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 […]
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. ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: Jonathan Alter is an award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer […]
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. Read Thorne's latest Washington Post Op-Ed article here […]
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. ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: Billy Ray wrote the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips, for which he […]
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. ABOUT […]
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. ABOUT […]
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 […]
We welcome Hannah Ledford Deputy Executive Director and Campaign Director for the Fairness Project. In 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 […]
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. Weissmann 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 […]
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 […]
Join us as we discussed the changing the narrative for public schools. We 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 […]
Join us in a discussion with Andrea Miller, founding Board member of Center for Common Ground. Center 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 […]
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. Simon 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. […]
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 […]
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. Many […]
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. About Neal Katyal Neal Katyal, the former […]
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. Levitsky and Ziblatt put forth the argument that the American political system incorporates counter-majoritarian elements designed to […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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! We'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. […]
BigTent is thrilled to host a Tent Talk with VoteRiders’ CEO and Executive Director, Lauren Kunis. We 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
