Conservative graduation speakers still give better advice than speakers on the left.
In 2015, after reviewing two commencement-speech anthologies featuring 18 liberal speeches and 30 conservative speeches, New York Times columnist Carlos Lozada — then a Washington Post blogger — gave five reasons why conservatives do a better job.
First, he wrote, conservatives are more likely to speak to graduates as individuals rather than as members of a movement or generation.
Whereas liberal speakers say things such as, “You are the first generation that …” conservative speakers are more likely to say things such as, “You’ll rise or fall on your own” or “take opportunities as they present themselves and work hard.”
Second, Lozada wrote, conservative speeches, on average, are shorter. Whereas conservatives tend to give speeches that push tangible, measurable performance improvements, liberals are great at generalities that are short on specifics.
This trend has grown more pronounced.
In May, Nancy Pelosi spoke at Notre Dame de Namur University urging graduates to become “patriots of our time” and defend democracy from threats to elections, truth and the rule of law — which, of course, was a veiled partisan attack on Donald Trump.
Can’t the argument be made that everything she said Trump is doing is what she and her party did: efforts to remove Trump from ballots through legal challenges, weaponizing justice departments to attack political opponents during an election cycle and pressuring social media companies to restrict the viewpoints of political opponents?
Hey, Nancy, if you want to give an honest speech, why not explain how you used your position to provide insider information to your stock-trading husband.
Left-leaning politicians, such as Rep. Jamie Raskin, declared that democracy is under attack — which is partisan code for “meany Republicans are doing things we don’t like” and “Democrats need to regain power to stop them.”
Left-leaning celebrities including Jane Fonda, Sarah Jessica Parker and others preached their go-to “believe in yourself” mantra.
Conservative speakers, however, aware that Zoomers have been taught to prioritize self-esteem over real results, emphasize personal responsibility and character.
Victor Davis Hanson, speaking at Hillsdale College in 2025, focused on American virtues, honor, resilience, Western civilization and restoring decency.
Arthur Brooks, in recent addresses, emphasized earned success, faith, family, community, practical habits for happiness and rejecting contempt.
Liberal speeches flatter with empty praise, whereas conservatives tell graduates the world doesn’t revolve around them.
Conservatives give advice about work, responsibility, character, faith and building a meaningful life by saying things, such as: You are not enough on your own. Self-control is more important than self-esteem. And think of yourself less, not more.
Despite Lozada’s conclusion, liberal speakers continue to vastly outnumber them at America’s top universities. According to a 2026 analysis by “The College Fix,” Democrats or Democrat-leaning speakers made up 86 percent of partisan commencement addresses at the U.S. News &World Report’s Top 100 universities.
If you have plans to sit through a college commencement speech, prepare for sweeping generalities that are long on bluster and short on useful advice.
Tom Purcell writes a column for Cagle Cartoons Newspaper Syndicate. Contact at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
