PAST EVENTS
The State of the Economy and the Global Outlook with Bob Hormats
The Common Good was proud to host Bob Hormats for a lunch and discussion on the state of the economy and the global outlook. The program was introduced by Peter Borish and was convened by Stephanie French.
The Common Good was proud to host Bob Hormats for a lunch and discussion on the state of the economy and the global outlook. The program was introduced by Peter Borish and was convened by Stephanie French.
Robert D. ‘Bob’ Hormats was sworn in as Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs on September 23, 2009. Hormats was formerly Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs (International). He joined Goldman Sachs in 1982. He served as Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary, from 1977 to 1979, and Assistant Secretary of State, from 1981 to 1982, at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (now Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs).
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Meet & Greet: Governor Mark Warner
The Common Good was honored to host Governor Mark Warner for a lunch and discussion on the US government and ‘fixing the broken system’. The event was introduced by Somers Farkas, a cultural affairs consultant and philanthropist and was convened by Matt Gohd, Principal Managing Director with Pali Capital.
The Common Good was honored to host Governor Mark Warner for a lunch and discussion on the US government and ‘fixing the broken system’. The event was introduced by Somers Farkas, a cultural affairs consultant and philanthropist and was convened by Matt Gohd, Principal Managing Director with Pali Capital.
Mark Robert Warner is an American politician and businessman, currently serving as the junior United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Warner was the 69th governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006 and is the honorary chairman of the Forward Together PAC. Warner delivered the keynote address before the nation at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Mark Warner’s experience as a congressional staffer and Democratic Party fundraiser in the 1980s prompted his involvement in telecommunications venture capital; he founded the firm Columbia Capital.
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The Primaries and the Presidential Election
The Common Good hosted a lunch panel of expert to discuss the primaries and the presidential election. This panel consisted of: Jonathan Alter, Kellyanne Conway, Mark J. Green, Joel Benson and was moderated by Cynthia McFadden. This program was convened by William Hubbard, Chairman and President of Center Development Corporation, and underwritten with the generosity of Peter Worth.
Jonathan Alter is an award-winning author, reporter, columnist and television analyst from Chicago.For a decade in the 1980s, Alter was Newsweek’s media critic, where he was among the first in the mainstream media to break tradition and hold other news organizations accountable for their coverage, a precursor to the role later played by blogs. In total, he spent 28 years at Newsweek, where he was a longtime senior editor and wrote hundreds of columns and features on a wide variety of subjects. He is also an analyst and contributing correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC. His 2010 book, “The Promise: President Obama, Year One,” was #4 on the New York Times Nonfiction Bestseller List and was one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope,” published in 2006 was also a bestseller.
Kellyanne Conway is an American pollster, political consultant, and pundit. Previously she held roles as campaign manager and strategist in the Republican Party and was former president and CEO of The Polling Company, Inc./Woman Trend. In 2016, she was appointed as Trump’s campaign manager and now serves as a counselor in his presidential administration. Within polling, Conway is one of the most quoted and noted pollsters on the national scene, having provided commentary on over 1,200 television shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, HBO, Comedy Central, MTV and the Fox News Channel, and numerous radio shows and print stories. Throughout her two decades in market research, Conway has provided primary research and advice for clients in 46 of the 50 states and has directed hundreds of demographic and attitudinal survey projects for statewide and congressional political races, trade associations, and Fortune 100 companies.
Mark Green was a public interest lawyer, working with Ralph Nader from 1970 to 1980, ultimately as director of Public Citizen's Congress Watch. He founded and ran The Democracy Project in NYC from 1981 to 2014. Green served for 11 years in citywide offices, first as the Commissioner of Consumer Affairs under Mayor David Dinkins (1990 to 1993); then as the twice-elected Public Advocate (1993 and 1997), before narrowly losing the mayorality to Michael Bloomberg in 2001. (3)
Joel Benenson is the founder and CEO of Benenson Strategy Group, and the only Democratic pollster in history to have played a leading role in three winning presidential campaigns. Joel has been the chief pollster, chief campaign strategist for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign, a senior strategist for President Barack Obama beginning with his 2008 campaign, and worked on President Bill Clinton’s polling team during the 1996 race.oel’s corporate clients have included CEOs and top executives at Campbell Soup Company, HBO, Toyota, the NFL, Procter & Gamble, Panera Bread Co., Hearst, Blue Star Energy, and MSNBC. In the advocacy and nonprofit sector, he has worked with leading institutions including AARP, League of Conservation Voters, SEIU, Clean Energy Works and Grocery Manufacturers of America.
