Got Change?: Making Democracy Work for the Rest of Us
40th Anniversary Conference
October 5-6, 2010
Panels: The Charles Sumner School, 1201 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC
Lunches: The Beacon Hotel, 1615 Rhode Island Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
The Sumner School and the Beacon Hotel are separated by a short one-block walk.
Online registration is now closed. However, you may register at the door.
Fees are $175 for individuals; $100 for seniors (age 62+); $75 for students and nonprofit staffers.
Tuesday, October 5
12:00 - Opening Luncheon Session
Welcome: Bob Edgar
Keynote: Arianna Huffington
1:30 - Break
1:45 - Plenary Session: Why Opening Up Our Democracy is Critical to Progress
Moderator: Arn Pearson, Common Cause
Panelists: Ben Jealous, NAACP; Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, Green for All; Heather Booth, Americans for Financial Reform; Tom Andrews, Win Without War
3:00 - Break
3:15 - Break-Outs – Session I
1. Fair Elections
Moderator: David Donnelly, Public Campaign
Panelists: Sarah Dufendach, Common Cause; Vic Fazio, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; Bill Samuel, AFL-CIO; Susan Anderson, Public Campaign
2. Digital Democracy
Moderator: Len Baynes, St. John's University
Panelists: Cynthia Dill, Maine State Legislator; Tim Karr, Free Press/SaveTheInternet.com; Chance Williams, Media & Democracy Coalition
3. Election Protection 2010
Moderator: Karen Narasaki, Asian American Justice Center
Panelists: Eric Marshall, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights; Bob Phillips, Common Cause North Carolina; Jenny Flanagan, Common Cause Colorado
4. Transparency
Moderator: Mike Dean, Common Cause Minnesota
Panelists: Nicole Aro, Sunlight Foundation; Greg LeRoy, Good Jobs First
4:15 - Break
4:30 - Break-Outs – Session II
1. Majority Rules: Filibuster Reform
Moderator: Sandy Newman, Voices for Progress
2. Fair Districts
Moderator: Kathay Feng, California Common Cause
Panelists: Gerry Hebert, Campaign Legal Center; Michael McDonald, George Mason University; Marcia Johnson-Blanco, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
3. State Responses to Citizens United
Moderator: Tracy Westen, Center for Governmental Studies
Panelists: Don Simon, Sonosky, Chambers LLP; Gary Kalman, U.S. PIRG; Karen Hobert Flynn, Common Cause; Jeffery Clements, Free Speech for People
4. Government Accountability
Moderator: Susan Lerner, Common Cause New York
Panelists: Danielle Brian, Project on Government Oversight; Larry Korb, Center for American Progress; Gary Bass, OMB Watch
5:30 - Networking Reception
6:30 - Capital Steps Performance
7:30 - Dinner Break on your own
Wednesday, October 6
8:30 Coffee
9:00 Breakfast Remarks by Will Robinson, new media consultant
10:15 Break-Outs – Session III
1. Congressional Ethics: OCE in the Crosshairs
Moderator: Pat Schroeder, former member of Congress
Panelists: Norm Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute; Lisa Gilbert, U.S. PIRG; Leo Wise, Office of Congressional Ethics
2. Open and Secure Elections: 2012 and Beyond
Moderator: Susannah Goodman, Common Cause
Panelists: Derek Cressman, Common Cause; Tova Wang, Demos; Larry Norden, Brennan Center
3. The Future of Campaign Reform
Moderator: Arn Pearson, Common Cause
Panelists: Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21; Michael Malbin, Campaign Finance Institute; Susan Liss, Brennan Center for Justice
4. Grassroots Organizing
Moderator: Marilyn Carpinteryo, Common Cause
11:30 - Break
11:45 Networking Lunch
1:00 - Plenary Session - Connecting Democracy Reform to Core Values
Moderator: Mary Boyle, Common Cause
Speakers: Drew Westen, Westen Strategies LLC; Celinda Lake, Lake Research Partners; Miles Rapoport, Demos
2:15 Closing Remarks
Speaker: Bob Edgar, Common Cause
2:30 Board buses
3:00 White House Briefing
Speakers: Melody Barnes, Norm Eisen and Bob Bauer
You are also invited to attend Common Cause's 40th anniversary gala at the Mayflower Hotel on the evening of October 6. Please note that you must buy a ticket for the gala. Thanks!
