You don’t need to be an expert in politics to participate in a Dolley Madison Dinner….just the willingness to share and listen to different points of view.  

If you have already received an invitation to a Dolley Madison Dinner, you have come to the right place!  Find your topic below to find out more about the night’s discussion.  Preparation is easy; just set aside about 20 minutes prior to attending the dinner and read/watch the materials provided below.  That’s it! Then join your host for a fun evening of fun political facts, discussion, dinner, drink, and ice cream!

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How Can America Unite After the Election?

The election is over, but the debate about the future of our country  is not.  There is a great divide in this country, and America will lose if we can’t collectively learn to listen and learn from each other.  But how can we do that when we cannot even be civil toward each other? What role will a Trump presidency have?  How do we combat our fears without losing our sense of civility?  Join others as we talk about strategies to move the country toward greater civility.  

Marc Fisher, “Considering what America’s Choice of Donald Trump Really Means”, Washington Post, November 9, 2016

Steve Kroft, “American Voters on Trump – Clinton”, CBS News, 60 Minutes, November 6, 2016

Ian Schwartz, “David Brooks:  “Us Enlightened People” Should Give Trump Voters Dignity, “Condescension is What Fueled This”, Real Clear Politics, Nov. 12, 2016

Jonathon Haidt, “Can A Divided America Heal”, Ted Talk, November 2016

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Getting American Politics Back On Track

Throughout the 2016 election, many American’s were dismayed at how divided we are as a nation.   While there was plenty of finger pointing at each other, perhaps much of the divide can be attributed to seismic shifts in the media and legislative policies that were just waiting to erupt.  Or was it a confluence of events?  What caused American politics to be so broken and how can we fix it?

Jonathan Haidt and Sam Abrams,“The Top 10 Reasons American Politics are So Broken”, Washington Post, January 7, 2015

Alicia Parlapiano & Adam Pearce, “Only 9% of America Chose Trump & Clinton as the Nominees”, New York Times, August 1, 2016

Jonathan Rauch,  “How American Politics Went Insane”, The Atlantic, July/August 2016.  NOTE:  This is a fairly lengthy article.   If it helps, we will primarily talk about Mr. Rauch’s remedies to governmental policy.  

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The Political Perils of a Digital World

We live in a world where emails, posts and Tweets have become the engines for political and cultural thought — often providing more fiction than fact, emotional catharsis than critical analysis — a technological playground ripe for propagandists to influence our democracy.    How is social media and WikiLeaks shaping our political discourse?  Are their limits to freedom of speech, and if so, what are they and how can America return to a civil nation?

Andy Greenberg, “Want to Know Julian Assange’s Endgame?  He Told Us A Decade Ago”, WIRED, October 14, 2016

Adrienne La France, “Will Trump’s Victory be Silicon Valley’s Wake Up Call?“, The Atlantic, November 10, 2016