Virtual Discussions Series
Open Primaries Upcoming National Virtual Discussion
Are the Political Parties Too Weak, Too Strong...or Obsolete?
A (historical) conversation with Mickey Edwards
April 12th ~3pm Eastern/2pm Central/1pm Mountain/12pm PST
Structural political reform is a booming topic of discussion, theorizing and action. And the question of “what’s the role of political parties?” is hugely controversial within the reform arena.
Some see stronger political parties as a key element of reform. Others think the parties have outsize control, even monopolistic power. Add to this a rising population of independent voters and it’s a volatile mix!
In our next zoom discussion, Open Primaries President John Opdycke and former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards are going to dive right into the hard questions regarding parties - including questions that were as relevant 100 years ago as they are today.
Edwards is a political innovator and godfather of the modern reform movement, best known for his thought-provoking book The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans.
We highly encourage you to register for this discussion!
Host:
John Opdycke (President, Open Primaries)
Guest:
Mickey Edwards (Author & Former Congressman (OK-R)) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, serving Oklahoma's 5th congressional district from 1977 to1993. He was a founding trustee of the Heritage Foundation and National Chairman of the American Conservative Union. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has taught at Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School. He is the former Vice President of the Aspen Institute and served as Director of the Aspen Institute’s Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership. Edwards was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is currently the visiting professor of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.