A really interesting talk tonight by Liz Cheney at the UMN for The Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series and she was not what I expected. It will be fascinating to watch her run for president next year and the chaos it will bring to both parties. I suspect that she will get the Republican voters who hate the former President, she will get all the traditional Republicans due to her Dad, and she will get those swing Democrats who think Biden is too old. Plus she might just get the soccer moms as she comes across as very moderate, smart, young but not too young, not old, and not threatening like Hillary was perceived to be.
Two interesting things from the talk – there was a musician who played before the lecture probably to calm people down and security was horrible. Two police officers were on both sides of the stage and they did not seem to be paying attention to the audience, and since bags were not allowed in how did one person get in a water bottle and how did one woman in front of me get in what looked like metal knitting needles (yes, she was knitting away through the whole thing).
Here is the official blurb on the event:
THE HUMPHREY SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, CARLSON, AND THE CARLSON FAMILY FOUNDATION PRESENT
An Evening with Liz Cheney
2023 Distinguished Carlson Lecture
Moderated Q&A with Tane Danger, host of The Theater of Public Policy
“We are thrilled to announce Liz Cheney, a former Wyoming Republican congresswoman, as the next lecturer for an insightful and thought-provoking event.
Cheney is widely recognized for her commitment to fostering civil discourse and her vocal criticism of partisan divisions within her own party. The upcoming lecture will center on the significance of bipartisanship in today’s political climate, with a focus on finding common ground and restoring productive political discourse.
As a trailblazing woman in the political sphere, Cheney will share her personal experiences and shed light on the challenges she has faced throughout her career. Her talk will emphasize the importance of women representation in government and explore ways to encourage and support women in leadership roles.
This free event, made possible by the Carlson and Carlson Family Foundation, embodies our commitment to fostering diverse perspectives and meaningful dialogue on critical issues shaping our nation.
About Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney served as the U.S. representative for Wyoming’s at-large congressional district from 2017 to 2023. She chaired the House Republican Conference, the third-highest position in the House Republican leadership, from 2019 to 2021, and served as the Vice Chair of the Select Committee investigating the January 6 insurrection. She was also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, China Task Force, Natural Resources Committee, and the House Committee on Rules. Cheney served previously at the State Department as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, and in positions for USAID and the Department of State working in Poland, Hungary, Russia, and Ukraine. Cheney practiced law with White and Case and at the International Finance Corporation. A specialist in national security and foreign policy, she is the co-author, along with her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, of Exceptional: Why the World Needs a Powerful America.
About the Moderator: Tane Danger
Tane Danger is host of the nationally renowned civics-inspired improv comedy show The Theater of Public Policy, and director of the Westminster Town Hall Forum, the Upper Midwest’s longest-running public speaker series. He is a well-known professional improv comedian, event host, speaker, and facilitator, and a Humphrey School alumnus (Master of Public Policy, ‘16). For more than a decade, he has demonstrated how improv theater can inform and improve politics and public policy.
Danger is a regular contributor to Almanac, the weekly public affairs program on Twin Cities Public Television, and teaches classes and workshops encouraging people to practice communication, collaboration, and creativity differently. Behind the scenes, he regularly produces events for both nonprofit and corporate clients. Danger is a trustee of his undergraduate alma mater, Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.
About the Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series
For nearly four decades, the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, with support from Carlson and the Carlson Family Foundation, has presented the Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series, bringing to Minnesota world-renowned speakers to participate in a forum dedicated to the presentation and discussion of the most important policy issues of the day. The series began in 1980 with a gift from Curtis L. Carlson to honor his late friend, Hubert H. Humphrey, and to “contribute to the intellectual life of the greater Twin Cities community by sponsoring lively forums of broad interest” (https://www.northrop.umn.edu/events/distinguished-carlson-lecture-evening-liz-cheney-2023).