Partisan gridlock in the U.S. Senate, exemplified by the present day, “no-effort” filibuster, has made it difficult for the Senate to pass meaningful legislation and respond to the needs of the country. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon) favors the "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" solution - talk. Senators who want to filibuster should need to stand up on the floor of the Senate to hold up action on bills they object to. Restoring the "talking filibuster," Senator Merkley argues, would bring the Senate back to the deliberative body it was designed to be, restore the incentives for both parties to seek compromise, and, in the process, help renew and strengthen our democracy. Join us for a conversation with Senator Jeff Merkley and Professor Larry Jacobs as they explore the history and debates of the filibuster.

The Restoration Of Congress With Senator Jeff Merkley

Democrats around the country are rallying in support of Single Payer health care reform. Among Democrats in Congress, one third of Senators and nearly two-thirds of US House of Representatives support it as do many of the leading candidates to be the party's presidential nominee in 2020. But is Single Payer affordable, feasible, and necessary? Two principled advocates come together to debate these questions - DFL Senator John Marty and GOP Senator Scott Jensen. Professor Larry Jacobs will moderate. 

Senator Scott Jensen is both a physician as well as an elected representative. He is the vice chair of the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee. He represents district 47 in the Minnesota State Senate which covers portions of the southwest metro. 

Senator John Marty is the author of the proposed Minnesota Health Plan which would cover all Minnesotans for all of their medical needs. He represents Minnesota’s 66th district in Falcon Heights and northern St. Paul and was first elected to the state senate in 1987. 
 
Larry Jacobs is the director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance and the Walter F. and Joan Mondale Chair for Political Studies. His commentary and research has been published and discussed in a number of mass media outlets.

Single Payer Debate

Introduced by Peter Donaldson, Recorded by Bath Spa University, Edited and Mixed at dBs Music'I have written a blasphemous book', said Melville when his novel was first published in 1851, 'and I feel as spotless as the lamb'. Deeply subversive, in almost every way imaginable, Moby-Dick is a virtual, alternative bible - and as such, ripe for reinterpretation in this new world of new media. Out of Dominion was born its bastard child - or perhaps its immaculate conception - the Moby-Dick Big Read: an online version of Melville's magisterial tome: each of its 135 chapters read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online, one new chapter each day, in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible.Starting 16 September 2012!For more info please go to: www.mobydickbigread.com

Chapter 17: The Ramadan - Read by Warren Cole - http://mobydickbigread.com

Part 1 of 3

Do American students know enough about their civic rights and responsibilities? How can schools ramp up their civics instruction at a time when the American public is politically polarized and deeply distrustful of its own civic institutions? This live event explored current tensions in teaching students about civics and hash out ideas and recommendations for helping educators overcome them.

At this free half-day event at the Humphrey School in Minneapolis, educators and administrators, led by an expert facilitator, received a chance to deliberate key tensions in the field of civics education and hear from reporters and others who’ve been following civics teaching in Minnesota and across the country. The conference kicked off a series of meetings across the country that are designed to yield recommendations for educators nationwide.

Civics Education in Hyper-Partisan Times Part 1 of 3

Podcast hosted by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Conversations feature elected officials, academic thinkers, and public leaders on topics that range from healthcare to housing, governance theory, national security, and leadership in public affairs. Dialogue Across Difference illustrates the Center’s purpose of bringing multiple perspectives to the fore, of providing space for conversation on key issues of the day, and a chance to listen and learn from our differences.

The Restoration Of Congress With Senator Jeff Merkley

Center for the Study of Politics and Governance

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