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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240508T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240508T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240311T161225Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240509T035611Z
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SUMMARY:Judy Woodruff & Sarah Longwell: Voices of America\, Navigating the Political Divide
DESCRIPTION:PBS senior correspondent\, Judy Woodruff\, and The Bulwark Founder\, Sarah Longwell\, joined us to discuss what’s driving American polarization. Judy highlighted her findings from her PBS show\, America at a Crossroads\, while Sarah shared insights from her unique focus groups\, shedding light on public opinion and what issues are  shaping political dialogue. \nABOUT THE SPEAKERS \nJudy Woodruff  is the Senior Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour after serving for 11 years as its Anchor and Managing Editor. She has covered politics and other news for over four decades at CNN\, NBC\, and PBS. In 2023 and 2024\, she is undertaking a reporting project\, “America at a Crossroads\,” to better understand the country’s political divide. \nSarah Longwell is a Republican political strategist and publisher of The Bulwark. She is also host of the Bulwark podcast The Focus Group\, which presents the broad takeaways from hundreds of hours of voter opinion focus groups across both the country and the political spectrum.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/woodruff-longwell/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240501T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240418T002327Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240502T040718Z
UID:48357-1714590000-1714593600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Liz Cheney In Conversation with Charlie Sykes – Oath and Honor
DESCRIPTION:BigTent is pleased to host a conversation featuring Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-WY) and MSNBC contributor Charlie Sykes. This conversation will explore a range of topics including the future of democracy\, insights from Cheney’s book ‘Oath and Honor’\, the dynamics within the Republican Party\, perspectives on Trump and the Capitol assault\, and previously undisclosed stories from Congress. Additionally\, they will delve into ways we can safeguard American democracy. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS \nLiz Cheney is an American attorney and politician. She represented Wyoming’s at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017 to 2023\, and served as chair of the House Republican Conference the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership from 2019 to 2021. In 2022\, Cheney\, along with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky\, received the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library’s prestigious Profile in Courage Award\, with a commendation for her consistent and courageous voice in defense of democracy. In 2023\, Liz Cheney joined the UVA faculty as the first Professor of Practice with the UVA Center for Politics. \nCharlie Sykes was until recently\, a founder and editor-at-large of The Bulwark\, host of The Bulwark Podcast. Currently he is an NBC/MSNBC contributor and columnist. He is author of nine books\, his most recent book is How the Right Lost Its Mind. \nSykes has written for numerous publications including The New York Times\, The Atlantic\, The Weekly Standard\, The Washington Post\, Commentary\, The Wall Street Journal\, Politico\, The Los Angeles Times\, Newsweek\, Time.com\, USA Today\, National Review\, The New York Review of Books\, the New York Daily News\, and other national publications. \nHe is enjoying getting off the “hamster wheel” and spending time with his dogs and grandchildren.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/oath-and-honor/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Protecting our Children,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Sykes-and-Cheney-169-1.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240425T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240425T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240227T142513Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240501T220618Z
UID:45344-1714046400-1714050000@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:A Conversation with Anne Applebaum and Katie Couric: The State of American Democracy
DESCRIPTION:BigTentUSA  is thrilled to have back Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed historian Anne Applebaum under the tent in conversation with award winning journalist Katie Couric.  They will dive into the critical issues of our era: the global rise of authoritarianism and the evolving landscape of American democracy. \nAbout the Speakers: \nAnne Applebaum is staff writer for The Atlantic and author of the best-selling 2020 book Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism. Applebaum is also a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the SNF Agora Institute\, where she co-directs Arena\, a program on disinformation and 21st-century propaganda. \nKatie Couric is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author. Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast\, serving as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 following 15 years as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. In 2017\, she founded Katie Couric Media (KCM)\, which has developed a number of media projects\, including a daily newsletter\, “Wake-Up Call”\, a podcast\, “Next Question”\, digital video series and several documentaries. You can find it all at katiecouric.com.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/applebaum/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240403T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240403T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240323T012344Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240405T121154Z
UID:47145-1712170800-1712174400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Immigration Reform and Next Steps with Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Political Strategist Lis Smith
DESCRIPTION:BigTent was thrilled to host Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) in conversation with political strategist Lis Smith. Senator Murphy was the lead Democratic negotiator of the breakthrough bipartisan border reform agreement.  He had a firsthand view of both Republicans coming together for immigration reform and then Republicans’ stunning about-face on border security. The bill was filled with tough\, conservative policy\, including an ability for the President to shut down parts of the border to asylum claims when the system is overwhelmed. It was endorsed by the Border Patrol Union\, Wall Street Journal Editorial Board and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. \nHeading into the final seven months of the 2024 election\, there is no issue with greater importance  than border security.The Harvard CAPS-Harris poll showed that immigration had overtaken inflation as the top issue for 2024 voters. Polling in swing states in a recent Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll showed that in states that will decide the Electoral College\, immigration and the economy are the two top issues for voters\, and for key independent voters. \nWhat both sides agree on is that any immigration reform bill must prioritize strong and fair border policies\, and one that supports legal immigration and a pathway to citizenship. Senator Murphy and Lis Smith discussed immigration reform\, what went wrong and where do we go from here? \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS \nSenator Chris Murphy (D-CT)\, the junior United States Senator from Connecticut\, has dedicated his career to public service as an advocate for Connecticut families. Senator Murphy has been a strong voice in the Senate fighting for job creation\, affordable health care\, education\, sensible gun laws\, and a forward-looking foreign policy. \nSenator Murphy is a consensus builder and many times throughout his political career has worked to bridge the political divide. He led a bipartisan effort to reform the mental health system\, working across the aisle to craft the first comprehensive mental health bill in the Senate in decades. Following the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school in 2012\, Senator Murphy became one of the leading proponents of commonsense reforms to reduce gun violence. He has championed a number of bipartisan bills aimed at expanding background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. And most recently\, he was the lead Democratic negotiator of the breakthrough bipartisan border reform agreement. \nLis Smith has been hailed as a “next-gen gunslinger\,” “not your grandfather’s political consultant\,” and “the hard-charging New York operative [who] helped turn an obscure Indiana mayor into a national name.” She is one of the most in-demand strategists in today’s political environment. Named to Fortune’s “40 under 40 in Government” and Crain’s “50 Most Powerful Women in New York\,” Smith continues to work as a strategist and regularly contributes opinion pieces to publications like the New York Times\, Washington Post\, and Vanity Fair\, in addition to appearing as a frequent guest on MSNBC\, CNN\, Fox News\, and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/immigration-chris-murphyt/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240402T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240228T222238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240405T122224Z
UID:45349-1712059200-1712062800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:A Conversation with GALVANIZE Executive Director Jackie Payne and Journalist Bonnie Fuller
