UCSB Arts & Lectures will present CNN political analyst, presidential adviser and distinguished author David Gergen in a probing bipartisan talk on “The 2012 Elections — Issues and Answers” at 8 p.m. Dec. 1 at UCSB Campbell Hall.
The day before his appearance, Gergen will moderate the debate for Republican presidential candidates in Arizona sponsored by CNN and the Arizona Republican Party.
Gergen put his country above his personal politics, serving as an adviser to presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. He currently serves as a senior political analyst for CNN, as editor-at-large of U.S. News & World Report and as director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Author of Eyewitness to Power: The Essence of Leadership, Nixon to Clinton and an upcoming book on presidential transitions, Gergen offers a bipartisan analysis of the Obama administration, a divided Congress, the 2012 elections and what today’s headlines mean for the future of America.
As the 2012 elections approach, many questions remain unanswered regarding the future of the country — and candidates from both parties need to have answers. Now that Republicans have control of the House, will they be successful in overturning President Barack Obama’s agenda? Where is the country headed on education, energy, the environment, jobs and taxes? Does the Tea Party movement have staying power? And how will all of this affect what President Obama is able to accomplish as he heads toward the 2012 elections?
Uncanny in his ability to translate what is happening in Washington into how it will affect his audience, Gergen sets his sights on the current political landscape and the 2012 elections and offers unmatched perspectives on what’s in store for the nation.
David Gergen graduated with honors from both Yale College (1963) and Harvard Law School (1967), and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy for more than three years. He joined the Nixon White House in 1971 as a staff assistant on the speech writing team.
Gergen’s lecture is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures and generously supported by the Orfalea Foundations, with additional support from Westmont College.
Tickets are $40 for the general public and $15 for UCSB and Westmont College students with a valid ID. For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at 805.893.3535 and click here to order online.
Arts & Lectures thanks Lynda.com for its major support of the 2011-12 season.
— Karna Hughes is a senior writer/publicist for UCSB Arts & Lectures.