ABOUT YOUR INSTRUCTOR:

Brian Baird Ph.D. is a retired six term Member of Congress (WA 3rd), clinical psychologist, an award-winning instructor, former President of Antioch University’s Seattle campus, and was named the funniest celebrity in Washington DC for his stand-up comedy performances. In addition to his background in government, clinical practice, and academia, Dr. Baird has worked in industry, written three books and made frequent media appearances on national and regional programs.

SCHEDULE:

8:30 – 8:55 a.m.
JOIN ONLINE

8:55 – 9:00 a.m.
WELCOME & INTRODUCTION

9:00 – 9:45 a.m.
Getting Elected
What it really takes to be elected to federal office and how that influences everything else.

• The disconnect between what it takes to get elected versus what it takes to serve
• Money, geography, timing, partisanship and luck
• Media and micropandering
• What voters say they want and how they vote
• Reforms and remedies

9:45 – 10:30 a.m.
An Institution That Has Evolved to Dysfunction

• How it is supposed to work in theory
• Deliberation? – We don’t need no stinking deliberation – How it really happens today
• Power in the hands of the very few – the rest are supplicants or spectators
• Partisanship and the “tyranny of faction” and the challenge of divided government
• Rules – Are they meant to be manipulated or to allow things to work?
• Reforms and remedies

10:30 – 10:45 a.m.
BREAK

10:45 – 11:30 a.m.
Budgets, Revenues, Authorization, Appropriations 

• If you ran your home this way, you’d be bankrupt
• Why should a budget have anything to do with revenues that have anything to do with spending?
• Where the money comes from and where it goes
• Reforms and remedies

11:30 – 11:45 a.m.
Question & Answer Session

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
LUNCH BREAK

12:30 – 1:15 p.m.
Article II and Article III 

• Blank checks and loss of balance
• The President
• The Agencies
• The Judiciary 
• Reforms and remedies

1:15 – 2:15 pm.
Advocacy 

• 10 reasons members of Congress do things
• The keys to successful advocacy
• Political giving
• Grass roots
• Lobbyists

2:15 – 2:30 p.m.
BREAK

2:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Challenges and Opportunities 

• An institution and people who can’t keep pace
• The “normalization of paranoia” and authoritarianism in America
• Kicking a 27 trillion dollar can gets harder every day
• The difference between 31.9 and 32.1 degrees
• The normal curve and AI 
• The world is round – and it’s about to roll over us
• Facts, reason, dialogue and compromise are virtues not sins
• The fundamental importance of service over self

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.
Question & Answer Session

Brian Baird is a faculty member of The Professional Education Group

LIVE WEBCAST
Friday, January 8, 2021
Attend online

REPLAYS
There are no replays.

$245 MSBA members / $245 paralegals / $295 standard rate

Other discounts that may apply:

• Season Pass Discount
• New Lawyer Discount

Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.

Minnesota CLE is applying to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for 5.0 standard CLE credits. The maximum number of total credits attendees may claim for this program is 5.0 credits.