Congressman Will Hurd (R-TX) and Professor Juliette Kayyem '91 discuss modern day threats to national security and consider strategies to combat challenges at home and abroad.

A conversation with former NBA player Clark Kellogg, former Congressman and NBA player Tom McMillen, activist and former IOP Fellow Brittany Packnett moderated by Harvard Law School's Peter Carfagna exploring the transforming landscape of sports.

Join the premiere Pizza and Politics of Fall 2019 with Sarah Hurwitz A.B. ’99 and J.D. ’04, Author, Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life--in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There). Sarah was an IOP Resident Fellow, Spring 2017, the Head Speechwriter for First Lady Michelle Obama (2010-17), and served as Senior Speechwriter for President Barack Obama (2009-10).

Kosher Pizza will be served.  

Co-sponsored by:

Join us in the JFK Jr. Forum for a conversation with IOP's Fall 2019 Resident Fellows LaTosha Brown, Bob Cohn, Deesha Dyer, Sen. Jeff Flake, H.E. Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, and Alice Stewart, moderated by Mark D. Gearan.

Join the Institute of Politics on Wednesday, September 11 in Wexner Commons for our biannual undergraduate Open House! 15+ Programs will have representatives present to answer questions and talk about their programming. Food and drinks will be provided.

Join us in the JFK Jr. Forum for a viewing party of the Third Democratic Primary Debate in Houston, TX. Doors will open at 7:30PM.

Imposter syndrome is defined as feeling like you achieved something by luck, not talent. You feel like a ‘fraud’ that could be exposed at any moment, even if you earned every victory and accomplishment. 

Politics can be intimidating, and people often feel they have to be rooted in a specific issue, aligned with a certain candidate or connected to a list of noteworthy personalities in order to be welcomed and effective. We can’t deny that these elements do help, but those are not the only avenues to get inside the beltway.   

As we approach the 2020 election, the call to serve may be itching inside of you, but there may also be a voice of doubt questioning whether you can contribute something meaningful. You may look at those in prestigious positions and tell yourself there's no way you can ever get there, when you should be telling yourself the opposite. This study group will explore how to utilize your unique talents, skills and authenticity to be an effective public servant -- whether it be on a political campaign, government office, or community engagement space. We’ll discuss how to push through the obstacles and fear that naturally arise when you dive into an unfamiliar field or sector.  While the majority of discussion will focus on navigating politics and everything that comes with it, this group is for everyone who feels unqualified or unwelcomed for where they aspire to be.

The 2020 election offers an opportunity to explore the relationship between the presidency and the press. We have an incumbent who has encouraged violence against reporters and declared journalists to be enemies of the state. We have a media establishment that now routinely calls the president a liar, whose leading practitioners sometimes turn to social media to decry the commander in chief in terms that traditionalists worry flout the standards of the profession. This turbulence comes against a backdrop of profound transformation in both institutions. Publishers struggle as their long-reliable advertising model collapses, and as powerful platforms like Google and Facebook erode the clout of media brands. New methods of delivering and consuming information create opportunities for media companies, but only the most sure-footed and entrepreneurial can figure it out. Meanwhile, politicians find that digital media can be useful for field organizing, fundraising, and message-delivery, but also that freewheeling direct-to-voter channels can be tricky to navigate.

How will all of this affect the 2020 presidential race, and the coverage of it? This study group will explore the changing realities of both media and politics against what is already shaping up as an extraordinary presidential campaign. 

A public address by The Right Honourable John Bercow, MP Speaker of the House of Commons.

America’s political landscape is shifting in both the global and domestic arenas in ways that threaten the foundation of this country as being a democratic nation. We are witnessing: the shifting of the perception and function of the Executive Branch, the increasing over-reach of Presidential powers, the politicization of the Supreme Court, the intentional reduction of the role of federal agencies in state oversight, an increased polarized Congress based along party lines, and the stacking of the federal courts with conservative ring-wing judges. We are also bearing witness to the passage and implementation of deeply troubling policies, state sanctioned acts and legislation that impact the civil and human rights of immigrant groups, women,  people of color and the LGBTQ community. In light of these political changes, we must ask ourselves two critical questions: 1.) How do we implement innovative practices and new political organizing models to reverse this trend? 2.) How do we reinforce and expand America’s commitment to democracy? The answer is we must organize. 

In this study session, we will discuss various ideologies and theories about the impact of organizing in securing and advancing democracy. We will also explore the major threats and barriers to American democracy. What are the best strategies that move America towards a more inclusive, just and perfect union? Can community organizing secure democracy and combat corporate control over the national political parties? Is community organizing an effective tool for achieving democracy? If so, what are the best models for forging a new path towards transforming America and achieving democracy?

Former President Ronald Reagan encouraged colleagues to “not speak ill-will of fellow Republicans.  Former President Barack Obama advised Democrats to “avoid the circular firing squad” in the primary. In the Trump era we have the line from the hit series Game of Thrones, “It’s hard to put a leash on a dog once you’ve put a crown on its head.”  Whatever happened to civility in politics, do voters care, and what does the future hold for a return to issues-based campaigning?