On paper, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean are polar opposites. Gingrich helped spearhead a movement in 1994 in which the Republicans took back the U.S. House for the first time in decades, while Dean was once the front-runner in the 2004 Democratic presidential primary.
On Thursday, however, the two could agree on one common issue while speaking at Judson University in Elgin: bipartisanship leads to good government.
“There is no reason that you can’t work together,” Dean told the audience gathered in Judson’s Herrick Chapel. Some of his best years politically were when both parties had split control of the Vermont legislature, he said.
Gingrich and Dean were the co-speakers at Judson’s annual World Leaders Forum. Held annually since 2011, the university has attracted big names to the event to discuss issues of leadership, including former President George W. Bush, former Mexican President Felipe Calderon and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Gingrich and Dean spoke on the theme of bipartisanship in a divided world. In the two-speaker format, each politician expressed his opinion and listened as the other offered theirs — something they said they hoped the young leaders in the room noticed.
“If we’re going to have policies that we are going to bring together … it’s important to understand what the Republican ideas are, what the other ideas are,” said Dean, viewing it from his perspective as a Democrat. “Let’s have a look at that and see if there isn’t some truth to (the Republican argument).”
“When politics breaks down, people suffer,” Gingrich said. “This is an important process, and I hope between us, we can convince most of you to be more active citizens and to take it seriously.”
Both men spoke highly of the younger generations, particularly the millennials. Dean called them “the most powerful generation” that has existed to this point, as well as “the first global generation.”
Gingrich said they must overcome the challenges associated with being politically active, especially in situations in which people might not agree with them or look down on them for taking a political position.
“The young generation is going to have to decide” if they have the ability “to go out and master this trait,” Gingrich said. “If they are willing to do that, it will have a huge impact.”
Prior to the start of the discussion, Dean and Gingrich met with a few students from Judson and Elgin Community College. The students pressed for answers on how legislators can function in such a divisive political climate.
State Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, and Kane County Board Member Rebecca Gillam, a Republican from Geneva, said they were impressed with the students who participated in the panel.
“To them, it’s not about if it’s a left issue, if it’s a right issue. It’s about what is the right thing to do,” Castro said.
raguerrero@tribpub.com
Twitter @rafaguerrero14
