Guest Speaker: Ed O'Reilly
This lecture, sponsored by the Honors Society of Phi Kappa Phi, is titled "In Search of American Democracy, A Campaign for Change - How UMass Alumnus Ed O'Reilly's Campaign for the U.S. Senate Became a Challenge to the Status Quo."
O'Reilly will discuss his decision to run for the U.S. Senate and how money, power, and vested interests influence health care, economic and social justice, foreign policy, and political inequality.
O'Reilly is a 1975 UMass legal studies (magna cum laude) graduate who took his varied life experiences - as a volunteer at Wounded Knee, a factory worker, a corrections officer and counselor in the State Prison System, a firefighter, a lobsterman, a local political office holder, and a criminal defense trial attorney for over 25 years - onto the campaign trail in an attempt to challenge a system supported by an entrenched U.S. Senator. Ed has attended courses at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Salem State College, and Endicott College, and holds a J.D. from New England School of Law.
O'Reilly will be discussing the following topics:
-Connecting electoral politics and political decision-making
-The "bailout:" trickle-down economics or the beginning of socialism?
-The "stimulus package:" an attempt to stimulate the economy or to placate to special interests?
-Developing educated political consumers
-How do marketing, advertising, and name brands affect our political consumer habits, and where do we go from here?