Tommy G. Thompson Center for Public Leadership

Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, discusses the latest news relating to the Impeachment inquiry with UW-Madison Professor, Kenneth Mayer.

Ryan Owens interviews the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Conservative Energy Forum, Scott Coenen. https://www.wiscef.org

Thompson Center director, Ryan Owens, interviews Michael Murphy about his experience and what he thinks future elections hold in store.

Speaker Paul Ryan joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss current policy priorities, including evidence-based public policies with the American Idea Foundation and opportunity zones designed to provide incentives to invest in Census tracts where poverty is persistent. Speaker Ryan provided insight on the rise of polarization, opportunities to revitalize civil society, and lessons for younger Americans. The conversation concluded with discussion on the first 100 Days of the Biden Administration and hopes for progress in divided government. Paul Ryan is a native of Janesville who served as Representative for Wisconsin's 1st Congressional District for two decades, the 54th Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 2012 Republican nominee for Vice President of the United States.

Sean Stevens joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss findings from a 2020 survey on free speech on college campuses. The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), College Pulse, and RealClearEducation released College Free Speech Rankings, a comprehensive comparison of student experiences of free speech on their college or university campuses. Dr. Stevens is a Senior Research Fellow in Polling and Analytics at FIRE.

Congressman Mark Pocan (D-WI) joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss upcoming congressional priorities and opportunities for bipartisan consensus. A small business owner, union member, and lifelong advocate for progressive causes, Rep. Pocan was sworn in as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's second congressional district in 2013 following 14 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly.

Michael Ferris joined the Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss a data-based planning tool called "Wisconsin Expansion of Renewable Electricity with Optimization under Long-term Forecasts" (WEREWOLF) he developed with Thompson Center funding and explain how the model has been replicated for use in Wisconsin's COVID-19 vaccine delivery. Dr. Ferris is the John P. Morgridge Professor & Jacques-Louis Lions Chair of Computer Sciences & Stephen C. Kleene Professor in Computer Science and Mathematics and Industrial and Systems Engineering at UW-Madison and the Director of the Data Science Hub at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery.

In this episode, the Thompson Center was joined by Shannon Jankowski and Diego Zambrano to discuss the current reach of Anti-SLAPP statutes and the potential for further implementation. Shannon Jankowski is the E.W. Scripps Legal Fellow at Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, where she works to protect First Amendment freedoms and the newsgathering rights of journalists. Diego Zambrano is an Assistant Professor at Stanford Law School with expertise in transnational law and arbitration.

Mondira Saha-Muldowney joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss her team's timely study, Academia and Industry Collaboration During the Early Onset of COVID-19 Pandemic: Success Stories and Barriers Encountered. Mondira is the Manager of the Dissemination and Implementation Launchpad at the UW Institute for Clinical and Translational Research.

Christine Rosen joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss her recent article, "You Will be Re-Educated." Christine is a senior writer at Commentary Magazine and a senior editor of the New Atlantis, where she writes about the social and cultural impact of technology,

David Clark and David Stark joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center to discuss the real estate industry, namely through trends observed during this pandemic public emergency. Dr. Clark is the Executive Associate Dean and Professor of Economics at Marquette University with expertise in urban and regional economics with an emphasis on housing markets and household migration behavior. Mr. Stark is the longtime President of Stark Company Realtors who comes from a line of prominent realtors. The company was founded in 1908 and primarily serves South Central Wisconsin.

Professor Emeritus Dennis Dresang joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership to discuss his new book on the life and legacy of former Wisconsin Governor Patrick J. Lucey. Dresang discussed Lucey's hand in the reforms to the University of Wisconsin structure, the growth of the Democratic Party in the state, and notable moments from Gov. Lucey's life and leadership.

Part of the Balancing Law Enforcement and Civil Liberties series, Wilfred Reilly joined the Thompson Center to discuss interactions between police and citizens. Dr. Reilly is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Kentucky State University and shared his research on media narratives concerning law enforcement and race.

Part of the Balancing Law Enforcement and Civil Liberties series, Jim Palmer joined the Thompson Center to discuss the state of law enforcement in Wisconsin. Palmer is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Professional Police Association and shared findings from their newly released report, A Blueprint for Change: Opportunities to Evolve Policing in Wisconsin.

Lisa Pugh and Beth Swedeen by Tommy G. Thompson

Attorney Ryan Walsh joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center to discuss the recent Supreme Court case on the Governors's Safer-At-Home order. Walsh discussed the authority and power of agencies in the state government, and the process of properly exercising that power. He also discussed the takeaways from the Supreme Courts decision, and its meaning for the future.

The Thompson Center was joined by former governor Tommy G. Thompson and Wisconsin State Senator Fred A. Risser, the longest serving lawmaker in American history. Tommy Thompson and Senator Risser reflected on their time in office and discussed changes they bore witness to during their time in office. Each also shared their thoughts on good governance and gave some advice for up and coming leaders of the future.

The Thompson Center was pleased to be joined by Charles Franklin, Professor of Law and Public Policy and Director of the highly esteemed Marquette Law School Poll since its creation in 2012. Franklin discussed the most recent polling data from Wisconsin looking at the populations views on the presidential race, presidential job approval, Wisconsin Governor Evers approval, the economic outlook, various healthcare systems, and thoughts on the most recent stimulus package passed by congress.

