August 21 Briefing/Discussion of "The Future of American Democracy" -- California Capitol Hill Bulletin -- Volume 10, Bulletin 23 -- August 15, 2003

On Thursday, August 21, 2003, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in Room 1300 of the Longworth House Office Building, the California Institute will host a briefing entitled, "American Democracy's Uncertain Future -- And Is California An Unsettling Vision Of Our Democratic Destiny?"

The discussion of the future trajectory of the nation and its democratic institutions -- with a special focus on California -- will feature remarks by former Congressman Glen Browder, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School (California) and Jacksonville State University (Alabama), and author of "The Future of American Democracy: A Former Congressman's Unconventional Analysis."

Leon Panetta, former White House chief of staff and now director of the Leon & Sylvia Panetta Institute for Public Policy at the California State University at Monterey, says Browder's book "challenges all of us to awake…and restore the fundamental strength of our democracy."

Browder comments, "Current public discussion about American democracy is a stale orthodoxy of simplistically-progressive ideas buttressed by theoretically-limited and politically-cautious analysis; furthermore, those who muster sufficient civic courage to sound the alarm too often are afflicted with excessive ideological arrogance." He notes that, "Growing philosophical tensions over historic ideals, cultural values and principles of governance are transforming our national democratic experiment. Our civic mix of people, politics and government no longer works the way it has in the past. Therefore, it is time for serious national dialogue about America."

The state of California, Browder says, raises "particularly tricky questions and provides some useful points of guidance about important developments -- the delicate, difficult, dangerous interplay among diversity, divergence, dissentience, and democracy -- in future America." Details about his book and the ideas it presents are available at http://www.futureofamericandemocracy.org . The session is open to the public (no RSVP necessary) and a question and answer session will follow. A notice is posted at http://www.calinst.org/events.htm .

To expand communications between Washington and California, the California Institute provides periodic bulletins regarding current activity on Capitol Hill that directly impacts our state. Bulletins are published weekly during sessions of Congress, and occasionally during other periods.

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