Conversations with Kirkland in partnership with The Harvard Political Union
 

Rhetoric vs. Results in Politics Today with Robby Mook

Join a conversation with Robby Mook, former campaign manager and strategist for Secretary Hillary Clinton’s 2015-2016 presidential campaign. Mook is currently a senior fellow in the Defending Digital Democracy Project at the Belfer Center, and serves as a CNN political commentator. His political successes include the 2013 election of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe – the first time in 40 years that Virginians elected a governor from the same party as the sitting U.S President – and the 2008 election of Jeanne Shaheen, New Hampshire’s first woman Senator. He also was state director for Clinton’s 2008 presidential primary campaign in three states where she defeated Barack Obama in the primaries. In 2012, he served as Executive Director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

RSVP: https://goo.gl/wHv1jt

Jason Corral
Staff Attorney, Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program
Roberto G. Gonzales
Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Carlos Rojas
Special Projects Consultant, Youth on Board
Massachusetts-based Immigrant Rights Advocate
Dan Balz (moderator)
Chief Correspondent, The Washington Post
Fall 2017 Resident Fellow, Institute of Politics

Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for the Washington Post, moderated a discussion in the forum regarding the legislative future of DACA, or Deffered Admittance for Childhood Arrivals. Moderator Dan Balz was joined onstage by Jason Corral, Staff Attorney, Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program, Roberto G. Gonzales, Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education, and Carlos Rojas, Special Projects Consultant, Youth on Board. The panelists discussed, among other things, personal experiences with the DACA program, potential legislative changes or differences that we might expect from this administration, and their own ideas on how to fix or change DACA. 

Mike Pompeo
Director, Central Intelligence Agency
Graham T. Allison
Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard Kennedy School

***THIS EVENT IS TICKETED***
Enter the lottery HERE before Sunday, September 10 at midnight. 
Selected participants will be notified by email Monday, September 11 via email.
Ticket Pick up Information:
Institute of Politics at HKS: 9 AM – 5 PM on Tuesday, September 12 & Wednesday, September 13
Science Center: 11 AM – 2 PM on Wednesday, September 13 & Thursday, September 14
A valid ID must be presented to pick up a ticket. No Exceptions.

Dr. Harry Edwards
Professor Emeritus, University of California, Berkeley
Author, The Revolt of the Black Athlete
James Brown
Host, The NFL Today on CBS Sports & Thursday Night Football, CBS Sports and NFL Network
Special Correspondent, CBS News
Harvard College ‘73

Dr. Harry Edwards, an esteemed professor and author, addressed the forum on athlete activism ranging from Jessie Owens to Jackie Robinson to Colin Kaepernick. Dr. Edwards spoke about what it means to be an activist in the twenty-first century and how the role of athlete activist has changed over the decades. Television host and Harvard graduate of ’73 James Brown moderated the forum.

Denis McDonough
Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama (2013 – 2017)
Andy Card
President Franklin Pierce University (2014-2016)
Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush (2001-2006)
Mack McLarty
Chairman, McLarty Associates
Chief of Staff to President William Clinton (1993 -1994)
Chris Whipple (moderator)
Documentary Filmmaker and writer
Author, The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency

Andy Card, Chief of Staff to President George W. Bush, Denis McDonough, Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama, and Mack McLarty, Chief of Staff to President William Clinton, joined moderator Chris Whipple, documentary filmmaker and author, for a panel discussion on the duties, privileges, and challenges faced by the president's most trusted advisors. The panelists discussed the role of discipline in limiting and prioritizing access to the President while maneuvering delicate political atmospheres, often times assuming the role of friend and others the role of counsel across decades of American history. 

Heather Adkins
Manager Information Security, Google
Molly McKew
Foreign Policy and Strategy Consultant, Information Warfare Expert and Writer
Robby Mook
Senior Fellow, Defending Digital Democracy Project
Campaign Manager, Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign
Debbie Plunkett
Principal, Plunkett Associates LLC
Former Director National Security Agency's Information Assurance Directorate
Matt Rhoades
Senior Fellow, Defending Digital Democracy Project
Campaign Manager, Romney-Ryan 2012 presidential campaign
Clint Watts
Senior Fellow, Center for Cyber and Homeland Security, George Washington University
Foreign Policy Research Institute Fellow
Eric Rosenbach (moderator)
Co-Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affiars
Co-Director, Defending Digital Democracy Project
Chief of Staff, United States Department of Defense (2015-2017)
Assistant Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense (2014-2015)

Heather Adkins, Manager of Information Security at Google, Molly McKew, Information Warfare Expert, Robby Mook, Campaign Manager for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign, Debbie Plunkett, Former Director of Information Assurance at the National Security Agency, Matt Rhoades, Campaign Manager for Mitt Romney's Presidential Campaign, and Clint Watts, Senior Fellow at the Center for Cyber and Homeland Security at George Washington University, joined moderator Eric Rosenbach, Director of the Defending Digital Democracy Project, for a panel discussion on dangers to democracy in the digital age ranging from threats to free and fair elections to the psychological influence of personalized internet content. 

A panel featuring IOP Fall 2017 Fellows
Yohannes Abraham
Former Senior Advisor to the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant, Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, White House
Dan Balz
Chief Correspondent, The Washington Post
Jason Chaffetz
U.S. Congressman (R-UT) (2009-2017)
Former Chair, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee
Contributor, Fox News Network
Karen Finney
Senior Advisor and Spokesperson, Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign
Sally Jewell
United States Secretary of the Interior (2013 to 2017)
CEO, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) (200-2013)
Mark Strand
President, Congressional Institute
Lois Romano (moderator)
Strategic Advisor, Institute of Politics
Former Washington Post Political Reporter and Editor

The Institute of Politics officially welcomed six new fellows this semester with a panel discussion on their respective political experiences. The six fellows include Yohannes Abraham, Former Senior Advisor to the National Economic Council and Deputy Assistant, Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs, White House, Dan Balz,Chief Correspondent, The Washington Post, Jason Chaffetz, U.S. Congressman (R-UT) (2009-2017), Karen Finney, Senior Advisor and Spokesperson, Hillary Clinton 2016 Presidential Campaign, Sally Jewell, United States Secretary of the Interior (2013 to 2017) and CEO, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) (200-2013), and Mark Strand, President, Congressional Institute. The panelists discussed, among other topics, the 2016 Presidential Election, DACA, and remedies to "fix" politics. 

A panel discussion featuring HKS Faculty
Marshall Ganz
Senior Lecturer, Harvard Kennedy School
Jane Mansbridge
Charles F. Adams Professor of Political Leadership and Democratic Values, Harvard Kennedy School
Khalil Gibran Muhammad
Professor of History, Race, and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School Suzanne Young Murray Professor, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
Meghan O'Sullivan
Jean Kirkpatrick Professor of the Practice of International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School
Dani Rodrik
Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School
Kathryn Sikkink
Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy, HKS; Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor, Radcliffe Institute
Nicco Mele (Moderator)
Lecturer in Public Policy and Director, Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

A panel of Harvard professors including Marshall Ganz, Dani Rodrik, Jane Mansbridge, Khalil Gibran Muhammad, Meghan O'Sullivan, and Kathryn Sikkink joined moderator Nicco Mele onstage at the forum to discuss the current landscape of democracy in America. The panelists discussed, among other things, how contemporary characteristics of populism, free speech, the media, race, national history, and economic inequality impact the durability of our democratic institutions in 2017. The panelists also took questions from the audience regarding the power of protests and opposition, international relations, and electoral politics. 

James R. Clapper, Jr.
Director of National Intelligence (2010-2017)
Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
 
Mike Rogers
Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Chair, House Intelligence Committee (2011-2015)
Member, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-8, R) (2001-2015)

Graham Allison (Moderator)
Douglas Dillon Professor of Government and Director, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Panelists James R. Clapper, Jr., Director of National Intelligence (2010-2017) and Mike Rogers, Chair, House Intelligence Committee (2011-2015) and Member, U.S. House of Representatives (MI-8, R) (2001-2015), addressed the forum on the US intelligence community's perspective on Russia interference in the 2016 US Presidential election. The panelists, along with moderator and Harvard Professor Graham Allison, discussed the evidence around interference, the role of Congress in future investigations, and the working relationship between The Executive Branch and US Intelligence agencies. 

Take a break from studying and join us for pizza and discussion with the 
Democratic Candidate for Governor of Virginia Tom Perriello and Shorenstein Center fellow Meighan Stone