Tsai Auditorium (S010), CGIS South Building, 1730 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Post-Election Roundup
In this, their seventeenth biennial debate, Bill Kristol and William Galston will be examining the results of the 2024 U.S. elections, offering the perspectives of two political philosophers who are participants and shrewd observers, both of them experts gifted with what might be called partisan objectivity. This year they will be joined by Ross Douthat, Opinion columnist for The New York Times. The discussion will be moderated by Harvey Mansfield, William R. Kenan, Jr., Professor of Government, Emeritus, Harvard University.
This event is organized and sponsored by the Program on Constitutional Government at Harvard University and co-sponsored by the Center for American Political Studies.
This event is free, but registration is requested.
Event Schedule
4:00 – 6:00PM: Speaker presentations
6:00 – 7:00PM: Buffet barbecue supper*
7:00 – 7:45PM: Commentary & questions with audience
*Please note this a barbecue buffet and may not accommodate all dietary restrictions
About the Speakers
William Galston holds the Ezra K. Zilkha Chair in the Brookings Institution’s Governance Studies Program, where he serves as a Senior Fellow. Prior to January 2006 he was the Saul Stern Professor and Acting Dean at the School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, director of the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy, founding director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), and executive director of the National Commission on Civic Renewal, co-chaired by former Secretary of Education William Bennett and former Senator Sam Nunn. A participant in six presidential campaigns, he served from 1993 to 1995 as Deputy Assistant to President Clinton for Domestic Policy.
Bill Kristol is editor-at-large of The Bulwark. He was a founder of The Weekly Standard, and is a regular guest on leading political commentary shows. Prior to his work at The Weekly Standard, Kristol led the Project for the Republican Future, an organization that helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. From 1985 to 1993, Kristol served as chief of staff to Education Secretary William Bennett in the Reagan Administration and as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle in the George H. W. Bush administration. Before coming to Washington, Kristol taught politics at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University.
Ross Douthat joined The New York Times as an Opinion columnist in April 2009. His column appears every Tuesday and Sunday. He is also a host on the weekly Opinion podcast “Matter of Opinion.” Previously, he was a senior editor at The Atlantic and a blogger on its website. He is the author of “The Deep Places: A Memoir of Illness and Discovery,” which was published in October 2021. His other books include “To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism” (2018); “Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics” (2012); “Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class” (2005); “The Decadent Society” (2020); and, with Reihan Salam, “Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream” (2008). He is the film critic for National Review.