DESCRIPTION:BigTent was thrilled to host a conversation with Galvanize Founder and Executive Director Jackie Payne and renowned journalist Bonnie Fuller. They dove  into what is happening with the moderate white woman voter and what role could they play in the 2024 election. \nGalvanize Action connects with moderate women to build a broader base for progress and an America that works for everyone. There are millions of women—most living in rural\, small town\, and suburban communities—who want progress on things like access to healthcare and climate\, but whose civic impact does not always reflect those goals. Galvanize uses research-backed approaches to support this group of women to vote in line with their values and play an active role in promoting social welfare in their communities. \nAbout our Speakers \nJackie Payne has over two decades of experience leading organizations and working to advance gender\, racial\, and economic justice. As the Founder and Executive Director of Galvanize USA and Galvanize Action\, Jackie is working at the intersection of data science\, behavioral psychology\, and neuroscience to connect with moderate women\, grow their support on key issues\, and increase pro-democracy behavior. She has developed specific expertise with women in rural\, small town\, and suburban communities\, and with white women—the single largest voting bloc in this country. Her efforts are effectively moving this audience to support progress—providing a necessary complement to the work being done by and for communities of color—to build a thriving\, multiracial democracy. \nBonnie Fuller is the former CEO and editor-in-chief of HollywoodLife.com\, and former editor-in-chief of Glamour\, Cosmopolitan\, Marie Claire and USWeekly. She is now writing about reproductive freedom and politics.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/galvanize/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_5312.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240327T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240327T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240106T024615Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240405T121710Z
UID:42513-1711566000-1711569600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Unmasking the Christian Right: Kathryn Joyce and Jeff Sharlet
DESCRIPTION:BigTent was pleased to host investigative journalist Kathryn Joyce and author Jeff Sharlet. Both are long-time observers and experts on the American right-wing and conservative movement. They write on the central role of the Christian right in the rise of Trumpism and neofascism\, and the types of institutions that the right-wing has built to create and sustain their movement to end democracy. \nCurrently the christian movement is explicitly arguing that there is one acceptable culture in the United States—a Christian\, conservative culture—which should be supported by the law and assumed to be the norm across all areas of public life here. And with the Speaker of the House\, a self-defined Christian Nationalist\, unmasking christian nationalism will be key to preserving American democracy. \nKATHRYN JOYCE is investigative editor at In These Times and author\, most recently\, of The Child Catchers: Rescue\, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption. \nJEFF SHARLET’S most recent book is The Undertow: Scenes from a Slow Civil War. He is the Frederick Sessions Beebe ​’35 Professor in the Art of Writing at Dartmouth College. He also wrote The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power which became a 5-part Netflix documentary with the same name.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/joyce-sharlet/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Kathryn-and-Jeff-1.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240320T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240320T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240308T215042Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240323T013228Z
UID:45947-1710961200-1710964800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Marc Elias and Lauren Groh-Wargo: The Ongoing Fight Against Voter Suppression
DESCRIPTION:BigTent is honored to host Marc Elias\, the founder of Elias Law Group and Democracy Docket\, alongside Lauren Groh-Wargo\, the dynamic CEO of Fair Fight Action. Marc and Lauren are at the forefront of defending voting rights and combating voter suppression. Their unwavering commitment and groundbreaking work have had a significant impact on preserving the integrity of our democracy. \nThis event is an opportunity to engage in a discussion about how voter suppression has impacted elections to date and what are the next lines of attack in 2024.  \nAbout the Speakers: \nLauren Groh-Wargo is a top political\, democracy and civic engagement strategist\, executive\, and fighter for economic justice. In 2012\, Lauren began a partnership with Stacey Abrams to chart and then execute a ten-year plan to build power and policy wins for Georgia through supporting existing and building new civic engagement infrastructure. Spurred by wide scale voter suppression during the 2018 election\, Lauren founded and is the CEO of Fair Fight Action\, which focuses on fighting voter suppression and advancing voting rights. Fair Fight Action brings the full force of strategic campaign tactics and culturally relevant engagement and voter education to those most targeted by suppression and disinformation.  Fair Fight played a leading national and battleground state role in the 2020 election and in the 2021 Georgia runoff.  \nLauren started her career by organizing tenants to improve living conditions in Brooklyn\, New York. An organizer at heart\, Lauren has led or advised campaigns\, nonprofit organizations\, donors and leaders over the past 22 years in states in every region and at the national level. Raised near Cleveland\, Ohio\, she holds a degree in Economics from American University. Lauren resides in Atlanta\, Georgia with her partner and nine-year-old son. \nMarc Elias is the Firm Chair of Elias Law Group and is a nationally recognized authority and expert in campaign finance\, voting rights\, redistricting law\, and litigation.  As a litigator\, Marc has handled hundreds of cases involving politics\, voting rights\, and redistricting. He has successfully argued and won four cases in the U.S. Supreme Court\, as well as dozens of cases in state supreme courts and U.S. courts of appeal.   \nIn 2020\, Marc led the historic legal effort to protect voting rights\, winning over 60 lawsuits against MAGA’s efforts to suppress the vote. As aggressive challenges to voting continue\, Marc keeps fighting back in court. Marc is also the founder of Democracy Docket\, the leading platform for progressive advocacy and information about voting rights\, elections\, redistricting and democracy.  \nMarc is an alumnus of Hamilton College\, Duke Law School and Duke Graduate School. He is a proud owner of a Portuguese Water Dog named Bode. 
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/elias-groh-wargo/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240319T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240118T034201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240323T013353Z
UID:43075-1710849600-1710853200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Protecting the Right to Vote: One ID at a Time with Lauren Kunis\, CEO VoteRiders
DESCRIPTION:BigTent is thrilled to host a Tent Talk with VoteRiders’ CEO and Executive Director\, Lauren Kunis. \nWe will also be writing letters to North Carolina voters who have very strict voter ID laws and we need your help to ensure that every voter in North Carolina has the ID they need as they prepare for the upcoming election season. \nEach letter we send delivers essential information and assistance to the voters most likely to be disenfranchised by voter ID laws in North Carolina. \nVoteRiders is a non-partisan\, non-profit organization with a mission to ensure that all citizens are able to exercise their freedom to vote. VoteRiders informs and helps citizens to secure their voter ID as well as inspires and supports organizations\, local volunteers\, and communities to sustain voter ID education and assistance efforts. \nKathleen Unger founded VoteRiders in 2012 as a direct response to the increasing number of stringent voter ID laws across the country. \nToday\, their team works alongside thousands of partner organizations and an ever-growing community of 10\,000 volunteers across the country. \nAbout our Speaker: \nLauren Kunis has spent her career working to strengthen democracy at home and around the world\, designing and managing impactful voter education\, civic engagement\, and government accountability programs. Lauren most recently worked at Nonprofit VOTE\, where she was the National Voter Registration Day program director and led the holiday to a record-setting number of voter registrations in 2020. She previously worked at the nonpartisan National Democratic Institute and the World Bank on democracy and governance programs in over 15 countries in the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa. Domestically\, Lauren has worked on national political campaigns\, served on the Steering Committee for the DC Paid Family Leave campaign\, and worked as an NYC Urban Fellow in the Bloomberg administration. Lauren has a BA with honors in Government from Cornell University and an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management from New York University. She lives in Washington\, DC with her husband and their two young children.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/kunis/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/3FDE8BA6-2ECA-4679-8FCE-11E85B23D2F3.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240312T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240306T162211Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240314T230448Z
UID:45727-1710244800-1710248400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Vote Forward and BigTentUSA Letter-Writing to Voters!
DESCRIPTION:BigTent is thrilled to launch our letter writing partnership with Vote Forward! Mark your calendars for Tuesday\, March 12\, at 12pm ET\, as we launch our partnership! \nWe’re working together to increase civic participation by sending letters to voters. Writing letters to voters is one of the most effective ways to help increase election turnout. And you can do it right from home! Our plan is to send out over 100K letters by October 2024! \nDuring this event\, we are honored to welcome Catherine Vaughan\, Emily Wasserman\, and Nia Bentall from Vote Forward. They will dive into the impact of letter-writing and explore its effectiveness in creating positive change.  \nHere is link to what letter writing entails! ???? \nIf you can’t make event but just want to request letters use this link! \nAbout Vote Forward: \nVoteForward is dedicated to empowering grassroots volunteers to send handwritten letters encouraging fellow Americans to vote. Their flagship voter contact program trains and supports volunteers in writing personal\, heartfelt letters to potential voters with an easy-to-use online platform. The majority of Vote Forward letter writing campaigns are 501(c)(3) nonpartisan (“Social”) campaigns\, which focus on mobilizing potential voters in historically marginalized communities\, including people of color\, women\, and young voters\, to ensure that every voice is heard in the democratic process.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/launch-voteforward-bigtent/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Action Opportunities,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Image-3-8-24-at-4.59-PM.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240227T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240120T044305Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240308T174818Z
UID:43103-1709035200-1709038800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Empowering the Youth Vote in America with The Civics Center Founder Laura Brill & CNN Anchor Jake Tapper
DESCRIPTION: BigTent hosted a discussion featuring Laura W. Brill\, CEO and Founder of  The Civics Center  and Jake Tapper\, CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent. Their conversation dove into the current state of youth civic engagement and explored strategies for lowering the barriers to registration and voting. Laura and her team are on a mission to make voter registration part of every high school in America. \nAbout our speakers: \nLaura W. Brill is CEO and Founder of The Civics Center\, as well as an attorney\, former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg\, and a mother of two young adults. She launched The Civics Center in 2018 to stop youth voter suppression and tackle the decades-old problem of low youth turnout.  \nJake Tapper is a CNN anchor and chief Washington. He currently anchors a two-hour weekday program\, The Lead with Jake Tapper. He has hosted CNN’s Sunday morning show\, State of the Union\, since June 2015. In April 2021\, he became the lead anchor for CNN for Washington\, D.C. events.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/brill-tapper/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Protecting our Children,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_5265.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240213T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240120T215715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240228T033011Z
UID:43117-1707825600-1707829200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Jocelyn Benson\, Michigan Secretary of State: Election Security in 2024
DESCRIPTION:We were thrilled to host distinguished guest speaker\, Jocelyn Benson\, Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State and Wendy Weiser\,vice president\, Brennan Center for Justice. Secretary Benson is a celebrated figure in the realm of electoral integrity and accessibility\, and she has emerged as one of the nation’s foremost authorities in conducting secure and inclusive elections.  The conversation was moderated by Wendy Weiser who directs the Democracy Program at the Brennan Center. Her program focuses on voting rights and elections\, money in politics and ethics\, redistricting and representation\, government dysfunction\, rule of law\, and fair courts.  This event provided an unparalleled opportunity to hear directly from Secretary Benson about her groundbreaking work in overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections. These elections not only set records in voter turnout but also established new benchmarks in electoral security and transparency. \nListen to their insights into the challenges and triumphs of administering elections that have shaped the course of our democracy. \nAbout Our Speakers \nJocelyn Benson is Michigan’s 43rd Secretary of State. In this role\, she has become one of the nation’s most prominent leaders in ensuring elections are secure and accessible. Benson’s work overseeing Michigan’s 2020 and 2022 general elections\, both of which drew record-breaking turnout and were more secure than any prior election in state history\, earned her national recognition\, including the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award and the Presidential Citizens Medal. She also implemented new voting rights for all eligible Michiganders prior to the 2020 election\, including the right to vote absentee\, and oversaw more than 250 audits after the election\, all of which affirmed its integrity and accuracy. \nJocelyn has been recognized for her work. She is a recipient of the 2022 Profile in Courage award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation\, the Defenders of Democracy award from the Center for Election Innovation and Research and most recently\, was is serving in a leadership position with the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS)\, the nation’s oldest\, nonpartisan professional organization for public officials. \nWendy Weiser is vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center and founded and directed the program’s Voting Rights and Elections Project\, directing litigation\, research\, and advocacy efforts to enhance political participation and prevent voter disenfranchisement across the country. \nShe has authored a number of nationally recognized publications and articles on voting rights and election reform\, litigated groundbreaking lawsuits on democracy issues\, testified before both houses of Congress and in a variety of state legislatures\, and provided legislative and policy drafting assistance to federal and state legislators and administrators across the country. She is a frequent public speaker and media commentator on democracy issues. She has appeared on CBS News\, CNN\, Fox News\, MSNBC\, PBS\, ABC News\, and NPR\, among others; her commentary has been published in the New York Times\, the Washington Post\, USA Today\, and elsewhere. See link for more information here
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/jocelyn-benson-michigan-secretary-of-state-election-security-in-2024/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_5210.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240130T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240120T131921Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240131T141309Z
UID:43113-1706616000-1706619600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Michael Waldman and Judge J. Michael Luttig: Is the U.S. President Above the Law?
DESCRIPTION:BigTent was thrilled to host Michael Waldman\, President of the Brennan Center for Justice and retired Judge J. Michael Luttig. They joined us to discuss the 2024 election\, and whether Trump  is ineligible for the presidency in accordance with Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. This section bars anyone who has violated their oath to uphold the US Constitution by “engaging in insurrection”\, from holding public office. Judge Luttig has said that the  Supreme Court’s decision to take up the question of Trump’s eligibility will be “one of the most consequential Supreme Court decisions since the founding of the nation.” \nAbout our Speakers: \nMichael Waldman is president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law\, a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to revitalize the nation’s systems of democracy and justice. He was director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999 and is the author of The Second Amendment: A Biography and The Fight to Vote. Waldman was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. A graduate of Columbia College and NYU School of Law\, he comments widely in the media on law and policy. \nJ. Michael Luttig served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for 15 years\, from 1991 to 2006. He was appointed to the federal bench by President George H.W. Bush\, and served as assistant attorney general at the U.S. Department of Justice and counselor to the attorney general of the United States. He was assistant counsel to the president at the White House from 1981 to 1982 under President Ronald Reagan. From 1982 to 1983\, he was a law clerk to then-Judge Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. From 1983 to 1985\, he served as a law clerk and then special assistant to the chief justice of the United States.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/michael-waldman-and-judge-j-michael-luttig-is-the-u-s-president-above-the-law/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_5090.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20240124T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20240124T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20240105T234535Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240131T024626Z
UID:42505-1706122800-1706126400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:James Carville and Sarah Longwell in conversation with Katie Couric
