On Feb. 4, former congressmen Mike Capuano of Massachusetts and Joe Heck of Nevada came to campus as a part of The Conversation, a new series dedicated to fostering constructive dialogue and productive disagreement.
The first Congress to Campus event was in March 2024, featuring former representatives Dennis Ross and John Yarmuth. James Oberwortmann, junior political science and marketing double-major and TU voter engagement task force member, assisted with the event last year and iterated the importance of open-mindedness.
“Being aware of what ideas are out there and experiencing different perspectives and lived experiences is very beneficial to shaping your own perspectives in an informed way,” Oberwortmann said. “Challenging yourself with unfamiliar ideas while also promoting your own ideas with people who haven’t heard them enriches the community and brings people together.”
Congress to Campus is a program created by the Former Members of Congress, a non-profit organization that prioritizes bipartisanship involving former and current members of Congress.
Many topics are voted on in Government daily, and disagreements occur between friends, family and members of Congress. When discussing the value of collaborative discourse, Heck and Capuano agreed that respectful disagreements are key to politics and public service.
“To have a well-functioning government, you have to have the ability to have civil discourse and disagree and debate,” Heck said. “It still is the underpinning of everything that does go on behind the scenes within the halls of Congress.”
Capuano was a member of Congress when the United States voted for the Iraq invasion in 2002. Although he voted against the war, Congress voted for it. He traveled to Iraq in 2005 to visit the troops sent into war. When reflecting on this time, Capuano remembered the conversations he had with fellow congressmen about voting based on what you believe is right.
“When it comes to sending young men and women to war, you vote your conscience, you don’t vote your politics,” Capuano said. “You got to have something you’re willing to lose your election over, and if war and peace isn’t it, I don’t know what the hell is.”
There are many different issues Congress votes on, from immigration to abortion. Capuano mentioned the complexity of the issues covered in Congress and how they affect productivity in Government.
“Congress was not designed to be an efficient place. It was designed intentionally to be inefficient. You shouldn’t be able to pass a piece of legislation on a whim,” Capuano said.“[The issues dealt with in Congress] bring a lot of tension, and they’re all complicated. If they were easy, we would have fixed it.”
For young people looking into running for office, Capuano and Heck recommend that they get involved with local campaigns and see what it’s like in the “real world.” Heck also iterated that there are routes outside of politics to instill change.
“See how that works, and determine whether or not the elected office route is the route that’s right for you,” Heck said. “If it’s not, that’s fine. But don’t give up your desire to want to make a difference, right? Just look for a different pathway to make that difference.”
While there won’t be another presidential election until 2028, local elections are ways to be aware about what goes on in your community, with the mayoral and city council elections on May 3. Capuano emphasized that voting and community involvement are options for young people.
“You can’t give me a single excuse why you didn’t vote. If you can’t vote, you can’t give me a single excuse why you didn’t get involved,” Capuano said. “If you can vote, you get the same voice I’ve got. No one handed me anything. I fought for it. Fight for it. You’ll get something.”
