NOW presented a round-table discussion of the state of American democracy on November 1, 2002. Biographies of participants are below.

Richard Brookhiser — Jean Bethke Elshtain — Emily Levine — Michael Lind — Manning Marable — Ruben Navarrette Jr. — Kevin Phillips

		Richard Brookhiser A biographer of George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, Richard Brookhiser is also senior editor for NATIONAL REVIEW magazine and a contributor to the NEW YORK OBSERVER. His books have helped renew interest in the Founding Fathers and have helped to resurrect the art of historical biography. In his various writings, Brookhiser has consistently communicated his affinity for the free market and representative democracy. Read more about, and by Richard Brookhiser No Time Like the Present to Eliminate Saddam's Threat Urgent Work Awaits: Are We Really Prepared? Alexander Hamilton: New Yorker Online NewsHour - Then and Now: Richard Brookhiser
		Jean Bethke Elshtain A distinguished political philosopher, Jean Bethke Elshtain was born and raised in a small farm community in Colorado. After receiving her Ph.D. from Brandeis University in 1973, she became a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Since then, Elshtain has received many prestigious awards and fellowships. Currently, she serves as chair of the Council on Families in America, is a member of the National Commission for Civic Renewal, and is president of the Council on Civil Society. Her writings encompass a broad variety of subjects, ranging from feminism to "just war" theory. But it was her 1995 book DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL, a study of current social problems and their effect democratic government, that brought Elshtain out of the strictly academic world and to the attention of wider public. Garnering numerous accolades the book led to a flood of speaking invitations, including one from then-President Clinton. DEMOCRACY ON TRIAL attempted to strike a balance between conservative and liberal political ideologies with the idea of communitarianism - a theory that maintains citizens must balance liberty and social responsibility. This compromise, Elshtain argues, "can be an ideal. It is a democratic way to do politics." Read more by Jean Bethke Elshtain The Trials of a Public Intellectual Just War and Humanitarian Intervention (PDF) The Clinton Scandal and Civic Discourse Work and Its Meanings
		Emily Levine Emily Levine is a Harvard educated stand-up comedian who was recently hailed by NEWSWEEK as one of the new "Queens of Comedy." In addition to her stand-up, Levine was also a writer/producer for such sitcoms as "Designing Women" and "Love and War." In her widely acclaimed one-woman show, "eLevine.universe," Levine argues, with an amusing synthesis of humor and philosophy, that the world governed by a rational logic has given way to a world governed by chaos. Read a biography of Ellen Levine
		Michael Lind Once a writer and editor for various publications, including HARPER'S , the NEW YORKER, and the NATIONAL INTEREST, Michael Lind now writes for the GLOBALIST. He is a senior fellow at the New America Foundation. Lind's work has also appeared in the NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE and the WASHINGTON POST, and he has been a guest on various political talk shows, including the NEWSHOUR with Jim Lehrer. He is the author of three nonfiction books dealing with political journalism and history, THE NEXT American NATION, UP FROM CONSERVATISM, and VIETNAM, all of which received NEW YORK TIMES Notable Book designations. Read articles by Michael Lind. New World Empire Vs. New World Order Is America the New Roman Empire? Rogue Individuals and Weapons of Mass Destruction Fundamental Flaws
		Manning Marable Manning Marable is a professor of history and political science at Columbia University and is the founder of Columbia's Institute for Research in African-American Studies. From 1983 to 1986, Marable served as the founding director of Colgate University's Africana and Hispanic Studies Program, and has also held distinguished positions at Ohio State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. The author of 13 books, perhaps Marable's most popular achievement has been his long-running syndicated newspaper column, "Along the Color Line," a commentary on African American politics. In 1999, Marable started the quarterly journal SOULS: A CRITICAL JOURNAL OF BLACK POLITICS, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY. A prominent activist, Marable helped found the Black Radical Congress and is a national co-chairperson for the Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism, an activist political organization. Read more by Manning Marable Along the Color Line Manning Marable's Znet Home Page History, Liberalism, and the Black Radical Tradition George W. Bush: The Illusion of Inclusion
		Ruben Navarrette Jr. Ruben Navarrette Jr. is a syndicated columnist and member of the editorial board for the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. His work focuses primarily on Latino issues, specifically issues centered around color and national origin. As a member of the WASHINGTON POST Writers Group, his column appears the world over. A graduate of Harvard, Navarrette returned to his native Fresno, California, after college to begin a career as a freelance writer. His work appeared in reputable papers throughout the country, ultimately landing him a reporting job with the ARIZONA REPUBLIC in 1997. Quickly, Navarrette went from reporting to writing columns twice a week. In 1999, he returned to Harvard to pursue a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School of Government. In 2000, he accepted an invitation to join the DALLAS MORNING NEWS editorial board. Navarette also travels extensively, giving lectures and talks to universities and various organizations. Read more by Ruben Navarrette Jr. Washington Post Writers Group Navarrette Archive
		Kevin Phillips Kevin Phillips is a political analyst and historian whose latest work, WEALTH AND DEMOCRACY, probes the relationship between economic inequality and the democratic process. Mr. Phillips first gained prominence as the chief political strategist for Richard Nixon during the historic election of 1968. In 1969, he published THE EMERGING REPUBLICAN MAJORITY, which forecasted a major shift to the right in electoral politics - a prediction that has been remarkably accurate. In WEALTH AND DEMOCRACY, Mr. Phillips chronicles the history of America's wealthiest families and their effect on public policy from 1780s to 1991. Mr. Phillips argues that America is presently experiencing a new Gilded Age where the rich call the shots as democracy deteriorates. Read more by Kevin Phillips Bill Moyers talks to Kevin Phillips On Why McCain Should Leave the GOP and Mount Reform Campaign The Cycles of a Financial Scandal With Inequality of Income and Tax Burden Growing, Expect the Widening Rich/Poor Divide to Focus the Political Debate Wealth and Democracy
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