The recent government shutdown, partisan fighting and lack of legislation has caused many people to become disillusioned about the current state of politics in the United States. With that in mind, the College of Charleston will hold a public forum entitled “Is the Senate Broken?” on November 18 to take a look at the problems facing the U.S. Senate.
Two nationally recognized experts on the U.S. Senate will talk about the current state of the Senate in the forum:
· Robert Dove
Dove was Parliamentarian of the United States Senate. As parliamentarian Dove was responsible for advising the Vice-President of the United States, senators and legislative staff on all questions regarding the Senate’s rules and procedures. From 1987-1995 he served on the staff of Senator Bob Dole. He is the author of “Defending the Filibuster: The Soul of the Senate” (with Richard Arenberg).
· Gregory Koger
From 1995-1997 Koger was a legislative assistant to Congressman George Nethercutt. Koger is currently an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Miami where he teaches courses on American politics. He has published over two-dozen scholarly works on the U.S. Congress, political parties, interest groups, elections, political history, and political institutions. In 2011 his book “Filibustering: A Political History of Obstruction in the House and Senate” was awarded the Fenno Prize as the best book written on legislative politics.
The forum will be held in room 235 of the Robert Scott Smalls Building starting at 6:00 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
This forum is sponsored by The College of Charleston Department of Political Science, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and The Riley Center.