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(3) Material from the Bright Infinite Future website.
Meet & Greet: Senator Arlen Specter
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion with Senator Arlen Specter on the stem cell research, S-Chip (expansion of health care coverage for children), controversial judiciary committee business regarding Guantanamo, FISA and surveillance issues and other hot button national issues.
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion with Senator Arlen Specter on the stem cell research, S-Chip (expansion of health care coverage for children), controversial judiciary committee business regarding Guantanamo, FISA and surveillance issues and other hot button national issues.
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009. First elected in 1980, he represented his state for thirty years in the Senate. Specter is a moderate who staked out a spot in the political center. Specter served as assistant counsel for the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy and helped devise the “single bullet theory.” In 1965, Specter was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia, a position that he would hold until he lost his re-election bid in 1973.
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The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America with Ronald Brownstein
The Common Good was proud to host Ronald Brownstein for a breakfast and discussion on his book' ‘The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America’. The meeting was convened by Peter Borish.
The Common Good was proud to host Ronald Brownstein for a breakfast and discussion on his book' ‘The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America’. The meeting was convened by Peter Borish.
In recent years American politics has seemingly become much more partisan, more zero-sum, more vicious, and less able to confront the real problems our nation faces. What has happened?
In The Second Civil War, respected political commentator Ronald Brownstein diagnoses the electoral, demographic, and institutional forces that have wreaked such change over the American political landscape, pulling politics into the margins and leaving precious little common ground for compromise. The Second Civil War is not a book for Democrats or Republicans but for all Americans who are disturbed by our current political dysfunction and hungry for ways to understand it—and move beyond it.
Ronald Brownstein, a two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of presidential campaigns, is National Journal Group’s Editorial Director, in charge of long-term editorial strategy. He also writes a weekly column and regularly contributes other pieces for both National Journal and The Atlantic, and coordinates political coverage and activities across publications produced by Atlantic Media. Brownstein also writes for 2012 Decoded.
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Hurricane Katrina Relief and Music with Fats Domino
The Common Good hosted an intimate lunch gathering with legendary Fats Domino where he discussed post-Katrina New Orleans and the status of the music community today.
The Common Good hosted an intimate lunch gathering with legendary Fats Domino where he discussed post-Katrina New Orleans and the status of the music community today.
The first musician to become a rock ‘n’ roll icon solely on the strength of his music and not as an image or novelty, Fats Domino was also part of many of the early touring rock ‘n’ roll package shows that barnstormed the country and popularized the new music. He remained a man of the people, judging from the way the world waited on pins and needles when word filtered out that he was missing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. New Orleans’ Ninth Ward, Antoine Domino, Jr.’s home from the day of his birth on February 26, 1928, was one of the epicenters of Katrina’s wrath. When photos of Domino’s rescue from his flooded home finally hit media outlets, the planet breathed a collective sigh of relief.
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The Role of Religion in the 2008 Campaign with Jon Meacham, Amy Sullivan and Steven Waldman
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion on the role of religion in the coming campaign with writers, Jon Meacham, Amy Sullivan and Steven Waldman. This event was moderated by Paul Glastris and introduced by Richard Feigen.
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion on the role of religion in the coming campaign with writers, Jon Meacham, Amy Sullivan and Steven Waldman. This event was moderated by Paul Glastris and introduced by Richard Feigen.
Jon Meacham is a renowned presidential historian, contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, contributing editor at TIME, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations and of the Society of American Historians, Meacham is a distinguished visiting professor at Vanderbilt University. He is a contributing writer to The New York Times Book Review, a contributing editor of Time, and has written for The New York Times op-ed page, The Washington Post, Vanity Fair, and Garden & Gun. Meacham is also a regular guest on “Morning Joe” and other broadcasts.