DESCRIPTION:BigTentUSA was pleased to host legendary political consultant James Carville and focus group guru and publisher of The Bulwark\, Sarah Longwell\, in conversation with award-winning journalist Katie Couric. They dove into the mindset of voters as the 2024 Presidential election approaches\, exploring topics such as voter preferences for candidates and the underlying reasons for these choices. They also discussed the Democratic Party’s messaging problem\, Trump\, and the craziest members of Congress. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS \nJames Carville is a well-known American political consultant\, who has successfully managed many political campaigns\, most notably\, the first presidential campaign (1991–92) of Bill Clinton. He is also a speaker\, talk-show host\, actor\, and author with six New York Times bestsellers to his credit. He co-hosts a weekly podcast\, Politics War Room\, with journalist Al Hunt\, and has co-founded Democracy Corps\, an independent\, non-profit polling organization dedicated to making the government more responsive to the American people. \nSarah Longwell is a Republican political strategist and publisher of The Bulwark. She is also host of the Bulwark podcast The Focus Group\, which presents the broad takeaways from hundreds of hours of voter opinion focus groups across both the country and the political spectrum. \nKatie Couric is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author. Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast\, serving as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 following 15 years as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. \nIn 2017\, she founded Katie Couric Media (KCM)\, which has developed a number of media projects\, including a daily newsletter\, “Wake-Up Call”\, a podcast\, “Next Question”\, digital video series and several documentaries. You can find it all at katiecouric.com.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/carville-longwell-couric/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/IMG_5099.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231213T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231213T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20231023T022029Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231215T024807Z
UID:39711-1702494000-1702497600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tyranny of the Minority: Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt in Conversation with Ian Bassin
DESCRIPTION:We were honored to host a special conversation with Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt\, authors of the new book Tyranny of the Minority (the follow-up to the bestselling How Democracies Die) and Protect Democracy Executive Director\, Ian Bassin. \nLevitsky and Ziblatt put forth the argument that the American political system incorporates counter-majoritarian elements designed to prevent the unchecked dominance of the current majority and to provide mechanisms for safeguarding the interests and rights of political minorities. These mechanisms encompass the Electoral College in presidential elections\, the Senate’s uneven representation of smaller states\, its filibuster rule\, and the Supreme Court’s role in judicial review\, along with the lifetime appointments of its judges. However\, it is worth noting that the apprehension regarding the “tyranny of the majority” has been taken to an extreme\, as the tyranny of the minority has become a palpable reality. \nIn the discussion they explored the historical rationale behind the inclusion of counter-majoritarian features within U.S. institutions. Additionally\, the conversation dove into how this minority influence has grown so substantially and why it is essential to consider both short-term solutions and long-term reforms to mitigate this phenomenon and ensure a more balanced democratic system. \nSteven Levitsky is the David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies and Professor of Government\, Harvard University. \nDaniel Ziblatt is Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University and director of the Transformations of Democracy group at Berlin’s Social Science Center ( WZB Berlin Social Science Center ). \nIan Bassin is co-founder and Executive Director of Protect Democracy. He previously served as Associate White House Counsel. His responsibilities included ensuring that White House and executive branch officials complied with the laws\, rules and norms that protect the fundamentally democratic nature of our government. He is a recipient of a 2023 MacArthur Fellowship\, the Skoll Award for Social Innovation.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tyranny-of-the-minority/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_4561.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231101T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231101T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230919T154038Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231215T172504Z
UID:38400-1698865200-1698868800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker Series: Neal Katyal
DESCRIPTION:BigTent was thrilled to host Neal Katyal\, the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States\, under the Tent. He has argued more than 50 cases before the Supreme Court. Katyal previewed the cases before the Court this term\, and discussed the hottest legal issues in Trump’s cases. \nAbout Neal Katyal \nNeal Katyal\, the former Acting Solicitor General of the United States\, focuses on appellate and complex litigation. At the age of 53\, he has already argued more Supreme Court cases in U.S. history than has any minority attorney\, recently breaking the record held by Thurgood Marshall. Neal has extensive experience in matters of constitutional\, technology\, corporate\, patent\, securities\, criminal\, employment\, and tribal law. In the most recent 2022-23 Term\, he argued five separate cases (nearly 10% of the docket)\, including winning the landmark voting case Moore v. Harper\, which Judge Michael Luttig described as “the most important case for American democracy in the almost two and a half centuries since America’s founding.” \n\nNeal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States\, where he argued several major Supreme Court cases involving a variety of issues\, such as his successful defense of the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965\, his victorious defense of former Attorney General John Ashcroft for alleged abuses in the war on terror. \nIn 2021\, Neal was named a Trustee of Dartmouth College. In 2022\, he was named a Trustee of the Whitney Museum in New York City. In 2023\, he was named Vice President and Trustee of the Supreme Court Historical Society.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-series-neal-katyal/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG_4742.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231025T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230821T194850Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T173917Z
UID:37195-1698260400-1698264000@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speakers: A Conversation with Heather Cox Richardson and  Katie Couric
DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday October 25th at 7PM ET\, BigTentUSA is thrilled to host historian and popular Substack author Heather Cox Richardson in conversation with award-winning journalist Katie Couric. They will discuss Richardson’s new book Democracy Awakening: The State of America; how we got to this perilous point\, what our history really tells us about ourselves\, and what the future of democracy can be. \nMany books tell us what has happened over the last five years. Democracy Awakening explains how we got to this perilous point\, what our history really tells us about ourselves\, and what the future of democracy can be. \nIn the midst of the impeachment crisis of 2019\, Heather Cox Richardson launched a daily Facebook essay providing the historical background of the daily torrent of news. It soon turned into a newsletter and its readership ballooned to more than 2 million dedicated readers who rely on her plainspoken and informed take on the present and past in America.  \nIn Democracy Awakening\, Richardson crafts a compelling and original narrative\, explaining how\, over the decades\, a small group of wealthy people have made war on American ideals. By weaponizing language and promoting false history they have led us into authoritarianism — creating a disaffected population and then promising to recreate an imagined past where those people could feel important again. She argues that taking our country back starts by remembering the elements of the nation’s true history that marginalized Americans have always upheld. Their dedication to the principles on which this nation was founded has enabled us to renew and expand our commitment to democracy in the past. Richardson sees this history as a roadmap for the nation’s future. \nABOUT  OUR SPEAKERS \nKatie Couric (@katiecouric) is an award-winning journalist and #1 New York Times best-selling author of her memoir\, Going There\, which was published in October 2021. She is also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) which has raised more than $700 million for cancer research. Couric was the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast\, serving as anchor and managing editor of the CBS Evening News from 2006 to 2011 following 15-years as co-anchor of NBC’s Today show. \nIn 2017\, she founded Katie Couric Media (KCM)\, which has developed a number of media projects\, including a daily newsletter\, “Wake-Up Call”\, a podcast\, “Next Question”\,  digital video series and several documentaries. You can find it all at katiecouric.com. \nHeather Cox Richardson is Professor of History at Boston College. She writes widely about Reconstruction\, the Civil War\, and the history of the Republican Party. She is the author of seven books including\, most recently\, Democracy Awakening\, as well as the award-winning How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy\, Democracy\, and The Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. She writes the popular newsletter\, Letters from an American\, a daily chronicle of the history behind American politics.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-heather-cox-richardson-democracy-awakening-notes-on-the-state-of-america/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20231004T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20231004T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230822T012627Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T155310Z
UID:37207-1696446000-1696449600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker: Banned in the USA with Suzanne Nossel and Richard Dresser
