Charles Wheelan, Senior Lecturer and Policy Fellow, Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth was our speaker today.
Charles Wheelan
First a little information about our speaker via his personal webpage (https://www.charleswheelan.com/):
Charles Wheelan is a senior lecturer and policy fellow at the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth College, a former correspondent for The Economist, and the author of assorted books that attempt to make serious topics more accessible (and as he stated even fun).
One of his friends once described Wheelan as an “economics handyman. He has always had a passion for public policy–solving real problems–and he thinks economics (and statistics) offer a good set of tools for understanding how the world works (or doesn’t).
He is the Founder and Co-Chair of Unite America. Unite America is a political organization dedicated to bridging the growing partisan divide and fostering a more representative and functional government.
Wheelan holds a PhD in public policy from the University of Chicago, a master’s in public affairs from Princeton University, and a BA from Dartmouth College. He lives in Hanover, New Hampshire with his wife, the principal at the School Street School in Lebanon) and three children.
In addition at the start of his talk he let us know that:
- He was a “junior Rotarian” who spent time in India, and shared that he spoke at a 4-hour long Rotary meeting.
- He spent time as a speech writer for John Rettie McKernan in Maine. McKernan was the husband of US Senator Olympia Snowe.
- He had an unsuccessful run in Chicago for the US House of Representatives seat vacated by Ron Emanuel, Obama’s White House Chief of Staff from 2009 to 2010.
- He is the vice chair of the Alice Peck Day (APD) Hospital Board of Trustees. But he shared with a smile that his therapy dog, Caicos, is better known than he is. Caicos is a therapy dog at APD.
Caicos and Charles
Pictured from APD News and Stories page
From the DH/APD webpage, https://www.alicepeckday.org/news/meet-a-board-member-charlie-wheelan
It’s amazing how a dog puts a smile on peoples’ faces, including staff. Caicos is a needed distraction in some cases, or something to talk about. Many of the patients had beloved pets during their lives, so Caicos gives them a reason to reminisce. Often, we’ll go to a room where a family is visiting a loved one and someone will say, “Oh, she’s sleeping.” But then the visitors will start petting him, telling stories, and asking questions. I can feel the mood in the room change. I remember a guy saying out loud what I’m often thinking: “Oh, I guess he’s here for us, too, isn’t he?”
The funny thing is that Caicos was raised to be a seeing-eye dog but was released from the program because “he doesn’t like to work.” He loves people but doesn’t particularly like to be told what to do. When we go to the Byrne Center and Alice Peck Day, he gets to visit with new people every week, plus the staff who are always eager to see him. No one has broken the news to him that he’s working.
Now back to Charles Wheelan’s presentation…
He started by sharing that in politics, “doing nothing” is “doing something”. Most things in life require compromise. To often we put off making changes until we are in crisis mode. He used Social Security as an example. Something will need to be done to raise revenue.
He shared that approximately 40% of the USA population would consider themselves independents…which should be the connective tissues between the Democrats and Republicans. So 40% of our legislators should be independents but this is not the case.
In primary elections, only a very small portion of people eligible to vote, vote. Thus diehard republicans and democrats often are the ones choosing our candidates.
Wheelan then provided an overview of Ranked Choice Voting. He shared that transitioning to this form of voting would give all of us a strong voice in our elections and ensures candidates with the broadest support get to govern.
As a voter, Ranked Choice Voting allows you to express your full range of views on the ballot — not just one. You can vote for your true favorite, and you can compromise with your backup rankings for other candidates on the ballot.
It is his belief that Ranked Choice voting helps consolidate, rather than divide, competing factions. Candidates need the support of the broadest possible coalition of their constituents — not just a vocal minority.
Ranked Choice Voting could lead to more positive campaigns. Candidates need to earn the 2nd and 3rd choice votes of their opponent’s supporters by appealing to what they have in common and not what divides. With Ranked Choice Voting. Politicians may be rewarded for campaigning on issues and showing compromise, not for tearing down the other side. He shared an example of this that happened in Alaska were Rank Choice Voting is practiced and Senator Lisa Murkowski (R) and Representative Mary Sattler Peltola (D)
Learn more by watching this video from Charles Wheelan’s personal web page https://www.charleswheelan.com/reformer.html
Unite America grew out of Wheelan’s 2013 book The Centrist Manifesto.
The Centrist Manifesto – From Amazon:
From debt ceiling standoffs to single-digit Congress approval ratings, America’s political system has never been more polarized―or paralyzed―than it is today. As best-selling author and public policy expert Charles Wheelan writes, now is the time for a pragmatic Centrist party that will identify and embrace the best Democratic and Republican ideals, moving us forward on the most urgent issues for our nation.
Wheelan―who not only lectures on public policy but practices it as well (he ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2009)―brings even more than his usual wit and clarity of vision to The Centrist Manifesto. He outlines a realistic ground game that could net at least five Centrist senators from New England, the Midwest, and elsewhere. With the power to deny a red or blue Senate majority, committed Centrists could take the first step toward giving voice and power to America’s largest, and most rational, voting bloc: the center.
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