Florence Chen is a Journals liaison, or student assistant, to Ms. Moore Forbes this semester.
In today’s highly partisan environment, when government shutdown debates have started to become commonplace, individuals such as Linda Moore Forbes, a current Resident Fellow at the Institute of Politics, have become more crucial than ever to our national political dialogue. Moore Forbes was a Senior Adviser to Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) and a Deputy Political Director under President Clinton. Her study group, “The Divided States of America” runs every Monday from 4-5:30 in Littauer 166 at the IOP. Linda brings a unique and practical perspective upon politics to this campus.
When asked how and why she became involved in politics, she replied, “I’m a cause-oriented person. I’ve always had a strong sense of justice and a desire to help people.” The beginning of her career in politics seemed due almost to chance, as she worked with a psychotherapy researcher in college, and this researcher asked her to volunteer for a local Texas campaign. The only campaign in which she ever ran as the candidate was a student government race at the University of Texas. “I didn’t really think of it as a career or vocation,” Moore Forbes said. “Because of a combination of my experiences in the local campaign and student government, interest and involvement in politics just happened to me.”
Moore Forbes has carefully chosen the candidates for whom she has worked. She believes that the key to candidates gaining support is their ability to portray a certain affinity for or closeness to their constituents by highlighting similar experiences and demonstrating concern. With respect to the most well-known candidate, President Clinton, she described her admiration for his leadership in the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a centrist Democratic group whose goals include expanding the Democratic base to help Democrats win in traditionally Republican states.
As a Clinton insider, she expressed rare insight upon Clinton’s political success. “Bill could make politics relevant to real people,” recalled Moore Forbes. “He wouldn’t give a dry, wonky speech, but rather he would describe how politics applies to your life in particular.” She also praised his empathy for those with vastly differing points of view from his own, saying that this allowed him to “find the best arguments to defend his position by understanding the arguments of the opposition.”
Moore Forbes described her time at the DLC as the most impactful and meaningful political experience she has had. Essentially, the DLC was a group of 12 or 15 individuals who presented a vision for centrist government and implemented it successfully. One of the most exciting aspects of this has been observing the DLC message spreading across the globe, as parties like the New Labor Party of Britain have modeled themselves after it. Her work in the DLC is a prime example of how “a few small, passionate, focused people can truly make a difference.”
Thus, Moore Forbes has grounded the topic of her study group in experience and personal history, for her career has revolved around moderate Democrats. This discussion could come at no better time as partisan bitterness pervades Congress and threatens to become even more dominant as the 2012 election season begins. In the words of Moore Forbes, “the decline of centrists has caused a breakdown in dialogue.” In a democracy, such a problem is great cause for concern, and all citizens must consider its aspects and possible solutions.
Moore Forbes’s next study group will feature Peter Hart, pollster for NBC news and the Wall Street Journal, in a special session on October 6th. Other guests will include Guy Cecil and Robby Mook, Executive Directors for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Brett Loper, policy director for Speaker Boehner. She is eager to meet and share her perspectives with all Harvard students and affiliates interested in politics.