Today we heard from two local Minnesota state legislators, Republican Pat Garofalo and Democrat Steve Simon.  Although from different parties, Pat and Steve continuously stressed the fact that they are good friends throughout the discussion.  An important idea which Pat and Steve also believe in is “Distrust is far more toxic than disagreement” and that “We’re always going to have disagreement.” Simon said both of these comments, which Pat agreed with, and they truly resonated w

Things are certainly not winding down here at the DNC.  Instead, the energy has risen and the excitement is mounting.   Tonight, instead of watching speeches with the Ohio Delegation, several of the students and I went to a rather large community watch party at the Wells Fargo Theatre. I'm really glad we did this because I believe it provided a better sense as to how Democrats on the street reacted to the speeches. I want to talk a bit about a few of them.

Although John Kerry looks funny, this quote is true and something that I think any person can stand behind.

Another quote that struck me today was said by Mickey Edwards when he said "Believe it or not, no Congressman has ever heard the terms 'trustee' or 'delegate'." These are two words that Dr. Alexander taught in Modern Political Conflicts 105 that it seems are irrelevant as a Congressman, but as a scholar are common terms.

Hello Everyone!

"Everything you do, whether perceived to be good or bad, is good because it's an experience" - Eugene Alpert, Senior Vice President of The Washington Center

 Today officially began our TWC RNC experience. Our 8:30-12pm session included a welcome from Augsburg College President Dr. Paul Pribbenow, a re-introduction of the seminar faculty leaders and a speech by the faculty director, Former OK Congressman Mickey Edwards and a "conversation" with Dr. Meena Bose and Congressman Edwards.

"We don't have a national election [for President]. We have 50 state elections"  There's a way to start off the morning at a Presidential Convention.