Democracy in Peril in America

Folio begins a three-part series of programs on “Democracy in Peril”. The first program in the series focuses on the state of democracy in America, and the future of democracy around the world.

Ukraine has shown us what it means to unite in defense of democracy. Yet in America we have wide differences over social problems, deep hostility between Red and Blue “tribes” (exacerbated by social media), loss of trust in many institutions (especially government, the media and elections), the Jan 6th insurrection and the threat of political violence, Republican efforts to restrict access to the polls, and the rise of “cancel culture” among some Democrats. 

Moderated by Folio board trustee and political commentator Mort kondracke, the panel will feature presidential historian Robert Merry, CEO of Represent US Joshua Graham Lynn and former head of the Communications Department at UW and now a principal at the voting rights group Common Purpose Now David Domke.

About the panelists:

Joshua Graham Lynn has dedicated his career to building brands that create change for good. A seasoned marketer, communications specialist and creative director, his work has been honored by the Rebrand 100 Awards, the Webby Awards, the American Package Design Awards, and the ADDYs. Josh has launched and managed numerous international brands and developed successful membership campaigns for organizations ranging from credit unions to sustainable communities, mobilizing millions of Americans toward a better future.

Robert Merry is the editor of The National Interest and author of several books, most recently President McKinley. He has been a Washington correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and the executive editor of the Congressional Quarterly, has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and other major publications, as well as appeared on Meet the Press, Face the Nation and many other programs.

David Domke is a Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, and for the past decade he has served as Department Chair. His research has focused on communication, politics, and public opinion in the United States, and in recent years Domke has worked closely with several organizations on communication and engagement in the public arena. In 2018 he worked with a team to launch CommonPurpose, and he now serves as its Associate Director for Organizational Support.

John Lapinski, Ph.D., is the Robert A. Fox Professor of Political Science, Faculty Director of the Robert A. Fox Leadership Program and the Director of the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies. He also serves as the Faculty Director for the Executive Masters of Public Administration program within the Fels Institute of Government and as the Director of the Elections Unit at NBC News. In his role for NBC News, Lapinski is responsible for projecting races for the network and produces election-related stories through exit polls for NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and all of NBC’s digital properties. Dr. Lapinski earned his Ph.D. at Columbia University in 2000, and previously was an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Yale University. He came to Penn in 2006. His primary area of research is concerned with understanding national elections as well as lawmaking in Congress through empirical analysis. He is the author of The Substance of Representation (Princeton University Press, 2013) and co-author (with David A. Bateman and Ira Katznelson) of Southern Nation (Princeton University Press, 2018).