Bipartisanship (and Friendship) Happen!

A speaker series focused on bringing together public servants for civil, respectful, and productive conversations.

The Center’s “Bipartisanship (and Friendship) Happen!” series, broughtpairs of accomplished and dedicated public officials together to talk about their determination to extend the ties of shared enterprise and friendship across the divisions of recent times.

The Center started this series because it believes that the tensions of our time put a premium on seizing every opportunity for civil, respectful, and productive conversations. Polarization in national civic culture has a long history, a fact that cannot provide much consolation or comfort to Americans. While many of the events in this series feature Coloradans, theyalso included regional and national participants.

[video:https://youtu.be/n8MChHGKHyg]

David Skaggs and Scott McInnis

David SkaggsandScott McInnisforged a close and enduring friendship in the Colorado House of Representatives, where they served together from 1987-1983. They carried that camaraderie forward when they went on to serve together in the U.S. House of Representatives.

[video:https://youtu.be/bqVaLUt2rH4]

Diana DeGette and Fred Upton

Diana DeGetteandFred Uptonrecently announced they are currently working on a new bipartisan piece of legislation they are calling “Cures 2.0” to build upon the incredible success they achieved with their first bill. They were also recently invited to the White House to meet with President Biden and discuss how the U.S. can cure cancer once and for all.

[video:https://youtu.be/Ia2313ohXU8]

Mark Kennedy and Marty Meehan

University of Colorado President Mark KennedyandUniversity of Massachusetts President Marty Meehanwho served in the U.S. House of Representatives together, joined us for a public conversation on April 15th. Kennedy as a Republican from Minnesota and Meehan as a Democrat from Massachusetts worked across the aisle on a range of issues, and in the process, they formed an enduring friendship.

[video:https://youtu.be/dxdLEvO2Nco]

Bob Beauprez andMark Udall

We hope you were able to join us for a public conversation between former Republican Congressman Bob Beauprez and former Democratic Congressman and Senator Mark Udall. The evening began with a discussion of their sturdy and long-lasting friendship, and then moved to a wide-ranging conversation about issues on which they agree, disagree, and half-agree!