Amy Sullivan is the nation editor for TIME magazine Swampland, where she covers religion and politics and writes for the magazine’s political blog. She is also the host of the Impolite Company Podcast. Furthermore, she directs political coverage and the magazine’s polling operation. Her book on Democrats and religion, The Party Faithful, will be published in February 2008 by Scribner. Sullivan’s work has appeared in publications including the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, and was included in The Best Political Writing 2006. She is a frequent guest on radio and television talk shows.
Steven Waldman is Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, serving out of the Office of Strategic Planning. Previously, Waldman was the Editor-in-Chief, President, and co-founder of Beliefnet, a multi-faith spirituality website. Waldman co-founded Beliefnet in 1999. He was its CEO from 2002–2007, leading it out of bankruptcy to a sale to News Corp.; he continued on as editor-in-chief until November 2009. Waldman is also a speaker on topics relating to the spiritual marketplace, the changing roles of religion in America, and the convergence of spirituality and marketing.
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Meet & Greet: Senator Chuck Hagel
The Common Good was excited to host a breakfast and discussion with Senator Chuck Hagel on the challenges of the 21st century, specifically on Iraq, foreign policy, entitlement reforms and health care, and other issues.
The Common Good was excited to host a breakfast and discussion with Senator Chuck Hagel on the challenges of the 21st century, specifically on Iraq, foreign policy, entitlement reforms and health care.
Charles Timothy “Chuck” Hagel is a former United States Senator from Nebraska. A member of the Republican Party, he was first elected in 1996 and was reelected in 2002. In 2009, he was elected as Chairman of the Atlantic Council. Hagel was a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and Intelligence Committees. He Chaired the Foreign Relations International Economic Policy, Export and Trade Promotion Subcommittee; and the Banking Committee’s International Trade and Finance; and Securities Subcommittees. Hagel also served as the Chairman of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Senate Climate Change Observer Group.
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Foreign Affairs and Economic Policy with Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger
The Common Good hosted a lunch and discussion with the Honorable Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State to reflect on current US foreign policy and economic policy.
The Common Good hosted a lunch and discussion with the Honorable Henry Kissinger, Former Secretary of State, to reflect on current US foreign policy and economic policy.
Henry A. Kissinger was the 56th Secretary of State of the United States from 1973 to 1977, continuing to hold the position of Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs from 1969 to 1975. After leaving government service, he founded Kissinger Associates, an international consulting firm, of which he is chairman. He served in the Army and was educated at Harvard University, where he then served on the faculty from 1954-71. In the Nixon administration, Kissinger served as the president’s National Security Advisor and then as Secretary of State. Kissinger was the go-between in the secret negotiations that eventually opened relations between the U.S. and communist China.
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Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Legacy of Ashes is a detailed history of the Central Intelligence Agency from its creation after World War II, through the Cold War years and the War on Terror, to the September 11 attacks in 2001 and beyond. The book is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA, and hundreds of interviews with CIA veterans, including ten Directors of Central Intelligence
“Impressively reported, immensely entertaining.”
“Truly extrodinary. The best book ever written on a case of espionage.”
“Is the CIA a bulwark of freedom against dangerous foes, or a malevolent conspiracy to spread American imperlalism? A little of both, according to this absorbing study.”
“The most notoius muckraking CIA books of the 1970s aspired to shatter the agency and make sure Americans never tried to create one again. Mr. Weiner’s goals is just the opposite. He hopes that his book will ‘serve as a warning’, insisting that “thisnation may not long endure as a great power unless it finds the eyes to see things asthey are in the world.”
Tim Weiner is a reporter, author of three books and co-author of a fourth, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. He is a graduate of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University and has worked for the Times since 1993, as a foreign correspondent in Mexico, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sudan and as a national security correspondent in Washington, DC.
