Tuesday, March 9:  “Great Expectations & the Changing Political Landscape”:   Discussion with David Corn (and others to be announced).

Tuesday, April 6: Mark Halperin, on his best seller, ”Game Change:  Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime”

The political landscape is shifting rapidly.  Democratic control of the Congress?  The Republican Party is dead?  President Obama is unsinkable?   That was yesterday.  As we head into year two of the Obama administration, a mid-term election year, recent setbacks to Democrats in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia, Tea Party outbreaks and a jobless recovery – what’s next?  Periodically, The Common Good hosts smart, insightful political pundits and analysts to gauge the political currents.   

Tuesday, March 9^th, please mark your calendar for our next such conversation on “Great Expectations and the Changing Political Landscape”, as part of our Democracy, Dialog & the Political Process Series.  Joining us will be David Corn.  We will keep you posted as we confirm our counterpoint guest for Corn.

David Corn is Washington Bureau Chief for Mother Jones and former Washington, D.C. Editor for The Nation.  Corn co-authored (with Michael Isikoff )  Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War, which received high critical praise and became a bestseller.  His earlier book, The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception, was also a New York Times bestseller.  Corn regularly appears on Hardball, The Rachel Maddow Show and other MSNBC shows. 

Tuesday, April 6, we are delighted to have bestselling author Mark Halperin with us to discuss “Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime.“ 

Mark Halperin is a seasoned political reporter and analyst having covered five Presidential elections before joining TIME magazine as editor-at-large and senior political analyst.  He co-authored Game Change with New York Magazine’s John Heileman.  This book has generated enormous buzz.  Listen in.

For more information or to RSVP, please contact Tedward@thecommongood.net or call us for this event at 212-722-6390.

The die is cast for tomorrow’s high-stakes Washington summit at Blair House on national health care reform (February 25). President Barack Obama has gone through prep, and will have the first and last word in tomorrow’s session with Democratic and Republican members of the House and Senate. The summit runs from 10 AM to 4 PM Eastern time, with a 45-minute lunch break. Obama speaks first to open the summit, the Republicans say their piece, followed by Democrats. Then four specific topics are addressed, with Obama discussing cost controls, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius introducing insurance reform, Vice President Joe Biden handling deficit reduction, and Obama the cleanup hitter focusing on expanding health care coverage. 

As the Haiti begins to cope with the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, people around the world  seek ways to help the nation rebuild and recover.  Governments will play a sizable role in this venture, but it will be up to private citizens, NGO’s, and businesses to carry the fight to the finish line. 

On January 27^th, The Common Good held a discussion with entrepreneur-turned-philanthropist Bobby Sager, to hear how private citizens can impact situations from Haiti to Afghanistan and beyond. 

The discussion with Bobby Sager continued The Common Good’s Advocates & Activists Series.   Bobby Sager, the real life inspiration for the television show, The Philanthropist, spoke from personal experience how to be a champion of these methods and how individuals in the private sector can make an enormous difference.   This event was uniquely inspirational.

On January, 18, 2010, people of all ages and backgrounds will come together to improve lives, bridge social barriers, and move our nation closer to the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King envisioned. Dr. Martin Luther King devoted his life’s work to causes of equality and social justice…. He taught that through nonviolence and service to one another, problems such as hunger and homelessness, prejudice and discrimination can be overcome. Dr. King’s teachings can continue to guide us in addressing our nation’s most pressing needs—poverty, economic insecurity, job loss and education.

Volunteer with Americans across the nation on the 2010 King Day of Service and make a real difference in your community.

More Information On MLK Jr. Day of Service

As the world has seen in countless alarming newscasts, the devastation caused in Haiti by the magnitude 7.0 earthquake two days ago is nearly unimaginable.  Prior to the earthquake the Haiti was in dire shape; now its capitol and main urban center, Port-au-Prince, has been almost completely destroyed.  We’re only beginning to get a real sense of how far and deep are the loss of life, lack of shelter and damage to basic communication, infrastructure, and internal aid services by the disaster.

The people of Haiti now more than ever are in need of our help. We are encouraging everyone to make a donation to support the humanitarian relief effort.  Below please find links to several organizations which already have efforts under way.  You may also use your mobile phone to donate by texting “Haiti” to 90999 right now from your mobile phone and give $10 to the American Red Cross.  Please make a donation today and ask your friends to join you by forwarding them this message. 
Please click on the each of the following lines to connect immediately to select charities and NGOs responding to the disaster:

Red Cross;  CARE;  International Rescue Committee; UNICEF;  Salvation Army;  Haitian Health Foundation; Doctors Without Borders

Daniel Ellsberg, the man who altered the history of the Vietnam War with the release of the Pentagon Papers was on hand for a screening of the condensed version of the award-winning documentary, The Most Dangerous Man in America, Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers and for a lively Q&A for The Common Good.  Also with us, the film’s producers, Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith for our discussion as a continuation of our Advocates and Activists Series.

The film is a riveting look at a defining moment in American history when, Daniel Ellsberg, then a RAND Corporation employee and a Pentagon analyst, made the decision at great risk to his own life and liberty to release the classified report exposing details of U.S. involvement in Vietnam to the New York Times and other newspapers.  The Pentagon Papers revealed that the government had knowledge, early on, that the war would not likely be won, and that continuing the war would lead to many more casualties than was admitted publicly.  The film dramatically portrays the importance of courage and commitment of just one individual for survival of our democracy.

“Riveting! A straight-ahead, enthralling story of moral courage. This story changed the world.”    New York Magazine 

“Detailed, clearly told, persuasive.”   The New York Times