Bradley & Gingrich Talk Leadership in Babcock Lecture

October 15, 2009

Nowadays, when Democrats and Republicans appear together, audiences have come to expect conflict, drama, and fireworks. The promotion often stops just short of guaranteed mud wrestling.

On Thursday evening, Denison University hosted an event with former Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.) and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) as part of the Mary Elizabeth Babcock Lectureship in the American Conservative Tradition. Amid a contentious national climate on health care reform, these two titans of their respective parties easily could have given the capacity crowd at Swasey Chapel a rancorous and charged debate. Instead, at an event billed as “Bill Bradley and Newt Gingrich” not “Bill Bradley vs. Newt Gingrich,” the Denison community got civility, mutual respect, and an exchange of ideas.

Andrew Gordon '12, who hails from Strongsville, Ohio, and identifies himself as a liberal, called the evening “a great example of bipartisanship and...a positive force, in terms of growth, politics, and education.”

A conservative Republican from Boxborough, Mass., Vivek Subramanyam '11, concurred. “I was expecting a little bit of a debate, in the sense that these people disagree with each other respectfully," he said, "but really what I saw was both of them feeding off each other. They’re both at a very similar intellectual level and, as a Denison student, I really appreciate that.”

Gingrich opened the evening—and the broader discussion of leadership and contemporary challenges—by looking backward, recounting George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River. This moment in history frames Gingrich’s new novel with William R. Forstchen: To Try Men's Souls. The former speaker explained their rationale in choosing this particular historical episode. “It will be good to remind people—we’re Americans. We have to roll up our sleeves. We have to be practical. We have to get real things done.”

“It is the nature of life to have challenges,” Gingrich told the audience. “On one level, we, as a people, need to have a national dialogue that’s kind of relaxed. Very serious, but relaxed.”

During his remarks, Bradley likewise drew attention to the American spirit, sharing experiences with local heroes from travels throughout the country. The former senator cautioned that the current political climate threatens the connections, communities, and global unity that these men and women work tirelessly to establish.

“The picture of the Earth from space, the picture that says we have one global environment, is an ethic of connectedness, but, in our politics, we kind of get into two warring ethics,” Bradley said. “One is the ethic of caring, collective action, usually associated with Democrats. The other is responsibility, individual action, usually associated with Republicans…. The truth is that we need both: individual responsibility and collective caring.”

Gordon found the mutual respect—and candor—of the two leaders refreshing. “It’s really good to see that there’s still good feeling in the system, even though these people aren’t directly in the system right now.”

After concluding their opening remarks, Bradley and Gingrich fielded questions from the crowd. Audience members asked the two men their thoughts on President Barack Obama’s recent winning of the Nobel Peace Prize, the decline of bipartisanship in American politics, as well as future manifestations of terrorism. After a lengthy question-and-answer session, Bradley and Gingrich received a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

Tyler Lambert, a junior from Gingrich’s home state of Georgia, reflected at the end of the evening. “It was a good balance of Republican and Democrat. You got to see both sides, but, at the same time, hear two brilliant men speak on their ideas.”

Earlier in the day, Bradley attended Professor Robin Bartlett's first-year class on the current economic situation, while Gingrich met with students of Professor Katy Crossley-Frolick's United Nations course. Bradley, a former NBA player with the New York Knicks, also spent time with the Denison men’s basketball team, while the College Republicans hosted Gingrich in an intimate reception at Sigma Chi. Later, the two men held a discussion group with students enrolled in the Richard G. Lugar Program in Politics and Public Service.

The Babcock Lecture Series was established in 1981 through a gift from Mary Elizabeth Babcock. Previous speakers in the series include former Senator Robert Dole, author and political columnist George Will, as well as the late Jack Kemp, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under George H.W. Bush.

Video Highlights:

Photo Gallery:

For More Information

Bill Bradley, Newt Gingrich visit with Denison University students (Newark Advocate, October 16, 2009)
Gingrich, Bradley speak at Denison (Newark Advocate, October 16, 2009)