A married duo of Washington insiders, UW-Madison alumni Rita Braver and Robert Barnett, discussed insights on their careers and on the current state of Washington with UW-Madison students Thursday.
The political science department and the political science honors society Pi Sigma Alpha asked Braver and Barnett to speak because 'they are both very distinguished in their careers,' said UW-Madison senior Sheri Linzell, a political science major and president of Pi Sigma Alpha. Linzell also hoped they would provide examples of the 'opportunities that students have with their majors.'
Braver and Barnett earned political science degrees from UW-Madison. Braver worked as a correspondent for CBS News, earning five Emmy Awards in the process, while Barnett pursued a career in law, eventually representing high-profile clients and prepping presidential candidates for debates.
When the discussion swayed to politics, Braver, a former White House correspondent and long-time Washington correspondent, said what she learned in school portrayed 'how the process is supposed to work,' rather than how it actually does. She described Washington as being dominated by 'egotistical' politicians and staff members, in addition to advisors, pollsters and lobbyists.
In speaking about the current state of politics in Washington, Bayer and Barnett discussed the problems for Republicans and prospects for Democrats.
According to Braver, the mounting troubles that President Bush has encountered, from CIA controversies to Hurricane Katrina to the war in Iraq, have led to the perception that 'there might be trouble in paradise between the president and vice president' for the first time.
Braver concluded the CIA leak case, in addition to hurting the president's popularity, began a new age of investigative reporting. The issue of reporter subpoenas makes her feel 'very glad that I am out of the investigative reporting business.'
Barnett pointed to Bush's record-low poll ratings, as well as the dominance of Democrats in most polls, as indicators of the president's woes.
He pointed to the recent election of a Democratic governor in Virginia, a typically 'red' state, even after a visit from the president, as an example of both the president's decreasing popularity and possibilities for the Democratic Party's future.
But despite these problems of the Bush administration, both Barnett and Bayer agreed that the Democrats' success is not ensured. Bayer said that this is because the Democrats do not have a coherent philosophy or a dominant intellectual force.
