The Moral Center and the Politics of Values

September 28, 2006, 12:30pm – 2:00pm

About This Event

For the last several years, political and public policy discussions have inevitably moved to values. Unfortunately, divisive conservative messages and ballot initiatives have often dominated the discussion. Rather than discussion that exploits popular moral anxiety, David Callahan argues in The Moral Center that as conservatives veer into zealotry, liberals can find common ground with the moderate majority. But liberals need a powerful new vision that reflects the true American center, focused on how market forces are undermining our values. Callahan outlines a strong progressive agenda that addresses the concerns of parents, families and all those concerned with a sense that our values are being undermined by the broader culture and economy.

Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive for Permanent Power
Thomas Edsall, author of Building Red America argues that the realignment taken up by the Right is on an unprecedented scale. The Right’s concentration of new cultural apparatuses such as the media and the academy that solidify their reign over political dominance is destroying our Democracy. Edsall offers fresh new insight into how we can prevent this grandiose consolidation of political power and reclaim the moral center. Featured Panelists:
David Callahan, author of The Moral Center and Senior Fellow at Demos, a public policy center based in New York City
Thomas Edsall, Special Correspondent for The New Republic and author of Building Red America: The New Conservative Coalition and the Drive For Permanent Power
Amy Sullivan, Contributing Editor to The Washington Monthly
and author of a forthcoming book on religion and politics
Moderated by:
Neera Tanden, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Center for American Progress

Location

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW
Washington, DC 20005

Biographies

David Callahan has written extensively about American history, business, and public policy. He is author of The Cheating Culture: Why More Americans Are Doing Wrong to Get Ahead (Harcourt, Jan. 2004). His five previous books include Kindred Spirits: Harvard Business School's Extraordinary Class of 1949 and How They Transformed American Business (John Wiley/Forbes).
David's numerous articles have been published in such places as The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and The American Prospect. He has also been a frequent commentator on television programs on CNN, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, and Fox News, and has been a regular guest on radio talk shows across the United States, including appearances such NPR programs as Morning Edition, The Connection, and The Tavis Smiley Show. David lectures frequently about issues of ethics and integrity to universities, associations, and businesses. (Learn more about David's speaking.)
In 1999, David co-founded a new think tank, Demos, a public policy center based in New York City. Demos combines research and advocacy, working to strengthen democracy and expand economic opportunity within the United States. Previous to co-founding Demos, David was a Fellow at the Century Foundation from 1994 to 1999, where he engaged in wide-ranging public policy research and analysis. David received his B.A. at Hampshire College and his Ph.D in Politics at Princeton University. Born in 1965, he lives in New York City.
Thomas Edsall, is special correspondent for The New Republic. Prior to that Tom was Senior Political Correspondent for The Washington Post. He is also frequent contributor to such magazines as The Atlantic Monthly, The New York Review of Books, The New Republic, Civilization, Harper's, The American Prospect, The Nation, Washington Monthly, and Dissent. His awards include the Carey McWilliams Award of the American Political Science Association, the Bill Pryor Award of the Newspaper Guild, a year-long fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and five Media Fellowships at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. His previous book, Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in 1992. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Amy Sullivan, is an editor of Washington Monthly and leading expert on religion and politics. She is a doctoral candidate in Religion and Politics at Princeton and formerly served as an aid to Senator Tom Daschle and Editorial Director for the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and Harvard Divinity School.

Sullivan’s articles on religion, politics, and the media have appeared in The American Prospect, Boston Globe, Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, Sojourners, The Washington Monthly, and The Washington Post. She appears regularly in the media to comment on progressive and prophetic religious perspectives.
Neera Tanden has served in policy making roles in the executive branch, Congress, and at the local level. Prior to joining the Center, she was legislative director for Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) where she handled both domestic and foreign policy for the Senator. Before that Neera was the senior vice president for domestic policy for the Center for American Progress. She has also worked on educational accountability standards and fiscal equity issues as senior policy advisor to the Chancellor of the New York City Schools, Harold Levy. Prior to that she was the deputy campaign manager and policy director for the senate campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton where she was in charge of all policies and positions for the campaign. Neera also served in the White House under President Clinton as the senior policy advisor to the First Lady and associate director in the Domestic Policy Council where she managed children and family issues for the President, including childcare, early learning and after school. She graduated from UCLA and received her law degree from Yale Law School.