DESCRIPTION:2023 Banned Books Week is upon us\, and we were thrilled to host Suzanne Nossel\, CEO of PEN America\, and Richard Dresser\, President of the Writers Guild Initiative. They examined the current movement to ban books in public schools and libraries across the country\, underscoring the impacts of increased censorship on students and schools\, as well as authors and artists. Unlike book bans in our past\, the recent rash of book banning in schools and public libraries is a well-funded\, coordinated effort by an extreme minority on the far right. The repercussion in classrooms and lecture halls\, on students\, teachers\, librarians\, authors\, artists\, and publishers are extremely damaging and far-reaching.\n \nPEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect open expression in the United States and worldwide. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Over the last 100 years\, PEN American has advocated for free expression by defending writers and fighting censorship around the world. As part of these efforts\, we champion the freedom to write\, research and report on challenges to the freedom of expression\, host educational and advocacy events\, draft op-eds\, and provide support for writers and artists at risk.  Now\, our cause has been made all the more urgent by the current wave of book bans and censorship in schools. To learn more\, visit pen.org \nOperating under the umbrella of the Writers Guild of America\, East\, the Initiative’s mission is to give a voice to populations not being heard\, through writing workshops all over the country\, including veterans\, caregivers\, wounded soldiers\, exonerated death row prisoners\, DACA recipients\, LGBTQ asylum seekers\, inmates at the Pendleton Prison in Indiana\, victims of Hurricane Sandy\, people living with HIV/AIDS\, people living with chronic illness\, and\, more recently\, nurses\, paramedics and other first line responders in New York. To learn more\, visit Writers Guild Initiative. \nAbout Suzanne Nossel \nSuzanne Nossel currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of PEN America\, the leading human rights and free expression organization\, and is the author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. She also serves on the Meta Oversight Board. Her prior career spanned government service and leadership roles in the corporate and nonprofit sectors. She has served as the Chief Operating Officer of Human Rights Watch and as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA. During the first term of the Obama Administration\, Nossel served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations. Nossel coined the term “Smart Power\,” which was the title of a 2004 article she published in Foreign Affairs Magazine and later became the theme of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s tenure in office. Nossel is a featured columnist for Foreign Policy magazine and has published op-eds in The New York Times\, Washington Post\, LA Times\, and dozens of other outlets\, as well as scholarly articles in Foreign Affairs\, Dissent\, democracy and other journals.   \nAbout Richard Dresser \nOver the past twenty year Richard Dresser’s plays have been widely produced on and off Broadway\, in the nation’s leading regional theaters\, and extensively throughout Europe. He has worked in television for many years on a number of series including HBO’s “Vietnam War Stories” for which he won a cable ACE award\, “The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd” starring Blair Brown\, “The Job” starring Denis Leary\, “The Education of Max Bickford” starring Richard Dreyfuss\, “Madigan Men” starring Gabriel Byrne\, and such cult favorites as “Bakersfield P.D.\,” and “Keen Eddie.” He created the web series “Life Coach” starring Cheri Oteri for AMC.  He has sold pilots to all the major networks.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-suzanne-nossel-ceo-pen-america/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Protecting our Children,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Screenshot-2023-10-02-at-4.55.09-PM.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230927T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230927T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230718T202204Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T155510Z
UID:35893-1695841200-1695844800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker Series: Simon Rosenberg and Robert Hubbell
DESCRIPTION:Join Simon Rosenberg and Robert Hubbell for a conversation about the state of our democracy and the growth of the Pro-Democracy Coalition that must be ready for 2024. \nSimon Rosenberg is a political strategist and founder of New Democrat Network (NDN) and the New Policy Institute\, a liberal think tank and advocacy organization based in DC. He is a veteran of two Presidential campaigns\, including a senior role in the 1992 Clinton War Room. Subscribe to his YouTube channel. Sign up for Simon’s Substack here. \nRobert Hubbell is a retired lawyer who started an email newsletter in 2017\, “Today’s Edition\,” which morphed into a Substack email with over 35\,000 subscribers. Robert distills the news for his readers with a lawyerly point of view and a good dose of hope.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-series-simon-rosenberg-and-robert-hubbell/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/6481B2FE-43C9-4B0F-83E1-DC24B6EEE822.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230926T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230926T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230909T165246Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T155545Z
UID:37667-1695729600-1695733200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tent Talk: Center for Common Ground with Andrea Miller
DESCRIPTION:Join us in a discussion with Andrea Miller\, founding Board member of Center for Common Ground. \nCenter for Common Ground was founded to educate and empower under-represented voters in voter suppression states to engage in elections and advocate for their right to vote. In partnership with local\, on-the-ground organizations\, they build advocacy and voting campaigns that educate and mobilize Black voters across the South. Together\, they provide voters with the tools they need to learn how national\, state and local policy and politics impact their communities\, where their elected officials stand\, and what can be done to create needed change. \nThey partner with local on-the-ground organizations in our target states of Alabama\, Arizona\, Florida\, Georgia\, Virginia\, North Carolina\, South Carolina and Texas. They also build technology tools to help empower local communities and organizing networks long after elections are over. \nAndrea Miller is the Founding Board Member of the Center for Common Ground\, Executive Director of People Demanding Action\, Founding President of the National Women’s Political Caucus of Virginia\, and a member of the Democracy and Governance working group of the Virginia Green New Deal. Andrea is an IT and Political Director and a digital and elections strategist. She designs and administers digital phone banks and texting programs. From 2013 to 2015\, she led the Progressive Round Table on Capitol Hill\, bringing together members of Congress\, activists\, and non-profit leaders. Her expertise is in voting rights\, climate\, and the Equal Rights Amendment. She has successfully advocated for legislation on both the Federal and State level. In 2008 she was the Democratic nominee for the Virginia 4th Congressional district. \nCenter for Common Ground \n 
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tent-talk-center-for-common-ground-with-andrea-miller/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CB5C666B-B30F-41CE-9FC1-79777F95B14A.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230919T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230919T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230909T164426Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T155611Z
UID:37663-1695124800-1695128400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tent Talk: We the People for Education with Tiffany Van Der Hyde
DESCRIPTION:Join us as we discussed the changing the narrative for public schools. \nWe The People For Education (WTPFE) wants to return local school districts’ focus to its students and tamp down on the extreme rhetoric pushed by some activists and elected officials. They’re tired of efforts like book bans that both target specific groups of people and can divide their local communities. \nTiffany Van Der Hyde\, the group’s executive director\, will speak to us and share the message they want to convey to people across the commonwealth\, from Southwest Virginia to the Eastern Shore\, and everywhere in between. \nThe organization wants to work with communities statewide to get people more involved with their local school boards and to help support candidates who support their mission. \n“We understand that the problems we want to fix and the people we want to be able to reach out and support and help in this effort are from Roanoke to Virginia Beach to Fairfax to Harrisonburg and Rockingham; they’re everywhere\,” said Van Der Hyde. \nIn Virginia\, pretty much every locality has some sort of school board race coming up this year. \n“I think as far as where people should pay attention\, it’s their own backyard; it’s their own neighborhood school\, school board races\, it’s who’s at the end of your ballot\,” she said. “Whether it’s you running…whether it’s starting a group of like-minded parents\, or supporting another local entity who’s really focused on sound policy and student mental health\, and supporting our teachers…I think there’s something in every community to be done right now\,” she said. \nWe the People for Education is a non-partisan 501c4 focused on supporting and empowering pro-public education leadership in all of Virginia’s communities.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tent-talk-we-the-people-for-education-with-tiffany-van-der-hyde/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Protecting our Children
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230913T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230913T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230815T025815Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T160135Z
UID:36952-1694628000-1694635200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:*In-Person* Spotlight Speaker: Michael Waldman\, How the Supreme Court is Reshaping America with AG William Tong (D-CT)
DESCRIPTION:Join us for cocktails and conversation\, in Greenwich\, CT  on Wednesday\, September 13th at 6:00PM with Michael Waldman\, President of The Brennan Center for Justice\, and Attorney General William Tong (D-CT). They will discuss Michael’s new book\, Supermajority: How the Supreme Court Divided America\, what role the state courts play\, and\, possible court reforms that can protect our democracy. \nIn The Supermajority\, Michael Waldman explores the tumultuous 2021­–2022 Supreme Court term. He draws deeply on history to examine other times the Court veered from the popular will\, provoking controversy and backlash. And he analyzes the most important new rulings and their implications for the law and for American society. Waldman asks: “What can we do when the Supreme Court challenges the country?” \nMichael Waldman is president and CEO of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law\, a nonpartisan law and policy institute that works to revitalize the nation’s systems of democracy and justice. He was director of speechwriting for President Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999 and is the author of The Second Amendment: A Biography and The Fight to Vote. Waldman was a member of the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. A graduate of Columbia College and NYU School of Law\, he comments widely in the media on law and policy. \nAddress will be sent in a separate email. \n*Michael Waldman’s book will be provided!
