy, their polity, and their society.' Give neocon Gerson credit for saying very forthrightly what indeed has happened. By designating themselves 'conservative,' the neocons have led many otherwise conservative Americans to accept what had always been unacceptable. What was once called neoconservatism and viewed suspiciously is now labeled conservatism and is no longer rejected" (New American, August 13, 2001).

Gerson is well-connected in elite neoconservative and business circles. According to the New York Observer, "It's Mr. Gerson's place in Manhattan's burgeoning neoconservative social, political, and intellectual scene that has gotten him where he is today. He is the Friendster of the neoconservative establishment. ... His congenial brilliance, amiable nature, and unsolicited offers of help to others have placed him at the center of the intellectual-political-financial complex that spans from Wall Street to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" (New York Observer, December 14, 2003). Although he is a player in conservative circles, Gerson's influence is not so narrow; he was a major fundraiser for Democrat Cory Booker's campaign for mayor of Newark. Booker is a cofounder of the Yale Chai Society, of which Gerson is a board member.

Gerson teamed up with Thomas Lehrman in 1998 to carry his talent for networking into the private sector, forming the Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG). The Observer quotes Gerson: "When we started the business, we made a rule to make a new friend every day. The more people we could meet, the more we would learn. It would help the business, and it would help us."

GLG soon developed into a massive network of experts available for the inquiries of investors. According to the New York Times, "Gerson is the industry leader in connecting investors with specialists in fields ranging from Turkish cement to underwire brassieres. Gerson's 150,000 specialists include 60,000 physicians." But Gerson's business of setting up physicians with investors has raised legal questions regarding insider trading: "The Securities and Exchange Commission has now begun looking at whether doctors, participating in clinical trials, are accepting money to talk to analysts and investors about the confidential results. Such a breach, under some circumstances, could be construed as a violation of insider trading law" (New York Times, August 16, 2005).

In addition, GLG is one of several plaintiffs in the case of the Canadian pharmaceutical company Biovail against the hedge fund SAC Capital Investors. According to the Financial Times, "The suit ... alleges that Gerson Lehrman, a research firm that matches hedge funds with officials with expertise in particular industries, paid doctors to provide quotes to the financial press, including some false statements, that were damaging to Biovail. Gerson Lehrman facilitated 'the dissemination of false and misleading information for illegal market manipulation purposes,' the suit alleges" (Financial Times, February 23, 2006).

Gerson often voices his political opinions in a variety of conservative media, including the Wall Street Journal, New Republic, and USA Today. In a 2007 piece for the Wall Street Journal, Gerson and Michael Oren compared President George W. Bush favorably with the prophet Jonah. According to Gerson and Oren, Jonah's "paradox of prophecy," can be described thusly: "They [prophets and political leaders] will be reproved for the actions they take to forestall catastrophe, but may receive no credit for averting cataclysms that never occur." Similarly, Oren and Gerson suspect that Bush's foresight has been his curse: "After 9/11, [Bush] cautioned that the United States would again be attacked unless it acted pre-emptively in Iraq. But while there is no way of knowing whether terrorists would have struck America if President Bush had refrained from invading Iraq, many Americans now denounce the president for initiating an avoidable, unwinnable war. This is the tragedy of leadership. Policy makers must decide between costly actions and inaction, the price of which, though potentially higher, will ultimately remain unknown—a truly Jonah-like dilemma." The authors conclude noting that Bush must face this same dilemma with regard to Iran's nuclear program (Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2007).
 

Please note: IPS Right Web neither represents nor endorses any of the individuals or groups profiled on this site.