A Thought Provoking Conversation

After giving all of us at the Wadsworth Mansion Middletown Conversation  this evening a quick lesson on the history of the inaugural speech, Elvin Lim said our new president "did not give a speech that will be written on monuments." The Wesleyan University government professor and speaker for the evening thought President Obama consciously chose prose over poetry, giving up eloquence and feel good moments to be critical of the last administration and to set the stage for change. Professor Lim said that Barak Obama showed in his speech today his great ambition, his extreme confidence and his agenda to truly change the relationship between the people and their government.

This third “Party with Purpose” and fundraiser for the Middlesex Community Foundation was a thought provoking evening with delightful wines provided by our local Connecticut vineyard, Chamard, as well as a very fine selection of finger foods. Many at this event were going off to other conversations later tonight and I’m sure Professor Lim provided much for them think about and to inject into the next discussions.  I know my husband and I noted that our Wes U pundit was much better than the ones they often put on TV.   

Inaugural fundraiser at Wadsworth Mansion

From the Middlesex County Community Foundation:

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is sponsoring its third “Party with a Purpose” on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day, at 5:00 p.m. at the Wadsworth Mansion in Middletown, CT at 421 Wadsworth Street, Middletown, Connecticut. Wesleyan Professor Elvin Lim, author of the Anti-Intellectual Presidency, will be the guest speaker. He will review President Obama’s inaugural address and reveal what the new President REALLY said about the new direction and changes we can expect in the Obama administration. Light fare and lively conversation will follow. The fee is twenty dollars per person.

Elvin T. Lim is an Assistant Professor of Government at Wesleyan University and the author of The Anti-intellectual Presidency (Oxford University Press, 2008). He is a winner of the Sara Norton thesis prize at the University of Oxford, where he took a BA (First Class) in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Phd) in Politics. He researches and teaches courses in American politics in general, and on campaigns, the media, political communication, political development, public opinion, and the presidency in particular. His research has been cited in The Guardian, The London Times, The New Republic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, and The Washington Times. [Biography provided by Wesleyan University]

The Middlesex County Community Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Middlesex County. Their mission is to work with charitably-minded individuals and organizations, to build permanent endowments and other charitable funds to support local non-profit organizations through effective grant making to address community needs. Since its founding in 1997, