CBS journalist John Dickerson facilitates conversation with New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and Congressman Adam Kinzinger in Graham Chapel. (Bri Nitsberg | Student Life)

“We have collective responsibility….to pass on a political system to future generations of Americans that is workable and usable, maybe not perfect, but can be clutched into something that works,” New York Times columnist, Jamelle Bouie, said. 

Poet Joy Harjo, novelist Valeria Luiselli, Bouie, and former Congressman Adam Kinzinger were invited to Graham Chapel on Oct. 10 to discuss realistic hope in a changing political landscape. Students, faculty, and community members flooded the main seating area as well as the balcony in anticipation of listening to the “Danforth Dialogues.”

These dialogues were a part of Gephardt Institute’s Engage Democracy 2024 movement, with the goal of reassuring voters of their political efficacy. Award-winning CBS journalist, John Dickerson, moderated discussions on a variety of topics, from Trump and Harris’ campaign strategies to advice for young voters.

Kinzinger’s presence was a huge driver of attendance for students and community members alike. Senior Jacob Gelrud is a political science major who attended. 

“I would imagine this is the case for most people, but when you have someone as salient of a figure in the political sphere as Adam Kinzinger come on to campus, it’s an opportunity,” Gelrud said. “That’s why we’re here at school. We’re here to hear from people and learn.”

Sophomore Marcellus Thorsen said that he originally decided to come to the event because of his involvement with WashU Votes, an organization on campus dedicated to increasing student engagement in the democratic process. 

“I was really interested in hearing from a diverse range of perspectives, from kind of a never Trumper congressman to a poet laureate, which I thought would kind of touch on both pertinent political things and also maybe some of the more spiritual or artistic aspects,” Thorsen said.

The event was also advertised broadly outside of the scope of WashU’s campus, attracting visitors from a variety of backgrounds. Community member Deborah Durkee said she decided to come after seeing a flyer for the event at local bookstore Left Bank Books. The chance to hear Congressman Adam Kinzinger speak was what drove her to register for a ticket.

“I respect him so much for having to make the hard choices he’s made in his political career,” said Durkee, holding up Kinzinger’s novel “Renegade.” “He made the right choices, and now I see him as a powerful person because of those choices that he’s made [with] conviction. I really respect that and [even] bought his book.”

In the first of two dialogues, Dickerson moderated a panel with Harjo and Luiselli. The theme of this panel was how art and creativity can inspire hope in the face of an uncertain political environment. 

Harjo is a critically acclaimed creative writing and American Indian Studies professor and has accumulated accolades for her poetry and prose. Her native American background and time spent living on the Muskogee National Preserve in Oklahoma greatly inspired her work. Luiselli, on the other hand, is a renowned fiction and nonfiction author who has received recognition for her work tying together Mexican and American cultures.  

Both artists were asked what they saw in America today and what the landscape looked like to them. Harjo had a simple three-word response: “Chaos and beauty,” she said.

Luiselli spoke on the rapidly growing population of Spanish-speaking Americans with Hispanic backgrounds. 

“[America is] a country that is rapidly changing and yet is afraid to change,” Luiselli said. 

Luiselli said she is frustrated by this slow progress because, while America has the second-highest population of Spanish-speaking residents, it is far from recognizing itself as a Spanish-speaking country. 

At the end of the talk, Dickerson asked Harjo and Luiselli if they felt hope for America’s future. Luiselli said she did not, instead calling it, “cautious optimism.” 

“Maybe hope is reserved for those who are lucky enough to believe in a higher power,” she said.

Senior Mary Psyhogeos was particularly captivated by Luiselli’s commentary. 

“I actually read one of her books in class, [and] it was really interesting to now get to see her,” Psyhogeos said.

After a brief intermission, Bouie and Kinzinger took center stage, speculating on the interpretation of recent, democratic-favoring polling data and analyzing the role that fear and misinformation play in diminishing hope in the current political landscape.

“It’s a tight race, and it should not be this tight,” Kinzinger said. 

Kinzinger said that he was frustrated about where former President Donald Trump’s polling numbers stood in the upcoming election, though he did ultimately predict a win for Kamala. 

Bouie rationalized Trump’s high poll numbers, explaining an underestimation of Trump’s support in previous elections has led to surprising wins for the former President. 

“Pollsters are very hesitant to underscore Trump’s support and have another misfire,” Bouie said.

Kinzinger is a leading voice in the Country Over Party and Republicans for Harris movement, endorsing Harris at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. This endorsement was met with great backlash from Republicans.

Dickerson joked to Kinzinger about the Republicans for Harris movement. 

“There are not enough of you to fill up an airport shuttle bus,” Dickerson said. 

Kinzinger pushed back on this. 

“Voters used to be hesitant to admit they were voting for Trump,” he said. “Now, Republicans might be afraid to admit they’re voting for Harris.” 

Students in the audience were captivated and inspired by the bold stance Kinzingers chose to take on this election’s candidates. Psyhogeos said it caused her to reflect on people in her life who may align themselves politically with Kinzinger. 

“[From an] election standpoint, [hearing from] a Republican who is very anti-Trump was really interesting, because that’s where a lot of my family lies,” she said. “So it was really interesting to kind of hear that perspective and see what might motivate those people to actually vote for the Democratic side.”

Dickerson prompted Kinzinger and Bouie to reflect on the idea of hope for America’s future.

“In 10 years, it’ll be hard to find someone who openly admits they supported Donald Trump because truth always wins out,” Kinzinger said.

Though Bouie also expressed optimism, he was a bit more cautious. 

“The democratic coalition could fall apart because so much of the coalition is formed around beating Trump, and they don’t have that much more in common,” he said.

Bouie and Kinzinger discussed the Electoral College, its flaws, and the potential for better systems of electing America’s leaders.

“I wish the whole WashU student body could have learned that we need to come together and we need to work together to make change,” Ethan Skolnick, a first-year and member of WashU Votes, said. “Like the second group of panelists described, our political identities have become our whole identities, and that’s part of why it’s part of why people are so afraid to support anything that would [deviate] from what’s expected.”

As the event drew to a close, Kinzinger offered advice to the WashU students and young people in the audience.

“If we’re tired and we disengage or we just take a little time off, that’s what [authoritarians] are hoping for,” Kinzinger said. “So that weight of the world that you carry on your shoulders, put it down right now. Vote, tweet, talk to your friends — you alone aren’t going to change this, but you as a team can change it.”