The following was submitted by Orcas Currents.
Now that the most divisive and deeply disturbing U.S. presidential election in memory is finally over, we face the difficult questions: What happened? What now?
On Sunday, Nov. 20, Pulitzer Prize and Emmy Award-winning author and producer — and part-time Orcas Islander — Hedrick Smith will return here for an Orcas Currents lecture addressing these questions, titled “The Great Populist Earthquake of 2016.” This event will begin at 1:30 pm in Orcas Center.
In his view the 2016 presidential election process was not the typical polar clash of Left vs. Right. It was a political earthquake, a fundamental clash of Up vs. Down, between rank-and-file Americans and what C. Wright Mills called “the power elite.” In both major parties, primary campaigns unleashed mass mutinies against the political establishment, exposing profound rifts in American society. People rebelled at gaping economic inequalities, a broken political system, and gridlock in Washington.
The questions before us now are: Did the elections change anything? Will the federal government work any better? Is our political system headed in more promising directions? Or do We the People need to seek other solutions? Smith will present his thought-provoking analysis of the current condition of the American experiment.
Hedrick Smith served as New York Times Moscow Bureau Chief from 1971 to 1974 and as its Washington Bureau Chief and Chief Correspondent from 1976 to1982. He is author of five books, including bestsellers The Russians (for which he won the Pulitzer Prize), The Power Game: How Washington Works, and Who Stole the American Dream?
In 1989 Smith turned to producing television documentaries for the Public Broadcasting System. During the next two decades, he created 26 prime-time specials and mini-series for PBS and FRONTLINE, including Emmy-Award winners “The Wall Street Fix” and “Can You Afford to Retire?”
In this troubling moment, we are fortunate to have such a renowned authority on US political power as a fellow Orcas Islander and neighbor. This will likely be a lecture of great significance, one of the first post-election presentations to address the pressing questions “Where are we now headed?” and “What can we do about it?”
Please join Orcas Currents supporters and friends for what will be a stimulating, rewarding afternoon trying to understand what is happening to our nation and its democratic government — and what the future may portend. Admission to this event, cosponsored by Greg and Pat Ayers, is free but donations are welcome at the door.
