It took less than a decade for the French Revolution to run its course, yet almost 100 years for the revolution that saw the end of Democracy in ancient Rome. Is there any evidence that American Democracy (and by extension, the larger concept of Western Democracies) marching along the same path? If so, why is it happening, and can anything be done to put governing back on firm representative democratic principles? Mr. Mulvaney will combine an academic historical view of the world as applied to current day, behind-the-scenes Washington, D.C.
Perhaps nowhere in the world – be it the private of the public sector – do textbook lessons regarding management come into sharper focus than in the Oval Office. With every move scrutinized in a crucible that would make many CEO’s blanche, and with even low-level decisions blasted on front pages and the evening news on a daily basis, the importance of some tenets of management – and the fallacies of others – are revealed. Using real-world examples from the highest levels of the federal government, Mr. Mulvaney can educate, enlighten, and entertain any group that takes management seriously.
In the early days of 2020, Mr. Mulvaney oversaw the group that would eventually become known as the White House Coronavirus Task Force. He was involved in the first steps of the U.S. response and was personally involved in international discussions about how to contain the virus. More importantly, perhaps, he has unique first-hand insight as to why the US – and ultimately the world – responded to the outbreak as it did, and can talk about what went right, and what did not.
President Biden ran on a platform of unity, reconciliation, and bipartisanship. Left to his own devices, it is arguably true that, he would be that kind of leader. However, the early days of his administration have been marked by more of the same (if only less fiery language and fewer tweets emanating from the Oval Office). Mr. Mulvaney will talk about why that is, why bipartisanship is so difficult to obtain in Washington, and what the next few years are likely to look like.
Every election in recent history has been billed as the “most important in our lifetimes,” so using hyperbole to describe the 2022 and 2024 elections isn’t succinct or helpful. But it’s undeniable that today’s dynamic in U.S. politics makes it possible to see dramatic swings. After all, Democrats have won the White House, the Senate, and the House since 2008, only to lose all of them over the next four elections. Republicans held all three in 2016 but managed to lose them all of within four years.
Why is the GOP expected to win the House in 2022? What does the party look like if that happens (or doesn’t)? Will Trump run again? Will Biden? And, depending on the answers to each of those questions, what does the field for each party look like?
