ARCHIVE
Capitol Hill Workshop
The 106th Congress - Archive Edition
September 14-16, 1999
The 1999 Public Policy Workshops
Capitol Hill Workshop (The 106th Congress)
Representation and Policymaking at Century's End
Held at The Capitol Hill Club.
The clash of opposing ideological forces, ever present in a democracy, is seen most vividly on Capitol Hill. Congress is the sounding board upon which viewpoints reverberate - decisions are made and decisions are avoided. Under these circumstances, it is understandable that Congress, so representative of the diversity and contradictions of American life, would emerge as the foremost arena for intense and often divisive debate on domestic and international priorities.
Contentious issues confront Congress in 1999. These include the budget surplus, Medicare, social security, drugs, education, defense procurement and spending, and free trade. All of these issues will be debated, manipulated, legislated in that body most effective of the interests and contradictory aspirations of the American people - the U.S. Congress.
The closing years of the 20th Century were witness to the culmination of social trends and public policies so profound as to signal both the wholesale transformation and the potential large-scale realignment of the role of the United States in world affairs. The political landscape is undergoing a dramatic transformation and may change the character of the political parties, as well as the very nature of our society.
The central problem will not simply be defining the substantive issues, but the capability of Congress to deal with them. Many things bear upon this capacity: decentralization of power in Congress; the idea logical orientation of Congressional parties; the dominant role of television; the multitude of organized special interest; and the complexity of building coalitions.
Under these circumstances, Congressional public policy decisions, both domestic and foreign, have enormous consequence. Congress is constantly at odds with the President as to which policies should be pursued and what the desired outcome of these diverse concerns should be. The agenda, as always, is constantly changing, complex, and fascinating. In addition, how Congress cooperates or impedes the Executive Branch in addressing its agenda will come under the scrutiny of an increasingly impatient, often self-centered, electorate. It is becoming apparent that the role of Congress, although changing, has not in any real sense diminished.
The Capitol Hill Workshop explores contemporary issues through candid "off-the-record" discussions with senior officials and observers directly involved in the Washington political scene. Through fifteen high-level presentations, the Capitol Hill Workshop transcends the minutiae of Congressional procedures by focusing on contemporary public policy debates. The Capitol Hill Workshop is designed for executives who require up-to-date comment and analysis of the Capitol Hill scene.
Speakers & Topics
The Evolution of Power in Congress: Walter Oleszek, Senior Specialist in American Government, Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress; Author of Congress and Its Members
Leadership and the New Balance of Power: Steven Roberts, Syndicated Columnist, New York Daily News; Guest Commentator, CNN Late Edition
The Globalization of Economic Life: American Institutions at Risk: Jack Blum, Attorney; Former Special Counsel, U.s. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; Former President, National Consumers League
Political Campaigns in the 1990s: How America Picks Winners and Losers: Jay Bryant, Political Consultant; Former Producer of At Issue, CNBC; Former Assistant to the Governor of Illinois
The Constitution and Representation in government: The American Experience: Mark Talisman, Washington Consultant on International Affairs; Senior Lecturer, JFK School of Government and Boston University Washington Semester Program
Leadership in Congress: Personal Reflections: Larry LaRocco, Former Democratic Representative from Idaho; Managing Director, ABA Securities Association
Consequences of the Budget Surplus: Government Spending and Economic Productivity: Allen Schick, visiting Fellow, Brookings Institution; Author of Congress and Money and Crisis in the Budget Process
The Art of Lobbying: How Business Tries to Get Its Way on Capitol Hill: Cleta Deatherage Mitchell, Attorney and Partner, Sullivan & Mitchell; Former Director of Policy Initiatives, National Federation of Independent Business; Former Oklahoma State Legislator
Congress and the Domestic Agenda: Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institute; Frequent Political Commentator on the MacNeil-Lehrer News Hour
Conflict in Kosovo: Yugoslavia and America's National Interests: Geoffrey Kemp, Director, Regional Security Programs, The Nixon Center; Former Special Assistant to President Reagan for Near East and South Asian Affairs
Strategic Interests in the Far East; Implications to U.S. - Asia Relations: Gerrit W. Gong, CSIS Freeman Chair and Director, Asian Studies Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies; Former Special Assistant to the Ambassador, U.S. Embassy to the People's Republic of China
A Soviet Defector's Perspective on Russia Today: Yuri Maltsev, Soviet Defector and Economic Specialist; Former Senior Researcher, Institute of Economics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR; Professor, Carthage College
Reflections on Lawmaking in America: Personal Responsibility and the National Interest: Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate and 1996 Presidential Candidate; Author of Unsafe at Any Speed and Forty Ways to make Government Purchasing Green
Style and Image: What Determines Political Priorities? Bill Thomas, Editor, Capital Style Magazine; Former Editor, Washington Weekly and Dossier Magazine; Author of Lawyers and Thieves and Capital Confidential
The New Soviet Union: Nationalism and Ethnicity: Paul Goble, Assistant Director for Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty; Former Special Advisor on Soviet Nationality Problems and Baltic Affairs, U.S. Department of State
