Broder Maps New Political Arena for Sell-Out Audience at the University of North Florida

      A capacity crowd attended the November 14 Global Issues Forum at the University of North Florida to hear venerated Washington Post columnist David Broder’s insights into the recent Congressional election results.

      Following introductory remarks by UNF President John Delaney and World Affairs Council of Jacksonville President Jonathan Howe, Mr. Broder was given a warm introduction by Pat Yack, Editor of the Florida Times-Union and a long-time friend and colleague.

“Signal Event”

Mr. Broder speculated that the elections may bring a new phase in the history of the Bush Administration, as did September 11 and the President’s decision to invade Iraq in 2003.

The Democrats’ victories were the culmination of the public’s “slow build-up of frustration,” Mr. Broder said. In addition to the Iraq war,  he cited the disappointing performance of the current Congress—including the government’s handling of the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, a series of scandals involving Congressmen from both sides of the aisle, and, “more importantly,” a public perception of narrow partisanship, legislative gridlock and destructive sniping.

Moving from what he characterized as “analysis into conjecture,” Mr. Broder thought it “somewhere between likely and possible” that the President could work with the new Congress on an immigration bill, renewal of the No Child Left Behind program, and re-engagement on Social Security and Medicare.

Middle East: “Policy Fulcrum”

“But Iraq will be the key test of cooperation,” he said, and, while the Baker-Hamilton Commission is capable of inventive recommendations, the President will be the “decider” of U.S. policy.

Listing the biggest threats to cooperation over the next two years, Mr. Broder noted that many Democratic candidates ran on “unfair foreign competition,” which could cause a backslide in trade legislation. He also questioned whether newly-elected U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid can keep a 51-49 Senate out of gridlock, and ended his presentation by lamenting the premature start of the 2008 Presidential campaign.

-Ronald P. Myers

Board of Directors

The World Affairs Council of Jacksonville

^{Sponsored by:} Water Street Capital and   

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