The Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series will kick off Sept. 26 at 5 p.m. with a discussion featuring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb), an NIU POLS alumnus, and Professor Scot Schraufnagel. The hour-long event, conducted on Zoom, will feature a discussion moderated by me on a variety of topics such as the state of democracy, conflict in Congress, bipartisanship, and what lies ahead for the 118th Congress. A moderated question and answer session will follow.
The program is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required. Go to http://go.niu.edu/Rebuilding-Democracy-RSVP to request a link to the event prior to Sept. 26. Event links will be sent out from the clas-communication@niu.edu mailbox one day prior to the event.
Congressman Don Bacon is an Air Force veteran, NIU alumnus and represents Nebraska's 2nd District in the House of Representatives. He was named Top Republican for Bipartisan Cooperation in 2024 and Most Effective Republican legislator in the 117th Congress-House by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. He was ranked first by the Common Ground Committee, Inc. for improving public discourse in politics (2022), ranked 15th for the 116th Congress in the Bipartisan Index rankings and had the second highest number of bills signed into law (11) during the 117th Congress according to Govtrack.
Schraufnagel is a professor and former chair of the NIU Political Science department. His latest book, “Conflict in Congress: A Call for Moderation,” introduces Legislative Conflict Theory. The theory suggests that conflict in legislatures is two-dimensional and that a moderate level of conflict will be most productive. To achieve a balance of conflict, it boils down to recruiting the right type of people to serve. In the current political climate, defined by hyper-conflict, the need is for disciplined, mannerly legislators committed to compromise.
Please encourage your students to take advantage of these programs. Both are a great opportunity to gain knowledge and understanding beyond the classroom.