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/michaelwaldman/
LOCATION:Greenwich\, Connecticut\, To Be Provided
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Michael-Waldman-Event-1.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230821T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230821T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230816T175223Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T160213Z
UID:37050-1692642600-1692646200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker: Andrew Weissmann
DESCRIPTION:BigTent welcomed veteran prosecutor and legal analyst Andrew Weissmann\, to answer questions we had (and some we didn’t know we had) about THE INDICTMENTS.  \nWeissmann served as the lead prosecutor for the Mueller investigation\, was Chief Counsel of the FBI\, and\, while chief of the criminal division of the Eastern District of NY\, prosecuted members of infamous crime families. Weissmann is the co-host\, with Mary McCord\, of the podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump. \nAndrew Weissmann is a Professor of Practice with the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law. He served as a lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office (2017-19) and as Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice (2015-2019). \nDuring his previous tenure at NYU Law (2013-2015)\, Weissmann was a Senior Fellow at both the Reiss Center on Law and Security and the Center for the Administration of Criminal Law. He taught courses in national security and criminal procedure. \nFrom 2011 to 2013\, Weissmann served as the General Counsel for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He previously served as special counsel to then-Director Mueller in 2005\, after which he was a partner at Jenner & Block in New York City. From 2002-2005\, he served as the Deputy and then the Director of the Enron Task Force in Washington\, D.C.\, where he supervised the prosecution of more than 30 individuals in connection with the company’s collapse. Weissmann was a federal prosecutor for 15 years in the Eastern District of New York\, where he served as the Chief of the Criminal Division. He prosecuted numerous members of the Colombo\, Gambino\, and Genovese families\, including the bosses of the Colombo and Genovese families. Weissmann has extensive experience in private practice. Weissmann won the largest Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration award in history. He has taught criminal law and procedure at Fordham Law School and Brooklyn Law School. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School and was on the managing board of the Columbia Law Review. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and attended the University of Geneva on a Fulbright Fellowship. \n  \n 
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-andrew-weissmann/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/24C36DDD-1EB8-4630-BEF1-2D5B0CAA36D0.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230718T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230718T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230629T015916Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T160309Z
UID:35024-1689681600-1689685200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tent Talk: The Fairness Project- Ohio’s Latest Power Grab
DESCRIPTION:We welcome Hannah Ledford Deputy Executive Director and Campaign Director for the Fairness Project. \nIn Latest Power Grab\, Ohio Senate Advances Anti-Democratic Supermajority Requirement for Ballot Measures. In the latest attack on direct democracy\, Ohio legislators on Wednesday voted to advance a supermajority threshold for future ballot measures\, co-opting a tactic being pushed by extremist officials in multiple states to limit voters’ decision-making power. \nAnti-abortion groups have been open about the fact that efforts to advance the supermajority threshold are intended to block a potential measure this November that would enshrine reproductive freedom in the state constitution. However\, if the threshold were to be raised to 60%\, it would impact all future ballot measures\, not just those related to abortion. \n\n\n\n\nIn response to repeated attacks on direct democracy\, including in states like South Dakota\, Arkansas\, Ohio and more\, the Fairness Project has been fighting to defend the ballot measure process and ensure citizens can use this critical tool for years to come. Since last year\, the Fairness Project has organized $5.6 million to fight back through its Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Fairness Project’s  Ballot Measure Rescue Campaign is working to protect the ballot measure process itself across the country. They are leading a strategic multi-state coalition to fight back using litigation\, legislative advocacy\, and ballot measure campaigns. Where they need to bring litigation\, they will litigate. Where they can stop bad laws from being passed\, they will run aggressive communications and lobbying campaigns to stop anti-democratic bills. And where the legislature refers suppressive measures to the ballot\, they will fight to win those ballot campaigns. Link for more information Here
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tent-talk-the-fairness-project-ohios-latest-power-grab/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Womens Empowerment and Rights,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3B424345-AA37-4D61-A8E7-160CE81E286F.webp
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230712T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230712T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230618T183554Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T160530Z
UID:34134-1689188400-1689192000@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker: David Pepper\, Saving Democracy
DESCRIPTION:A warm welcome to David Pepper\, who is returning under the Tent. Join us as we speak to him about his new best-selling book\, Saving Democracy: The User’s Manual For Every American. The book provides a framework for all pro-democracy activists (us!) to better understand the steps to save our democracy.  As Pepper notes\, “we are seeing ever-growing awareness about the threat to democracy\, as well as emerging and successful best practices of how to fight back.” This book provides us the path to a more secure and vibrant democracy. \nBigTentUSA is thrilled to co-host this Spotlight Speaker Series with The New York Buddy Group (NYBG). The NYBG is a group of volunteer activists who raise awareness and support for pro-democracy grassroots organizers and candidates in critical elections throughout the country. They enhance the education of their community and increase electoral awareness\, action\, focus and impact.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-david-pepper-saving-democracy/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Protecting our Children,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230628T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230628T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230531T203711Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161129Z
UID:32418-1687978800-1687982400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker: Stephen Vladeck with Dahlia Lithwick
DESCRIPTION:Stephen Vladeck\, Author of The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic will join us on on Wednesday\, June 28th at 7pm ET to discuss the dangers around the U.S. Supreme Court’s  growing use of the shadow docket. The discussion will be moderated by Dahlia Lithwick. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKER: \nStephen I. Vladeck (@steve_vladeck) holds the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law\, and is a nationally recognized expert on the federal courts\, constitutional law\, national security law\, and military justice. \n\nProfessor Vladeck is the author of the New York Times bestseller\, “The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic.” He has argued over a dozen cases before the U.S. Supreme Court\, the Texas Supreme Court\, and various lower federal civilian and military courts; has testified before numerous congressional committees and Executive Branch agencies and commissions and the Texas legislature; has served as an expert witness both in U.S. state and federal courts and in foreign tribunals; and has received numerous awards for his influential and widely cited legal scholarship\, his prolific popular writing\, his teaching\, and his service to the legal profession. \nVladeck is the co-host\, together with Professor Bobby Chesney\, of the popular and award-winning “National Security Law Podcast.” He is CNN’s Supreme Court analyst and a co-author of Aspen Publishers’ leading national security law and counterterrorism law casebooks. And he is editor and author of “One First\,” a popular weekly newsletter about the Supreme Court. \nVladeck joined the Texas faculty in 2016 after 11 years teaching at the University of Miami School of Law and American University Washington College of Law. He is an elected member of the University of Texas Faculty Council (and of the Faculty Council’s Executive Committee); an elected member of the American Law Institute; a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law; and a senior editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of National Security Law and Policy. He is the Supreme Court Fellow at the Project on Government Oversight’s Constitution Project; a Distinguished Fellow of the National Institute of Military Justice; and a member of the Advisory Committee to the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security\, the American Constitution Society’s Board of Academic Advisors\, and the advisory boards of the Electronic Privacy Information Center and the RAND History of U.S. Military Policy. \nA 2004 graduate of Yale Law School\, Vladeck clerked for the Honorable Marsha S. Berzon on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Rosemary Barkett on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. While a law student\, he was Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal and the Student Director of the Balancing Civil Liberties & National Security Post-9/11 Litigation Project\, and he was awarded the Harlan Fiske Stone Prize for Outstanding Moot Court Oralist and shared the Potter Stewart Prize for Best Team Performance in Moot Court. He earned a B.A. summa cum laude with Highest Distinction in History and Mathematics from Amherst College in 2001—where he wrote his senior thesis on “Leipzig’s Shadow: The War Crimes Trials of the First World War and Their Implications from Nuremberg to the Present\,” and shared the Alfred J. Havighurst Prize as the outstanding senior History major. A native New Yorker and fatalistic Mets fan\, Vladeck lives in central Austin with his wife\, Karen (a Managing Director at Whistler Partners\, and with whom he co-hosts the “In Loco Parent(i)s” podcast)\, their daughters\, Madeleine and Sydney\, and their nine-year-old pug\, Roxanna. \n\n 
