N.D. Senator Dorgan on campus Friday
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) will speak about our nation’s polarized political discourse Friday, March 26 at 11 a.m. in Weld Hall Glasrud Auditorium. The topic has broad relevance, covering ethics, political science, mass communications, and speech communications. As you may know, Senator Dorgan announced his retirement in January. He has served in public office since 1968. When he steps down at the end of his current term, he will have served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives and three terms as a U.S. Senator.
His retirement announcement caught many by surprise—in the aftermath, some said it was because he was looking at a very difficult race, but others suggested the 67-year old Dorgan may have tired of the inside baseball of the political process. “I have other interests, and I have other things I would like to pursue outside of public life,” he said at the time.
Jonathan Alter in Newsweek (Jan. 9, 2010) “…it’s well known in the Senate that, like many of his colleagues, Dorgan is heartsick about the institution. He is a real prairie populist; he quotes the late Texas senator Ralph Yarborough defining populism as ‘putting the jam on the lower shelf so everyone can reach it.’”
The senator will speak for a half hour, then, take questions from the audience. This is an opportunity for students to hear about political speech from a master.