Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

From his views of Islam in the West to his assertion that the United States should once again become a colonial power, conservative historian Niall Ferguson has never shied away from challenging established views or offering provocative opinions. Now, Ferguson is posing a new challenge to the traditional orthodoxy of history. Many historians subscribe to the idea that history is driven by leaders and political elites, but in his new book, The Square and the Tower, Ferguson argues that networks of people, not individuals, are responsible for producing and promoting the great political, economic and philosophic ideas that have guided Western society from its humble origins to its present greatness. From ancient Roman cults and the Sons of Liberty to Facebook and Twitter, Ferguson explores what other historians have overlooked: the critical networks which drove change and molded Western society into what it is today. Ferguson will even offer bold predictions on which networks currently in their infancy will come to shape the future. Ferguson is an award-winning economist and historian. Trained at Oxford, his 14 books and numerous academic and journalistic publications have garnered him international attention and acclaim. He is also an accomplished filmmaker. His first documentary, Kissinger, won the New York Film Festival prize for best documentary. Ferguson is currently the Laurence A. Tisch professor of history at Harvard University and a senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.

This event is underwritten by Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. With changes to taxes on the horizon, health care in flux, housing prices continuing to rise, continued governmental gridlock as well as external threats to the U.S. from North Korea and terrorism, what does all of this mean for your business, your investments and the greater economy for 2018? Lenny Mendonca is a senior partner emeritus from the Washington, D.C. and San Francisco offices of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He founded McKinsey’s U.S. state and local public sector practice. He is also the chair of both New America and Children Now, co-chair of California Forward, and co-founder and chair of FUSE Corps. He is the chair emeritus of the Bay Area Council and their Economic Institute. Mendonca was also vice chair of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development. He holds an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a bachelor’s in economics from Harvard. John Taylor was on President Trump’s short list to chair the Federal Reserve. His fields of expertise are monetary policy, fiscal policy and international economics. He served as a member of the Congressional Budget Office's Panel of Economic Advisers and as a Treasury undersecretary for international affairs, where he was responsible for currency markets, international development, oversight of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and for coordinating policy with the G7 and G20. He holds a doctorate in economics from Stanford University and a bachelor’s in economics from Princeton University. Join us for a lively discussion on where the United States and global economies are headed and what should be done to keep them on track.

While much of the country has been focused on the Trump–Russia investigation, conservative author David Frum has been monitoring the strain the new president is placing on the traditional limits of the Oval Office. During his own White House tenure as George W. Bush’s speechwriter, Frum witnessed the ways the presidency is limited not by law but by tradition, propriety and public outcry. Frum argues the traditional limits of the Oval Office have been weakened. In his new book, Trumpocracy, Frum outlines how he thinks President Trump could push America toward illiberalism, what the consequences could be for our nation and our everyday lives, and what we can do to prevent it. Join one of America’s leading conservative pundits for a conversation about our changing democracy and where the country is heading.

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs are projected to grow 17 percent between 2014 and 2024 compared to just 12 percent for non-STEM related fields. Many of those jobs will reside right here in Silicon Valley. That’s the good news. The bad news is that despite progress, minorities, women and people with disabilities are still severely underrepresented in STEM-related fields. If the future of Silicon Valley relies on a STEM-educated workforce, what can we do today to ensure that our workforce is as diverse as possible tomorrow? Join us for a conversation with MacArthur Fellows who are actively involved in facilitating access to STEM education for core underrepresented populations. The panelists will discuss the barriers to STEM education and how to break them down. This event was recorded in-front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club in Palo Alto on January 22nd, 2018.

It’s safe to say that 2017 was not been the best of times when it came to climate. Record-breaking hurricanes, year-round wildfires, and a renewed commitment to fossil fuels all contributed to a chaotic first year under the Trump administration. On today’s show we look back at the climate stories of 2017 by listening to excerpts from a year of climate conversations. 2017 began, of course, in the aftershock of Donald Trump’s election, with wildly varying predictions about how much of a dealmaker the new President might be on climate. In a program recorded immediately after Trump’s inauguration, Greg Dalton was joined by a panel of climate-friendly Republicans to talk about where their party was on climate, and where the new administration might take it.

Join six-time award-winning author, two-time TEDx speaker, executive and life planning coach Larry Jacobson, as he brings you on board the sailing vessel Julia for the ride of your life. With personal insight, wisdom and humor, Jacobson will share funny, scary and romantic stories from his six-year odyssey. He will answer questions such as: How were he and his openly gay crew received? Were there problems flying the rainbow flag all the way around the world? How did Jacobson deal with his fears? What scared him the most: pirates, storms, tsunamis or Texans? You’ll learn more about Jacobson’s method for managing fear, which he developed while at sea. Jacobson will also be signing his award-winning memoir, an Amazon No. 1 best seller, The Boy Behind the Gate. MLF Organizer Name Wes McGaughey Notes MLF: LGBT

We'll cover the latest political news, and we'll look ahead to what we can expect in 2018, when control of Congress and many state governments will be up for grabs. Join us as we discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our members social (open to all attendees).

Consumption-crazed baby boomers are leaving millennials and Generation Xers with a mountain of debt and a destabilized climate. In his new book, Bruce Gibney, a venture investor in PayPal, Facebook, Spotify, SpaceX and other tech companies, writes that boomers are a generation of sociopaths who betrayed America. According to Gibney, most climate deniers are aging boomers who won’t live to see the worst consequences of climate change. Therefore, they won’t pay to address these challenges. At the same time, some boomers feel guilty about the climate changes they are responsible for and are now striving for redemption. These boomers are attempting to use their wealth and knowledge to engage younger people in climate solutions. The conversation is a difficult one though, especially considering that many young people today know they are inheriting a darker future than the one their parents did. Join us for an intergenerational discussion about what you can do to make an impact—and how to persuade the climate doubters in your life.

Resolving Our Most Difficult Issues in the 21st Century At a time when political divisions make progress in addressing difficult issues rare across our country, Commonwealth Club President Gloria Duffy takes us inside five public policy dilemmas in which she has been personally involved and the approaches that have resulted in success. The cases range from an environmental conflict over San Jose’s central park to handling sexual misconduct on a college campus to removing nuclear weapons from the former Soviet Union. Join us for this discussion of the values and strategies Duffy has repeatedly seen work in resolving our most difficult issues.

America’s electricity infrastructure is aging. Mason Willrich will describe the ownership and operation of this infrastructure and the web of state and federal policies that govern it. He will present a coherent national strategy for modernizing our infrastructure, including expansion of energy efficiency, wind, solar, nuclear and other carbon-free resources for power generation.