Chat about politics, Madeleine Albright with Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute
Bill Lacy became the second director of the Dole Institute of Politics in 2004. Wednesday, the institute hosts former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright at the Lied Center. Lacy takes your questions about Albright and other political matters at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Moderator
Hello,
Moderator
Hello,
Welcome to the chat with Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute of Politics.
Bill is here and ready to talk- the chat will begin in a couple of minutes.
Thanks.
lunacydetector
Will history show Madeline Albright as a bad Secretary of State because of the Clinton Administration’s turning a blind eye to the genocide in Rwanda? How does she live with herself?
Bill Lacy
I can’t speak for Secretary Albright on the latter–I think you should come to the event tonight and pose this entire question.There’s no doubt that her critics feel that way,but they can’t ignore the action she advocated on Bosnia. She was the principal leader on that issue.
justthefacts
How much of the Institute’s budget comes from tax dollars and how much is from private donations?
Bill Lacy
Our annual operating budget today relies on more University funding,but we do get a substantial portion from our endowment. Our goal is to complete the endowment so we can operate in perpetuity without taxpayer funding.
justthefacts
A lot of politians are realizing that the younger generation uses the computer, blogs, web-news, etc. as a means of staying in touch or spreading information. Does the Institute have any plans for classes or talks on how the internet may be changing how campaigns are conducted?
Bill Lacy
Actually,our Democratic Fellow during the spring semester did an entire 7 week study group on this communications topic–plus we featured Joe Trippi from the Dean campaign,which pioneered these efforts in presidential campaigns. It is an important topic and we are planning an event on bloggers for this coming spring.
justthefacts
Wanted to thank you and your staff for the great job you’re all doing. I’ve enjoyed many events there; they’re all interesting, well organized and run, and the event staff seem extremely competent and friendly. The Institute is a great place and I hope more people can come see it!
Bill Lacy
Thank you so much. We pride ourselves on the quality of our programming as well as it’s bi-partisan and philosophical balance. It’s our goal to have more folks visit as well!
Moderator
You’ve met a lot of interesting people at the Institute, who is your favorite and why?
Bill Lacy
Former Nobel Peace Prize winner and Polish President Lech Walesa. I admire him greatly and truly believe that along with the Pope and President Reagan he was one of the individuals who brought an end to Communism.
Moderator
What are your predictions for the November elections? Will power change hands in the house and senate?
Bill Lacy
It’s hard to say. The Democrats are going to pick up seats but will it be a wave or tsunami? I have been part of two election cycles in which the GOP made big gains, 1980 and 1994. The political environment is as bad today for Republicans as it was for Democrats in those two years, but there’s one big difference: The Democrats’ message this year is “We are not Bush,we are not the Republicans.”In ’80 the message was “The Democrats are out of gas”and in ’94 we offered the Contract with America.If the Democrats fail to win back either house of Congress it will be because of their failure to put together a coherent message.
Moderator
Do you think the younger generation does enough politically? Do enough young people vote?
Bill Lacy
I’m very proud of KU’s activity with Harvard’s campaign designed to increase youth involvement, which our Associate Director Barbara Ballard coordinates. Having said that,I want more students involved and more voting. We have tried to create a culture of student involvement at the Dole Institute–it’s one of Bob Dole’s main goals–and we now have a Student Advisory Board that helps us make decisions and run our programs.
Joel
Is the goal to get Dole Institute programming up to a level, like the Landon Lectures, that we have A-List speakers several times a year? Have we gotten there, and if not, how do we get there?
Bill Lacy
I believe we are. We have featured a number of prominent speakers like President Walesa, several U.S. Senators, former President Clinton (before I came here)and tonight,a former Secretary of State. We also have had some very prominent strategists from both parties. What we do that I believe is equally important is provide a wide range of guests in situations where students and members of the community can interact with them. Having an event with 2000 people is great…but so is creating an opportunity where the guests can be engaged.
Moderator
How will President Bush’s time in office be remembered?
Bill Lacy
In the forseeable future, for better or worse, for his policies post-9/11. We will have to see how history judges him on this topic.
Moderator
If you could have anyone speak at the DIP, who would it be?
Bill Lacy
President Nelson Mandela.
Moderator
What are your thoughts on Bill Clinton’s reaction to Chris Wallace on Fox News last Sunday? Did you ever think we would see this side of him?
Bill Lacy
Well,I think we already did a couple of times. The real question is whether the President really was that angry or did he plan this action to fire up his party at a time when their polling numbers were declining? I guess we’ll never know the answer…
politicaljunkie
I’m not in Lawrence this year, but is there a way I can tune in to watch or hear your phenomenal guests from afar?
Bill Lacy
Yes. Go to our website at www.doleinstitute.org. We have streaming video of all our programs and are very proud of this addition to the way we make our programming available.
Moderator
Who do you think are the frontrunners for the 2008 Presidential race? Do you think Barack Obama has a shot or should he wait until he has more time in the Senate? Does Hillary Clinton have enough support to get the nomination?
Bill Lacy
Only one person can stop Sen. Clinton and that’s her. She may decide not to run or she may suffer self-inflicted damage–all candidates do–but she is a formidable force. She can win too, and that will really motivate the GOP base. I think Sen. Obama is a man for the future but if Sen. Clinton chooses not to run, maybe he will throw his hat into the ring.
Moderator
What do you think about Kansas’s power in the House and Senate? Do our representatives have enough clout or voting power to get things done?
Bill Lacy
Yes. Sen. Roberts has enormous influence in Washington, and the other members of the delegation are well regarded. Having said that, it’s not quite like having the Majority Leader of the Senate plus Sen. Kassebaum.
Moderator
Forgot to ask– Who are the frontrunners for the Republican party in the 2008 Presidential campaign?
Bill Lacy
Sen.McCain, Sen. Allen, and basically anyone who gets in the race. The truth of the matter is that our party’s nomination is more up for grabs than at anytime in my lifetime.
Moderator
What would be your question(s)for Madeline Albright tonight?
Bill Lacy
What would you say to students to encourage them to become more engaged in the political process and better prepared for when they will govern our country? Thanks for the opportunity to speak with you and hope to see you soon at the Dole Institute.
Moderator
Thank you for joining us and thanks to Bill Lacy for fitting us in today.