Jam-Packed Tuesday

Today was a very long day for the American Politics seminar. We began our day on Capitol Hill at the Democratic National Convention, whose mission is to fill elected positions, especially the presidency, with Democrats. We talked to the social media director, a W&M alumna, and an opposition researcher in charge of “digging up dirt” on Republican candidates for office (his focus now is the Republican primary candidates). They were an interesting perspective to gain on the topic of polarization, because one could make the argument that they actually benefit from the appearance of a polarized enemy.

Before mentioning what the afternoon held, I feel obligated to say that I saw Ben Bernanke, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, eating lunch at the Brookings Institute with us. No big deal.

After my star-struck moment, the afternoon began with a conversation with former congressmen Chet Edwards (D-TX) and Dan Lungren (R-CA). Both of these men had been public servants for decades before losing in the 2010 election due in large part to redistricting and changing populations within their districts. Their perspective is unique and invaluable, as now they have the ability to speak freely on what they saw and how to fix it. They believe that the largest perpetuator of polarization is the fact that few members of Congress actually live in Washington and have social interaction with members of the other party or their families.

Former Representative Chet Edwards (left) and Dan Lungren (right) discuss their experience with polarization in Congress

This was followed by a presentation of former political director for the German embassy Ludger Siemes. He was able to provide another unique perspective as a complete outsider to the American political system before his time with the embassy, almost the polar opposite from the speakers before him. His presentation was very different as we were essentially able to compare U.S. politics to those of Europe’s most successful economy by a longshot, and how they are different/similar.

Ludger Siemens explaining differences between German and American political parties and polarized rhetoric.

Another packed day is slated for tomorrow, and we are full-speed ahead just like the DC Metro.

Until tomorrow,

Reed Timoner, American Politics, ’19