Northwestern Law experts discuss the 2024 elections

Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law hosted two political experts Thursday for a panel discussion about the 2024 presidential election and the country’s political climate.

The event, titled “The Knox Conversations: America, 2024, and a Political Reckoning?”, was part of Knox Conversations, a speaker series created by the university as a space to facilitate public discourse and promote healthy political discussions .

The bipartisan panel included Paul Begala, a CNN political contributor and former Democratic strategist, and Michael Steele, former lieutenant governor of Maryland and former chairman of the Republican National Committee. Pritzker Professor Jason DeSanto moderated the discussion.

The event welcomed approximately 90 in-person attendees, with the additional option to participate virtually.

After being welcomed by Pritzker Dean Hari Osofsky, panelists Steele and Begala spoke about their entry into politics.

Steele said he originally planned to join the Augustinian Order, but then decided public spaces were a better place to serve his community.

Begala said that through his participation in student government throughout high school and college, he discovered a passion for making a difference in people’s lives and creating lasting change.

Panelists were given the opportunity to answer questions from the audience prior to the discussion.

When asked about his opinion on a third party, Steele said he supports the idea of ​​a third party and believes in ranked-choice voting and electing the president by popular vote.

Begala said he opposes a third party because he believes it would “empower the fringe parties” and that the Democratic Party needs to move more toward the center.

DeSanto asked both panelists what their predictions were for the 2024 election and what people could do to take action.

Begala encouraged the audience to vote, volunteer and participate in peer-to-peer organizing. He urged participants to step out of their comfort zone and see how the other side thinks, emphasizing the importance of stepping away from social media.

“Get off social media,” Begala said. “It is incompatible with democracy.”

Steele said people should vote for the country they want to live in and for a government they are comfortable discussing with their children.

DeSanto also asked panelists about their thoughts on the current political climate, mentioning that according to a 2023 Pew Research Center study, 65% of voters felt exhausted when thinking about politics. This exhaustion comes at a time when voter turnout has been at its highest in recent elections.

Begala said electoral fatigue could be explained by campaigns claiming they were more virtuous than their opponents. Advertisements and campaigns have shifted from “I’m right, you’re wrong” to “I’m good, you’re bad,” he said.

Both panelists agreed that the higher voter turnout was due to greater unrest among people. Steele said voter anger is also leading to increased support for campaign funds.

“Their anger is valuable to the party,” Steele said. “The mad you are, the more you pay.”

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