Over the next month, New School University will host a series of high-powered discussions featuring two former presidential candidates, Senator John McCain and former Vice President Al Gore, Prince el Hassan bin Talal of Jordan and Eliot Spitzer, New York’s attorney general.
All events will be held at New School’s Tishman Auditorium, 66 W. 12th St.
On Thurs., Jan. 22, at 5:30 p.m., New School President Bob Kerrey will hold a conversation with McCain of Arizona, entitled, “Electing the New President of the United States: The Mathematics of Electoral College Politics” To reserve a seat to this free event, call 212-229-5488 or e-mail boxoffice@newschool.edu.
On Feb. 5 at 6 p.m., Gore will give the keynote address at a three-day New School conference, “Fear: Its Political Uses and Abuses.” Kerrey will introduce Gore. The conference will last from Thurs., Feb. 5 through Sat., Feb. 7. Gore will open the conference with his address on “our current heightened state of fear.” Conference sessions will place this collective fear in cultural and historical perspective, examining the psychological roots of fear and its manipulation by those who hold or seek power. Admission is $50 for all conference sessions, or $12 per individual session. For information, call 212-229-2488 or visit the conference Web site at www.socres.org/fear.
Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico, whom Kerrey noted might be a vice presidential candidate since he is a popular Latino, was a recent speaker in the series.
During the discussions, Kerrey has been using the novel PIIM (Parsons Institute for Information Mapping) movie screen-size map to show political possibilities, “blue states” and “red states,” and how the electoral college would vote if the election were based only on specific issues.
On Jan. 28, from 6-7:30 p.m., Kerrey will join Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan in a conversation entitled, “A Muslim Centrist Platform for Democracy in the Arab World.” Hassan will discuss building a centrist mass movement based on pluralism and a constitution of rights and duties for all Arab citizens.
On Feb. 19, from 6-7:30 p.m., New School University will present a panel discussion, “Business Ethics After Enron,” with Spitzer, Peter G. Peterson of the Blackstone Group, Ron Blackwell of the AFL-CIO and Kerrey. To reserve a seat for the discussion, free and open to the public, call the New School box office at 212-229-5488 or e-mail boxoffice@newschool.edu.