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-stephen-vladeck/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230621T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230621T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230526T214414Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161249Z
UID:32034-1687374000-1687377600@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speaker: Professor Larry Diamond with Anne Wedner
DESCRIPTION:On Wednesday\, June 21st at 7pm ET\, Professor Larry Diamond\, Professor of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford University\, specializing in democracy studies\, Author\, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution\, will join us. Anne Wedner\, Commissioner\, US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy will moderate the conversation. They will discuss the 12 steps to autocracy. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKER:  \nLarry Diamond is the William L. Clayton Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution\, the Mosbacher Senior Fellow in Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI)\, and a Bass University Fellow in Undergraduate Education at Stanford University. He is also professor by courtesy of Political Science and Sociology at Stanford. He leads the Hoover Institution’s programs on China’s Global Sharp Power and on Taiwan in the Indo-Pacific Region.  At FSI\, he leads the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy\, based at the Center on Democracy\, Development and the Rule of Law\, which he directed for more than six years.  He also co-leads with (Eileen Donahoe) the Global Digital Policy Incubator\, based at FSI’s Cyber Policy Center. He is the founding coeditor of the Journal of Democracy and also serves as senior consultant at the International Forum for Democratic Studies of the National Endowment for Democracy. His research focuses on democratic trends and conditions around the world and on policies and reforms to defend and advance democracy. His latest edited book (with Orville Schell)\, China’s Influence and American Interests (Hoover Press\, 2019)\, urges a posture of constructive vigilance toward China’s global projection of “sharp power\,” which it sees as a rising threat to democratic norms and institutions. He offers a massive open online course (MOOC) on Comparative Democratic Development through the edX platform and is now writing a textbook to accompany it. \nDiamond’s book\, Ill Winds: Saving Democracy from Russian Rage\, Chinese Ambition\, and American Complacency\, analyzes the challenges confronting liberal democracy in the United States and around the world at this potential “hinge in history\,” and offers an agenda for strengthening and defending democracy at home and abroad. A paperback edition with a new preface was released by Penguin in April 2020. His other books include: In Search of Democracy (2016)\, The Spirit of Democracy (2008)\, Developing Democracy: Toward Consolidation (1999)\,  Promoting Democracy in the 1990s (1995)\, and Class\, Ethnicity\, and Democracy in Nigeria(1989). He has also edited or coedited more than forty books on democratic development around the world\, most recently\, Dynamics of Democracy in Taiwan: The Ma Ying-jeou Years. \nDuring 2002–03\, Diamond served as a consultant to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and was a contributing author of its report\, Foreign Aid in the National Interest. He has also advised and lectured to universities and think tanks around the world\, and to the World Bank\, the United Nations\, the State Department\, and other governmental and nongovernmental agencies dealing with governance and development. During the first three months of 2004\, Diamond served as a senior adviser on governance to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad. His 2005 book\, Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq\, was one of the first books to critically analyze America’s postwar engagement in Iraq. \nAmong Diamond’s other edited books are Democracy in Decline?; Democratization and Authoritarianism in the Arab World; Will China Democratize?; and Liberation Technology: Social Media and the Struggle for Democracy\, all edited with Marc F. Plattner; and Politics and Culture in Contemporary Iran\, with Abbas Milani. With Juan J. Linz and Seymour Martin Lipset\, he edited the series\, Democracy in Developing Countries\, which helped to shape a new generation of comparative study of democratic development. \nAnne Wedner (Moderator): \nAnne Terman Wedner has been a leader in grassroots political movements and continues to partner with organizations working toward a more just and inclusive society. She recently left her role as the Donor Engagement Director for Mi Vecino Florida. Since 2011\, Anne has also served as a Commissioner on the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. During the 2020 election cycle\, Anne relocated from Winnetka\, Illinois\, where she was an elected trustee\, to Miami\, Florida in order to develop voter outreach programs within underserved communities.\nPrevious to her political involvement\, she developed strategic marketing and communications programs in the advertising and the financial services industries. In her early career\, Anne represented the United States as a foreign service officer in France and Venezuela.\nAnne continues to invest in organizations working to support democracy and democratic ideas. She is a board member at the USC Center for Public Diplomacy in Los Angeles and a “Cabinet Member” at the Roosevelt Foundation at Harvard’s Adams House. Until recently\, Anne was also a board member at Freedom House and at the University of Chicago Project on Security and Threat. Anne holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a BA from Harvard where she majored in the History and Literature of France.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speaker-professor-larry-diamond-with-anne-wedner/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230614T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230614T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230502T064957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161456Z
UID:27452-1686769200-1686772800@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speakers: Billy Ray\, Gretchen Barton and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA)\, moderated by Sanjyot P. Dunung
DESCRIPTION:Academy Award-Nominated Screenwriter\, Billy Ray and Public Opinion Researcher\, Gretchen Barton and Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) & moderated by Author Sanjyot P. Dunung will discuss how voters feel about the state of the nation and how to message across the political divide. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: \nBilly Ray wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips\, for which he won the WGA award.  He also wrote\, directed\, and executive-produced Showtime’s “The Comey Rule\,” which had the biggest debut of any limited series in that network’s history. Ray’s films as writer\, co-writer\, or writer-director include “The Hunger Games\,” “Richard Jewell\,” “Shattered Glass\,” and “Breach.” He serves on the boards of Common Defense and Big Sunday. He believes in democracy\, justice\, and the Dodgers. \nGretchen Barton is the founder of Worthy Strategy Group\, LLC\, and former Research Director at Future Majority. She is a deep-listening researcher and strategist who has designed and led research initiatives in the political and policy space across America on poverty\, the youth vote\, global nuclear weapons disarmament\, immigration\, gender in America\, what Americans need in their next President\, how Americans know what’s true\, what the Democratic and Republican party brands mean and more. She’s worked on presidential to mayoral campaigns and is currently leading an initiative called What it Will Take\, laying the narrative groundwork for the first female president\, and advising on History Wars\, a Johns Hopkins research initiative looking to unpack a way to bring Americans together around a shared future\, if not a shared history. \nSusan Wild (D-PA) is in her third term as a member of the United States House of Representatives in the heart of the Lehigh Valley and is the first woman to represent the Valley in Congress. From September 2022 to January 2023\, she was chair of the House Ethics Committee and continues to sit on the committee as ranking member. She also co-chairs the New Democrat Coalition Climate Change Task Force and is vice chair of both the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus and the Subcommittee on Africa\, Global Health\, Global Human rights and International Organizations. \nSanjyot P. Dunung is an author and serial entrepreneur with expertise on the intersection of culture\, business\, global affairs\, technology\, and education. \nShe has written sixteen international business books and textbooks; has appeared on a range of global media; and\, speaks at conferences addressing international business\, global cultures and entrepreneurship. Her first novel\, Maddie & Sayara\, explores the diverging paths of young girls around the world. Sanjyot is actively engaged in a number of public-private initiatives advocating for secular\, capitalist\, democratic values globally. She currently serves on the Board of Truman Center for National Policy\, Advisory Board of the Thunderbird School of Global Management and the Board of the National Small Business Association. Sanjyot has received several awards\, including the 2021 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award and the 2021 AmChamRepresent Business Transformation Award: Women in Business.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speakers-billy-ray-and-gretchen-barton/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Billy-Ray-FINAL-Invite.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230606T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230606T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230522T073853Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161636Z