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The Impact of the Internet with Arianna Huffington
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion with Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington post, to talk about the impact of the internet. Ms. Huffington spoke specifically on the potential impact of the internet on the 2008 elections campaign and how online organizing can help end the Iraq war. S
The Common Good hosted a breakfast and discussion with Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Huffington post, to talk about the impact of the internet. Ms. Huffington spoke specifically on the potential impact of the internet on the 2008 elections campaign and how online organizing can help end the Iraq war. She also examined how bloggers, videographers and new organizations like TrueMajority, MoveOn and ActBlue are transforming American politics.
Arianna Huffington is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of thirteen books. She is also co-host of “Left, Right & Center,” public radio’s popular political roundtable program, as well as “Both Sides Now,” a weekly syndicated radio show with Mary Matalin moderated by Mark Green. She serves on several boards that promote community solutions to social problems, including A Place Called Home, which works with at-risk children in South Central Los Angeles. She also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Archer School for Girls.
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The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World
The Common Good hosted Doug Schoen, political strategist, pollster, and advisor to President Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Schoen discussed his book ‘The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World.’
The Common Good hosted Doug Schoen, political strategist, pollster, and advisor to President Bill Clinton and Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Schoen discussed his book ‘The Power of the Vote: Electing Presidents, Overthrowing Dictators, and Promoting Democracy Around the World.’
The Power of the Vote lays out a game plan for the Democrats, detailing the strategies and tactics that will lead them back to the White House. Schoen illustrates how technology and politics have merged to change the political process in America and abroad. His technology strategies were critical to Bill Clinton’s successful reelection campaign in 1996 and revolutionized party strategy when he helped New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg get elected. In the book he demonstrates how to utilize the latest technology to help candidates win the hearts and minds of the public.
ouglas Schoen is an American political analyst, pollster, author, and commentator. He is a political analyst for Fox News. He partnered with political strategist Mark Penn and Michael Berland in the firm of Penn, Schoen & Berland. He believes that lower taxes would be a successful Democratic strategy, opposed President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, warned the Democratic Party to reject the Occupy Wall Street protest, and recommended that President Obama not run for reelection in 2012.
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The Road to the White House: Bill Richardson
The Common Good held a luncheon and discussion with the honorable Chris Dodd. Chris spoke about the road to the White House.
The Common Good held a luncheon and discussion with the honorable Bill Richardson. Bill spoke about the road to the White House.
Bill Richardson has led a distinguished public-service career as a U.S. Congressman (1982-1996), U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations (1997-1998), and Secretary of Energy under President Bill Clinton (1998-2000). Before being elected Governor of New Mexico, Richardson was Chairman of Freedom House, a private nonpartisan organization that promotes democracy and human rights worldwide, and served on the boards of the National Resource Defense Council and United Way International.
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The Road to the White House: Chris Dodd
The Common Good held a luncheon and discussion with the honorable Chris Dodd. Chris spoke about the road to the White House.
The Common Good held a luncheon and discussion with the honorable Chris Dodd. Chris spoke about the road to the White House.
Christopher Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress. Dodd served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. He served as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee until his retirement.
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No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight with Tom DeLay
The Common Good hosted the honorable Tom DeLay to discuss his memoir in which he opens up about his controversial career.
The Common Good hosted the honorable Tom DeLay to discuss his memoir in which he opens up about his controversial career.
In this eagerly awaited memoir, DeLay shares fascinating stories from his entire career, starting with his early, raucous days in Texas; his personal conversion to Christ, and how that changed his personal and political life. DeLay also discusses his victories against the odds, with the slimmest of margins; his passionate dedication to abused and neglected children; and his battle to fend off a 10-year barrage of malicious and frivolous allegations of wrongdoing, which ultimately led to his decision to resign from Congress.
Thomas Dale “Tom” DeLay is a former member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Texas’s 22nd congressional district from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party (GOP) House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2005, when he resigned because of criminal money laundering charges in connection with a campaign finance investigation.
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Washington Political Consultants: The Politics of Polarization with Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon
The Common Good was excited to host a special luncheon with Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon. Though they come from opposite sides of the aisle, Bailey and Rafshoon agreed that huge changes are coming to politics in the next few years. They discussed their analysis on the negative effects of the politics of polarization, how the internet will change everything and how a third ticket is a possibility in presidential races.
