PAST EVENTS
Saving Democracy
How do we preserve our democracy in the face of the many threats and challenges before us?
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
5:00 PM 6:00 PM
Saving Democracy
with
Yascha Mounk
Moderated by Richard Wolffe
Wednesday, June 15th, 2022 5:00-6:00 pm ET
In recent years the fragility of our democracy has been exposed. Founded to offer both freedom and rights, this form of governance is precious. But it’s permanence cannot be taken for granted.
How do we preserve our democracy in the face of the many threats and challenges before us?
Join us in a conversation with one of the world’s leading experts on the crisis of liberal democracy, Yascha Mounk. With his brilliant insights, many that run counter to conventional wisdom, Mounk offers an optimistic set of ideas and proposals for how our democracies can endure and thrive in spite of our differences.
About the Speakers:
Yascha Mounk is one of the world’s leading experts on democracy and the rise of populism. His latest book is The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure, on how democracies can succeed. TCG hosted Mounk for his last book, The People vs Democracy: Why Our Freedom is In Danger and How to Save It, which was translated into ten languages and recognized as a “Best Book of 2018” by the Financial Times and other publications. He is an Associate Professor of the Practice of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University, a Contributing Editor at The Atlantic, a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, the founder of Persuasion, and the host of The Good Fight podcast.
Richard Wolffe is an award-winning journalist and political analyst for MSNBC television, appearing frequently on MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann and Hardball with Chris Matthews. He covered the entire length of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign for Newsweek magazine. Before Newsweek, Wolffe was a senior journalist at the Financial Times, serving as its deputy bureau chief and US diplomatic correspondent. Wolffe is the author of the New York Times bestseller Renegade: The Making of a President and Revival: The Struggle for Survival Inside the Obama White House. He currently writes a twice-weekly column for the Guardian.
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The Common Good Forum & American Spirit Awards 2018
What a phenomenal and inspiring day! Our experts led thought-provoking discussions on the most significant ideas and issues in the news today. Our awardees were moving and uplifting. While many of our speakers warned us of the challenges ahead, our awardees reminded us of the best of the American spirit.
What a phenomenal and inspiring day! Our experts led thought-provoking discussions on the most significant ideas and issues in the news today. Our awardees were moving and uplifting. While many of our speakers warned us of the challenges ahead, our awardees reminded us of the best of the American spirit.
“That was a very special day…Brilliant and interesting speakers, a wide variety of topics, an intimate setting—it was all so thoughtful and enjoyable, I wanted to thank you and to congratulate you.”
Michael R. Bloomberg presented Parkland student activist David Hogg with The Changemaker Scholarship for Citizen Activism with a quip from Mayor Bloomberg about the 17 year old senior: “When we were backstage he asked me what should I do and I said, well, start out by finishing high school.”
“David is a courageous and inspiring young man…Most of us can’t begin to imagine what David and his classmates went through but they refuse to become another statistic.”
“This battle will not take days or years, it will take lifetimes. And the only way we are going to get through it is not as partisans but as Americans.
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Joanna Coles, Chief Content Officer at Hearst Magazines, honored Fareed Zakaria, CNN anchor, author, and columnist, with the American Spirit Award for Thought Leadership.
“I’ve presented many awards in my life and I have to say it’s so much fun to present an award where the candidate actually deserves it.”
There was also a very moving special tribute to Robert F. Kennedy, and the American Spirit Award for Citizen Activism was given to Kerry Kennedy by Alec Baldwin.
“Daddy believed in the power of one, and, everywhere he travelled, he made a point of meeting with local activists, community organizers and student groups, because he understood how few will have the greatness to bend history itself. Instead, as you just heard, he believed all of us have a role in sending forth tiny ripples of hope. That is what citizen activism is all about.”
Conversation on domestic and foreign issues were sparked and explained by an array of guests who are experts on an array of topics from International Peace to Strategic Studies.
“I call Iran both the arsonist and the fire brigade in today’s Middle East because on one hand they fuel radicalism …At the same time, they’ve actually fought against radicalism.”
“Every country has its own Mafia. In Russia, the Mafia has its own country.”
“The real challenge for the Chinese government is…the basic bargain they have made with the Chinese people that as long as people continue to get more prosperous that they will not be political demanding, that they will accept the authoritarian control…in return for prosperity.”
“For the common good, it is terribly important we take this [drug abuse] epidemic on in a wise way with the right resources. This is a winnable win. We can do this.”
We were extremely proud and grateful to all of our outstanding participants: Antony Blinken, former Deputy Secretary of State; Congressman Mike Rogers, former Chair of the House Intel Committee; Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney; former Congressman David Jolly; Dr. Yascha Mounk, leading expert on the crisis in liberal democracy; Dr. Stephen Roach, economist at Yale University; Dr. Charles Armstrong, The Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Studies at Columbia University; John Della Volpe, Director of Polling at Harvard Kennedy School; Ambassador Jan Kickert, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations; Susan Del Percio, Republican strategist and political commentator; Bill Schneider, leading political analyst and author; Mike Espy, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; Ana Cabrera, anchor, CNN Newsroom; John Harwood, CNBC Chief Washington correspondent; Paula R. Stern, founder of Stern Group Inc.; Admiral (Ret.) James Winnefeld; Garry Kasparov, world champion chess player; Karim Sadjadpour, Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Dr. Kori Schake, Deputy Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Interested in attending future events?
The Common Good has been hosting events since 2006 that cover important issues of today, highlighting speakers who have worked to bolster our democracy and can provide great insight on the issues that matter.