Begun in 2009, the Tea Party movement is generally recognized as fiscally conservative, antigovernment, and a strict interpreter of the U.S. Constitution. The platform is resonating with many Americans. Hear a stellar lineup of panelists discuss how the Tea Party fits into the history of populist movements in American politics, how it may evolve and the long-term impact, and how we can promote civil discourse amid ideological differences.

Bill Whalen
Resident Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University

Bill Whalen studies and writes about current events and political trends, with an emphasis on California's political landscape. He is a contributor to the Hoover Digest and Policy Review, both of which are published by Hoover.

Christine Trost
Associate Director, Institute for the Study of Societal Issues

Christine Trost holds a Ph.D. in political science from UC Berkeley and recently completed (with Lawrence Rosenthal) an edited volume entitled Steep: The Vertiginous Rise of the Tea Party. She is also the program director of the Center for Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements.

Dr. Lawrence Rosenthal
Executive Director and Lead Researcher,
Center for the Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements

Dr. Rosenthal, a sociologist, has taught in UC Berkeley’s sociology and Italian studies departments and was a Fulbright professor at the University of Naples in Italy. He was a visiting scholar at the Institute for the Study of Social Change before founding the Center for the Comparative Study of Right-Wing Movements in 2009.

Henry E. Brady
Dean, Goldman School of Public Policy

Henry E. Brady, a political scientist and economist, is past president of the American Political Science Association and former director of UC's Survey Research Center. His interests include electoral politics and political participation, social welfare policy, and political polling and policy-oriented surveys.

THIS EVENT WAS Sponsored by the GSPP Center on Civility and Democratic Engagement.