Art of the Political Revolution: Millennials, Progressives and the Future of the Democratic Party

One could argue the Democratic Party currently answers to no one, so it’s no wonder its various coalitions and factions are often at odds on everything from policy to how to engage electorally. This week, our guest will be one of the leading voices folks say could be the “next leader of the Democratic Party.” What challenges does he or she believe the Party needs to overcome? What opportunities should everyone from activists to operatives be capitalizing on in this moment? What is their idea of the “secret sauce” Dems need to pull it together? And of course, where does the Party go from here?

Join Symone Sanders and special guest Killer Mike, one of the unlikely voices in the debate on the current state of the party, for a frank conversation about where the party is headed going into the 2018 elections.

A Conversation with
Steve Hahn
Professor, NYU
Author, The Political Worlds of Slavery and Freedom, Freedom: A Documentary History of Emancipation
Michael Kazin
Editor, Dissent
Professor, Georgetown University
Elizabeth Sanders
Professor, Department of Government, Cornell University
Alex Keyssar (Moderator)
Professor of History and Social Policy, Malcolm Weiner Center for Social Policy, HKS

A Mayor for Change: Tackling National Issues at the Local Level

A Conversation with United States Representative and Democratic National Committee Deputy Chair, Keith Ellison

Congressman Keith Ellison has represented Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives since taking office on January 4, 2007. His policy agenda is based on four key priorities: peace, prosperity for working families, environmental sustainability, and support for civil & human rights. He is currently serving his fifth term. Ellison is also the Vice-Chair for & Labor Liaison of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a Chief Deputy Whip of the House Democratic Conference, and the Deputy Chair of the DNC.

Guest: United States Representative (D-MN 5th District) and Democratic National Committee Deputy Chair, Keith Ellison

Rising Inequality and the Changing Structure of Political Conflict
The Inaugural James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Lecture in Economic Inequality

Thomas Piketty
Professor at EHESS and the Paris School of Economics.
Author of the international best-seller, 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century'
Douglas Elmendorf (Moderator)
Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

*Please Note: Floor seats will be reserved for Harvard ID holders. All seating is available on a first-arrive basis. Doors will close when capacity is reached.

Platforms, Networks, and New Power Technology’s Impact on Politics, Policy, and Elections

Today, the rules that technology companies use to govern content on their platform are far-reaching and poorly understood. Nonetheless, the size and scale of these systems mean that these rules become a new system of governing. We will discuss these issues with some of the pioneers in the emerging field of content and safety policy who helped shape and develop these rules.

Guests: Charlotte Willner, Pinterest’s Trust & Safety Manager, former Facebook Safety Operations team and Dave Willner, Head of Community Policy, AirBnB, and former Facebook Policy Team

A Mayor for Change: Tackling National Issues at the Local Level

Every elected official is a human being, and every elected official has to govern regardless of personal comfort or convenience. In Nov. 2015, Jamar Clark was shot and killed by members of the Minneapolis Police Department. His death was followed by an unprecedented 18-day occupation by demonstrators on the grounds of the Fourth Police Precinct. It was a time that tested alliances and friendships, including in Mayor Hodges' personal and professional life. Her Chief of Staff John Stiles and his husband, President of SEIU Local 26 in Minneapolis, both close friends of the Mayor, were at the heart of that moment and those tensions, and the three did not always agree with one another. How does a public servant navigate those waters? How does the community?

Guests: John Stiles, former Chief of Staff to Mayor Betsy Hodges and Javier Morillo, SEIU Local 26 President.

A Conversation with
Edward O. Wilson
Pellegrino University Research Professor, Emeritus in Entomology at Harvard University
Author, The Origins of Creativity, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life
Two-time Pulitzer Prize Winner
Terry Tempest Williams
Writer-in-residence, Harvard Divinity School
Naturalist and Environmental Writer
Author, The Hour of Land: A Personal Topography of America’s National Parks
Jonathan B. Jarvis
Director, U.S. National Park Service (2009-2017) 
Executive Director, Institute for Parks, People and Biodiversity, University of California, Berkeley
Author, The Future of Conservation in America: A Chart for Rough Water
Linda J. Bilmes (Moderator)
Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, HKS
Member, National Park Service Advisory Board

Are We Still in This Together? The Death of Parties, the Rise of Tribalism in American Politics and What It Portends for Our Future

Republicans have a favorable map as they defend their slim 51-49 advantage in the U.S. Senate. Given the implications for the Trump agenda, what is the Senate landscape in 2018? Join Scott Jennings and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for a discussion on the midterm battle for the U.S. Senate, McConnell’s observations on today’s politics, and some discussion of McConnell’s autobiography The Long Game. 

***This study group is lotteried***

Please enter the lottery here before Monday, March 26, 2018 at 11:30pm.
Selected participants will be notified on Tuesday, March 27, 2018. 

A Conversation with
Tina Tchen
Partner, Buckley Sandler
Leader, Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund
Chief of Staff, Office of First Lady Michelle Obama
Harvard College '78
Mona Charen
Syndicated Columnist
Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Victoria A. Budson (Moderator)
Founder & Executive Director, Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP), Harvard Kennedy School
Chairperson, Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women (2011-2016)

The Art of the Political Revolution: Millennial, Progressive and the Future of the Democratic Party

In this study group, Symone will sit down with Guy Cecil, Chairman of Priorities USA, to dissect the digital space and political communication with millennials. Over the last year, various factions of the Democratic Party apparatus have moved to better understand the digital space. What should digital programs focus on? What kinds of methods should be employed to identify and target key voters? How can Democrats use digital campaigns to identify new and unlikely voters?

Guest: Guy Cecil, Chairman of Priorities USA and former Executive Director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Beyond The Campaign Tactics: The Intersection of Politics and Policy

When elections are over, how do the winners translate campaign platforms into legislation? How do they decide which campaign issues are first in the queue when it comes to the legislative process, and how do they ensure that political momentum is maintained through that process? For example, some analysts suggest it was a mistake for the Trump Administration and the new Republican Congress to make repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act their first priority.

Guest: The Honorable Joshua Bolten, CEO of the Business Roundtable, former White House Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and policy director for Bush-Cheney 2000.