PAST EVENTS
TCGF American Renewal Project with Rahm Emanuel
Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Mayor of Chicago, Obama White House Chief of Staff, and Democratic Congressman from Illinois
Thursday, May 28th, 12:00-2:00pm ET, at The Yale Club
Rahm Emanuel has emerged as one of the sharpest voices arguing that American renewal must be built around concrete national purpose: stronger schools, universal national service, community college as a bridge to the middle class, tougher government accountability, immigration reform, and a renewed commitment to American competitiveness in the world.
At the heart of Emanuel’s argument is a simple but urgent credo: America cannot restore public trust through grievance, nostalgia, or permanent opposition. It has to prove again that democratic government can deliver — that it can prepare young people for work and citizenship, rebuild the middle-class bargain, protect families from new threats, and give Americans a renewed sense of shared obligation and national possibility.
As part of The Common Good American Renewal Project, this conversation will explore what it would actually take to move the country beyond division and toward material progress, institutional reform, and a more confident national future. Few leaders bring Emanuel’s combination of political combat, executive experience, diplomatic perspective, and willingness to challenge both parties’ orthodoxies. His voice is essential to any serious conversation about how America can govern, compete, and believe in itself again.
Join us for a timely and inspiring conversation on the ideas, leadership, and national seriousness American renewal will require. Bring your questions.
About Our Speaker
Rahm Emanuel is a former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, Mayor of Chicago, White House Chief of Staff, and Democratic congressman from Illinois. He served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan from 2022 to 2025, where he worked to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance amid rising strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. Before his diplomatic service, Emanuel served two terms as the 55th Mayor of Chicago, from 2011 to 2019.
From 2009 to 2010, Emanuel served as White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, helping guide the administration through the financial crisis and the passage of major early legislative priorities. He previously represented Illinois’s 5th Congressional District from 2003 to 2009, chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee during the party’s 2006 House majority win, and later served as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Earlier in his career, he served as a senior adviser in the Clinton White House.
Emanuel is currently a Senior Advisor at Centerview Partners and a Senior Political and Global Affairs Commentator for CNN. He is the author of The Nation City: Why Mayors Are Now Running the World and co-author, with Bruce Reed, of The Plan: Big Ideas for America.
TCGF Town Hall: America at the Crossroads
We’ve got a wonderful luncheon Town Hall presented by The Common Good on May 11th - with important headliners on stage and an impressive audience as well.
Our Town Hall will present fresh ideas for renewing America as we celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary. We’re honored to welcome a man who’s already considered a serious likely presidential candidate, Governor Andy Beshear, to be interviewed by MS NOW show host, Ari Melber, with questions from the audience (and perhaps you), and the option for a photo opportunity with the Governor.
Following Governor Beshear’s talk, our amazing panel on American renewal features some of the smartest and liveliest idea leaders, including:
Rana Foroohar, the brilliant Financial Times Columnist and author who calls for a better deal against an economy overpowered by finance, corporations and big tech. She has argued for reform from financial speculation to reviving domestic industrial capacity, and reining in corporate and tech dominance.
Adam Mockler, the young, energetic YouTube podcaster with 2 million followers who advocates for ending billionaire corruption, rewriting the tax code to close loopholes, reversing the "catastrophic" impact of defunding health and a path to healthcare for all.
Oren Cass: The fresh thinker redefining work, family, and national strength in America. As Founder and Chief of American Compass, Cass advocates for restoring the American tradition going all the way back to Hamilton - a robust national economic policy, federal investment, and protection of domestic markets.”
Does renewal require a new spirit, new values, as well as a new economic bargain for all Americans? We think you will be inspired and informed about the possibilities for a new direction for our nation.
Inside Trump’s West Wing
Chris Whipple joined The Common Good for an exclusive Zoom briefing that goes behind the scenes of his revelatory, rare on-the-record interviews with Susie Wiles, the most powerful figure in the West Wing after Donald Trump himself.
Chris Whipple
Critically Acclaimed Author, Political Analyst, & Emmy Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker
Chris Whipple joins The Common Good Forum for an exclusive Zoom briefing that goes behind the scenes of his revelatory, rare on-the-record interviews with Susie Wiles, the most powerful figure in the West Wing after Donald Trump himself.
Hailed as an “indispensable observer of American power”, Whipple offers one of the most candid portraits yet of how Trump’s second administration really operates—from the Epstein files fallout to the politics of retribution, late-night crisis management, and a presidency seemingly driven by impulse as much as strategy.
You’ve read the reporting. This is the conversation behind it. Smart, unsettling, and impossible to look away.
About Our Speaker
Chris Whipple is an author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, and speaker. He’s been called “an indispensable observer of American power.” Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent of The New York Times, calls him “a premier journalist and historian of the White House as well as the intelligence community.” A former CBS 60 Minutes producer, Whipple is the author of the book that is rocking the political world, Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History, which rocketed to #6 on the New York Times bestseller list. His previous books include The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, a New York Times bestseller, The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future, and The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden’s White House. He has written for Vanity Fair, Politico, The Daily Beast, and many other publications. Whipple has spoken at the Harvard Kennedy School and Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs.
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.