UID:31292-1686052800-1686056400@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tent Talk: Civic Influencers
DESCRIPTION:Maxim Thorne\, CEO of Civic Influencers\, and Rohan Preston\, Theater Critic at the Star Tribune will join on on Tuesday\, June 6th at 12pm ET. Civic Influencers gives young voters on-the-ground data and winning strategies on campuses and in communities  to boost civic power and impact elections. \nRead Thorne’s latest Washington Post Op-Ed article here on the Right’s effort to silence young voters. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: \n“I know what it is like to feel the entire continuum of being young\, marginalized and disenfranchised to becoming whole\, empowered and American. Now more than ever\, we need to reimagine\, protect and strengthen the pillars of our democracy. We have to turbocharge and make real an intersectional and holistic democracy movement building on the centrality of the rich diversity of youth. Every innovation and tried and true is on the table\, be it texting\, digital organizing\, short films\, dorm storming\, student panels\, marches and more.” – Maxim Thorne \nMaxim Thorne earned a B.A. (cum laude honors) in Economics and Political Science from Yale College and a J.D. from the Yale Law School. Maxim has served as the Managing Director of The Andrew Goodman Foundation\, Senior Vice President and Chief Communications and Development Officer of NAACP\, the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of Human Rights Campaign and HRC Foundation and the Executive Director of NJ Head Start Association. As a dedicated leader and advocate\, Maxim has served on the Board of Directors of many organizations as well\, including the founding Board of Yale Black Alumni Association\, Chaired the 40th Anniversary of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale\, Honorary Co-Chair of the 50th Anniversary of the Afro-American Cultural Center at Yale\, the Board of Governors of Yale University\, Executive Committee of the Yale Law School\, GLAAD\, the North Star Fund\, Amistad Research Center\, Barnert Hospital Foundation and Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey. He also serves on the Yale Alumni Task Force on Diversity\, Equity\, and Inclusion (DEI). \nRohan Preston has been lead theater critic at the Star Tribune in Minneapolis since 1998\, helping to shape the ecology of one of the nation’s most dynamic arts meccas but one that also is ground zero for the nation’s post-George Floyd racial reckoning. He has interviewed and written on Arthur Miller\, August Wilson\, Edward Albee\, Tony Kushner\, Suzan-Lori Parks and a host of other luminary arts leaders. He led a Star Tribune team that won an Emmy for a documentary on the historic 2008 elections and has twice served on the Pulitzer jury for drama. Mr. Preston previously wrote for the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. Also a poet\, playwright and composer\, he was reared in New York and educated at Yale.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tent-talk-civic-influencers/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/4.webp
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230531T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230531T200000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230502T063608Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161714Z
UID:27447-1685559600-1685563200@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Spotlight Speakers: Jonathan Alter and David Greenberg
DESCRIPTION:Jonathan Alter and David Greenberg will join us to provide a historical framework for our current political and cultural reality. They will define the events in modern history that led us to this moment. Evangeline Morphos will moderate conversation. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: \nJonathan Alter is an award-winning author\, political analyst\, documentary filmmaker\, columnist\, television producer and radio host. \nAlter’s most recent book is “His Very Best: Jimmy Carter\, a Life.” (2020)\, which received uniformly favorable reviews. His earlier books include three New York Times bestsellers: “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies” (2013)\, “The Promise: President Obama\, Year One” (2010) and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope” (2006)\, also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. \nA former senior editor and columnist at Newsweek\, Alter is a longtime political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.  He co-produced and co-directed the HBO documentary “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists\,” which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Historical Documentary. In 2013-2014\, he was an executive producer of “Alpha House\,“ a comedy on Amazon. \nOver the years\, Alter has written for the New York Times\, the Washington Post\, the Washington Monthly\, the New Yorker\, Bloomberg\, the Daily Beast and other publications. In 2021\, he launched a weekly Substack newsletter called “OLD GOATS\, Ruminating with Friends\,” which includes frequent columns and his conversations with accomplished people of wisdom and experience. Since 2016\, he has hosted “Alter Family Politics“ each week on Sirius XM\, 102 with his three adult children. \nDavid Greenberg is a professor of History and of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University\, New Brunswick\, and a frequent commentator in the national news media on contemporary politics and public affairs. He specializes in American political and cultural history. His most recent book\, Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency (W.W. Norton\, 2016) examines the rise of the White House spin machine\, from the Progressive Era to the present day\, and the debates that Americans have waged over its implications for democracy. \nEvangeline Morphos is a producer and educator who has worked in theatre\, film\, and television; and for twenty-five years was a Professor in the Theater and Film Divisions of Columbia University\, where she established the University’s first courses in television and in new media. Evangeline has consulted on numerous new media projects for Democratic political campaigns\, and has been active in arts advocacy. She writes frequently on the arts and politics for The Wall Street Journal\, Politico\, Reuters and NBC.com.She graduated from Wellesley College\, and has a Ph.D. from Harvard University. Her late husband was the American political historian Alan Brinkley.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/spotlight-speakers-david-greenberg-and-jonathan-alter/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:BigTent Spotlight Speaker Series,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/DD5096AA-23F6-430E-83FD-987CCE3EBE58.webp
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230516T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230516T130000
DTSTAMP:20260403T235651
CREATED:20230418T051820Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20231026T161745Z
UID:26035-1684238400-1684242000@bigtentusa.org
SUMMARY:Tent Talk: Ballotpedia
DESCRIPTION:On Tuesday\, May 16th at 12pm ET Ballotpedia will be joining us to discuss citizen-led legislation (ballot measures)\, why it’s important\, and ballot measure trends they are seeing around the country. Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics\, and the nation’s premier resource for unbiased information on elections\, politics\, and policy As a non-partisan resource\, they provide their readers curated content on all levels of U.S. politics that is relevant\, reliable\, and available for all. \nABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: \nGeoff Pallay is Ballotpedia’s Editor in Chief. He has been in that role since March 2015\, overseeing Ballotpedia’s editorial department. Since joining Ballotpedia’s staff in 2010\, Geoff has made it a life’s purpose to bring neutral\, high-quality encyclopedic information to political consumers. \nDuring his time at the company\, the encyclopedia has grown by more than 200\,000 pages. As Editor in Chief\, Geoff is responsible for managing the encyclopedic content and political coverage while ensuring that proper systems and structures are in place throughout the department. \nOver the years\, Geoff has been intimately involved in launching many of the new projects at Ballotpedia\, including coverage of state legislatures\, Congress\, redistricting\, public policy\, municipal officeholders\, presidential elections\, and legislation tracking. Geoff serves as the final decision-maker over much of the newsletter and front page content as well as editorial coverage and strategies. \nGeoff’s other roles at Ballotpedia have included Associate Chief Content Officer (2014-2015)\, Director of Research (2013-2014)\, and Director of Strategic Projects (2013). \nPrior to joining Ballotpedia\, Geoff was a policy analyst for the South Carolina Policy Council and a copy editor for the Beaufort Gazette. Originally from New Jersey\, Geoff studied journalism and history at Emory University before earning a Masters of Public Administration at the College of Charleston. Geoff lives in Charleston\, South Carolina\, with his wife and two children\, where he also serves as Neighborhood Association President in his community. \nRyan Byrne is the Managing Editor of the Ballot Measures Team at Ballotpedia. Ryan has been researching and writing about ballot measures for Ballotpedia since 2013. His ballot measures analyses have been featured in the New York Times\, NPR\, and The Hill.
URL:https://bigtentusa.org/event/tent-talk-ballotpedia/
LOCATION:BigTent Zoom Room
CATEGORIES:Tent Talks,BigTent Events,Preserving Democracy
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/webp:https://bigtentusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/2-4.webp
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