2021: The Year of Politicking Dangerously – Warschaw Conference on Practical Politics

The annual Warschaw conference on practical politics from the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future brings together top experts from politics, government, media, and academia to explore the most pressing issues in America’s political landscape.

This year’s panelists will assess Joe Biden’s first year as president, what Democrats and Republicans are doing to move the United States forward, and how candidates and campaigns are shaping up for the 2022 midterms and 2024 presidential election. 

9 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. PT – “LAWRENCE H. SUMMERS IN CONVERSATION WITH BOB SHRUM”

Lawrence H. Summers – Charles W. Eliot University Professor and President Emeritus, Harvard University; 71st Secretary of the Treasury for President Clinton and Director of the National Economic Council for President Obama
Bob Shrum (Moderator) – Director, Center for the Political Future; Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics, USC Dornsife 
__________

9:45 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. PT – 2021: INSURRECTION, PANDEMIC, AND BIDEN’S BIG AGENDA” 

Ange-Marie Hancock Alfaro – Dean’s Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Relations; Director, Center for Leadership by Women of Color
Juan Rodriguez – Campaign Manager for Gov. Gavin Newsom; Partner, Bearstar Strategies
Charles Sykes – Founder and Editor-at-Large, The Bulwark; Host, The Bulwark Podcast
Ben Tulchin – Pollster, Strategist for Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign and Eric Adams’ Mayoral Campaign; President and Founder of Tulchin Research
Christina Bellantoni (Moderator) – Professor of Professional Practice, USC Annenberg; Director of USC Annenberg’s Media Center
__________

11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. PT – “FOREIGN POLICY: THE MANY GLOBAL CHALLENGES FOR BIDEN”

David C. Kang – Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business, and East Asian Languages and Cultures; Director, Korean Studies Institute, USC Dornsife
Markos Kounalakis – Foreign Affairs Columnist, Author, and Scholar; Visiting Fellow, Hoover Institution at Stanford University
Kori Schake- Director of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, American Enterprise Institute; Former Foreign Policy Advisor for John McCain presidential campaign
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun – Professor of International Relations, USC Dornsife
Mike Murphy (Moderator) – Co-Director, Center for the Political Future; NBC Analyst
__________

12:20 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. PT – “THE MIDTERMS AND POLITICS OF 2022: PREDICTIONS, HOPES, AND FEARS”

David Chalian – Vice President of Political Coverage and Political Director, CNN
Ron Christie – Political Analyst, BBC World News; Fall ’19 Fellow, Center for the Political Future
Chris Matthews – Former Political Commentator; Former Host of Hardball With Chris Matthews 
Jessica Millan Patterson – Chairwoman, California Republican Party
Elex Michaelson (Moderator) – Host, “The Issue Is;” Co-Anchor, FOX 11 News