her husband, ramesh ponnuru is a senior editor and columnist and visiting fellow. he is one of the most prolific commentators and his work can be found in the new york times and many other places in he served as a fellow 2013. last but not least our moderator will be megan mcardle, she wrestled economics if this is a public policy. is behind the popular blog. she is currently completing her term asan ip felt -- as an ipo fellow. [applause] quick i'm going to start off by asking you a question, ramesh. 2014 is a great year for republicans. a decent, sizable wave. why do conservatism needs to be performed? >> first, it is ok to [indiscernible] i think that one thing that republicans should have learned in recent years which is very different from the presidential electorate. you can be very good [indiscernible] that's for a couple of reason. it is easier to get people to let you apply the brake paddle fan to get control over the steering will. presidential elections the people think of steering wheel elections if they need to know the republicans take them somewhere

her husband, ramesh ponnuru, is a senior editor at the national review volume umist for bloomberg viewand visiting fellow at the institute. ramesh is one of the most respected commentators in washington and his work can be found in the "new york times," "wall street journal," and many other places. ramesh is a fellow from 2013 and we are thrilled to have him back. last but certainly not least our moderator this evening is megan mcardle, a bloomberg view columnist who writes on economic, business and public policy and is behind the popular blog asymetric information. she is currently completing her term as an i.o.p. fellow. we have a ton of talent here today. please welcome me in welcoming the participants. [ applause] >> so i'm going to start off by asking you a question, ramesh. 2014 was a great year for republicans. right? we had maybe not a tsunami but certainly like a decent, sizable wave. i say we as a nation not personally as a republican. why does conservativism need to be reformed? >> first of all, it's okay to say you're republican if you are. well, you know, i think that one