In this Podcast Thompson Center Director Ryan Owens interviewed David Robson, author of "The Intelligence Trap: Why Smart People Make Dumb Mistakes." Robson is an accomplished writer specializing in matters of the human brain, body, and behavior. His work has appeared at the BBC, The New Scientist, The Guardian, and the Atlantic. Robson discussed the unique tools available to highly intelligent people to double down on mistakes. Further, higher levels of education as they are currently designed actually strengthen self-selection bias when looking at the evidence available to them, because the priority of the individual in to make a strong argument for their point of view. Robson went on to discuss the means and ways by which a person can avoid the intelligence trap, and be more effective in decision making.

Senator Mike Lee of Utah joined the Thompson Center to discuss legislation relating to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and a set of provisions scheduled to expire on March 15, 2020. Senator Lee began his tenure in 2010 and is a member of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Thompson Center was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview both Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley and Justice Rebecca Dallet. The Justices described the work they do and how it may be different from the publics perception. They also weighed in on some of the key issues facing the court in the contemporary context. Additionally, the Justices made some tips and recommendations to attorneys when they bring a case to the Court.

Dr. Gordon Wood, professor emeritus at Brown University, joined the Tommy G. Thompson Center to discuss the 1619 Project. Dr. Wood discussed the importance of the 1619 Project, where it is accurate from a historical perspective, and where it misses the mark.

Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, interviews Rep. Joan Ballweg.

The Thompson Center had the great pleasure of interviewing Dean Margaret Raymond, who has served as the Fred W. and Vi Miller Dean of the University of Wisconsin Law School since July 2011. Dean Raymond served as a law clerk to the late Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court and the late Judge James L. Oakes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Following her clerkships, she practiced as a commercial litigator and a criminal defense lawyer. Dean Raymond's scholarship focuses on constitutional criminal procedure, substantive criminal law, and the professional responsibility of lawyers. She is the co-author of a Professional Responsibility casebook, The Law and Ethics of Law Practice (with Hughes, 2d ed. 2015). From 2013-2019, she served as a member of the Standing Committee on Professional Ethics of the Wisconsin State Bar and she participates regularly in providing ethics CLE programming to Wisconsin lawyers.

Yuval Levin spoke with the Thompson Center about the breakdown of social institutions and cohesion in America, and the rise of populism that is both the cause and effect of this cohesion it.  Discussion also focused on the status and modern development of the Democratic and Republican parties.  Levin also spoke on what the role of the federal government is to be part of the solution in addressing the problems of modern society.  He also addressed federal spending and the agreement of both parties that nothing should be done to address deficits.

Thompson Center director, Ryan Owens, interviews Christopher Scalia, author and son of Justice Antonin Scalia.

The Thompson Center was pleased to speak with Representative Evan Goyke.  Representative Goyke spoke on his district and the city of Milwaukee and its importance to Wisconsin.  He also talked about some of his work in pursuit of statewide criminal justice reform, particularly housing reform as a way to reduce crime, but also reforms more broadly.  Representative Goyke also spoke on being a representative and the pressures faced by all lawmakers that make bipartisan solutions difficult to accomplish.  One of his key take aways was that in passing bipartisan legislation the first step is the hardest and the fallout predicted by opponents to the legislation rarely materializes to the extent which was feared.

The Thompson Center had a very insightful conversation with Representative and Wisconsin State Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz.  Representative Hintz spoke on his time and experience working in the state legislature, and what it is like to be in a position of leadership among equals.  Hintz also discussed the barriers to bipartisanship in Wisconsin's divided government, and the erosion of trust between the parties.  Other topics included areas of bipartisanship that could still be possible, the national Democratic Party, social media, and the problem of selection bias in where members of the public get their news.

The Thompson Center was thrilled to have the opportunity to sit down with Robin Vos, Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly.  Discussion included an update on what Speaker Vos was up to in the Assembly, his take the state of politics today, what we can do better, and how things are moving forward with divided government in Wisconsin.

The Thompson Center was very pleased to hear from journalist, Supreme Court analyst, and author Joan Biskupic. Discussion centered on her new book "The Chief: The Life and Turbulent Times of Chief Justice John Roberts".  Other topics included the nature of leadership on the court and areas of law the Supreme Court may or may not take up in the near future, notably affirmative action policies.

Listen to Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, interview Richard Brookhiser about his book about John Marshall.

Thompson Center director, Ryan Owens, interviews Winnebago County District Attorney, Christian Gossett.

Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, interviews Mona Charen.

Thompson Center director, Ryan Owens, interviews Congressman Mike Gallagher.

Thompson Center Director, Ryan Owens, interviews Senator Ron Johnson.

This episode of the Badgercast features an interview with former Lt. Governor of Wisconsin and the Executive Director of the Women's Suffrage Centennial Commission, Rebecca Kleefisch. Today also marks the 100 year anniversary of Wisconsin becoming the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment.

The inaugural version of the Badgercast is an interview of Tommy G. Thompson himself and the director of the Thompson Center, Ryan Owens.