October 7, 2016

During the course of Campaign 2016, three presidential candidates have exposed deep fissures and raw wounds in American society. Whether you were drawn to Trump, Clinton, or Sanders, each has attracted a sizable portion of the electorate. The alt-right, progressives, socialists — they are here to stay. Because each candidate has painted a dramatically different ideal of twenty-first century America, questions arise: Is there any possible way for the three factions to work together with enough good will to find principled common ground? Or is the U.S. at an unprecedented impasse in postwar history? Will it be necessary for the political parties to reconstitute themselves in ways that better reflect our changing demographics and interests? In this Wheelhouse Talk the director of the Hauenstein Center, Gleaves Whitney, reflected on some lessons for emerging leaders seeking to grapple with a rapidly evolving (or devolving) political environment.