While the Democratic Party has nearly unanimously agreed on the Harris-Walz ticket, many Republicans and other critics deride Democrats, who claim that defending democracy is the top priority, for an ascension process that disregarded democratic norms and American political precedents. Never in American history has there been such a late candidate change (Johnson announced in March 1968 during the primaries that he would not run). Biden was elected party leader in an unopposed process (except for Dean Phillips) in which an overwhelming majority of primary voters chose him. Then, by many accounts due to intense pressure from “party insiders,” Biden resigned, arguably disregarding the will of those primary voters. In the absence of a substantive list of alternatives, Harris quickly rose to the top of the list. Does this pose a problem for American democracy? If Harris wins the general election, will this flawed pedigree cast further doubt on the integrity of American democratic processes? Or is the assumption that political parties must have democratic characteristics simply a mistake because democracy should be defended in competition between political parties and not between them?
The virtual Part of this event will end with the conclusion of the panel discussion at 1 p.m. For those attending the event personalThe panel discussion will be live streamed in Seminar Room 225 of the Ash Center and there will be an optional debriefing session with Archon Fung following the panel discussion from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
This event is part of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Open and Constructive Conversations series in Fall 2024. The in-person portion of this event is open to Only Harvard ID card holders and lunch is provided.
Speakers include:
- Larry LessigRoy L. Furman, Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School
- Elaine KamarckSenior Fellow in Governance Studies and Director of the Center for Effective Public Management at the Brookings Institute
- Dan Schlozman, Joseph and Bertha Bernstein Associate Professor
Director of Graduate Studies at Johns Hopkins - Archon Fung (Moderator)Director of the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation and Winthrop Laflin McCormack Professor of Citizenship and Self-Government
Event details
This event requires registration via the link above. The in-person portion of this event is only available to Harvard ID holders. Please register with your Harvard email address.
The Ash Center encourages people with disabilities to attend its events. If you would like to inquire about accommodations, please contact our events team at [email protected] prior to the event.
Further questions? Email the Ash Center events team at [email protected].