Doug Bailey was an American political consultant and founder of The Hotline, a bipartisan, daily online briefing on American politics. After leaving day-to-day operations at The Hotline, which he began in 1987, Bailey became involved in numerous philanthropic activities. Most recently, he was one of the four co-founders of the political reform movement Unity08, a company that hoped to start a new centrist party for the 2008 presidential election. He appeared on The Colbert Report to promote his cause. He also founded Freedom’s Answer, a non-partisan voter turnout effort, with former Clinton Press Secretary Mike McCurry. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Fletcher School at Tufts University.
Gerald Rafshoon is an American television producer and political operative. He is one of the four founding members of Unity08, and was the White House Communications Director under the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Rafshoon has spent over 40 years in various aspects of communications including advertising, publicity, politics and film. His experience includes running a successful advertising agency, serving as White House Communications Director and as Producer and Executive Producer of motion pictures for television and cable. (2)
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(2) Material from Wikipedia.
Meet & Greet: Governor Ed Randell
The Common Good was pleased to announce that Governor Rendell who made a stop in New York City to come and speak to us right after his successful re-election winning over 60% of the vote.
The Common Good was pleased to announce that Governor Rendell who made a stop in New York City to come and speak to us right after his successful re-election winning over 60% of the vote.
During Gov Rendell’s term, the State had an 800 million surplus while increasing funding for Head Start by $10 million and fully funding expansion of the Children’s Health insurance program. The Governor also instituted a controversial gambling plan increase revenues by $1 billion as part of a plan to fund property tax reduction. Pennsylvania Job Growth has risen from 41st to 15th under his leadership.
Former Governor Ed Rendell has become a champion for progress in the area of alternative energy, and now serves as a consultant or board member for several green and alternative energy firms, including Own Energy, The Efficiency Network and VNG.co. He has also remained heavily involved in the campaign for government efficiency and strategic cost cutting through his work with entities such as Government Sourcing Solutions and Public Financial Management.
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The Road to the White House: Tom Vilsack
The Common Good hosted Democratic governor Tom Vilsack for a luncheon and to discuss his formal announcement to be a candidate for President for 2008.
The Common Good hosted Democratic governor Tom Vilsack for a luncheon and to discuss his formal announcement to be a candidate for President for 2008.
Tom Vilsack serves as the Nation’s 30th Secretary of Agriculture. As leader of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Vilsack is working hard to strengthen the American agricultural economy, build vibrant rural communities and create new markets for the tremendous innovation of rural America. In five years at the Department, Vilsack has worked to implement President Obama’s agenda to put Americans back to work and create an economy built to last. USDA has supported America’s farmers, ranchers and growers who are driving the rural economy forward, provided food assistance to millions of Americans, carried out record conservation efforts, made record investments in our rural communities and helped provide a safe, sufficient and nutritious food supply for the American people.
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Special Post-Election Wrap Up with William Schneider
The Common Good was thrilled to welcome William Schneider, one of the country’s leading political commentators and CNN’s senior political analyst, for a very special briefing following the critical 2006 November elections.
The Common Good was thrilled to welcome William Schneider, one of the country’s leading political commentators and CNN’s senior political analyst, for a very special briefing following the critical 2006 November elections.
William “Bill” Schneider is a leading US political analyst and professor at the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, and has been a visiting professor at UCLA, Brandeis University, and Boston College. He has written for the Los Angeles Times, the New Republic, The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Politico, Reuters, National Journal, and NBC News Think. He was CNN’s senior political analyst from 1990 to 2009 and has been a contributor to Al Jazeera English since 2012. He is co-author, with Seymour Martin Lipset, of The Confidence Gap: Business, Labor, and Government in the Public Mind.
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Meet & Greet: The Honorable Brian Schweitzer
The Common Good was proud to host a meet and greet breakfast with the Honorable Brian Schweitzer. This event was hosted by Catherine Crier and Peter Worth.
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician who was the 23rd Governor of Montana between January 2005 and 2013. Schweitzer currently had one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60 percent. Schweitzer also chaired the Western Governors Association, formerly chaired the Democratic Governors Association, and served as President of the Council of State Governments in 2011.
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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.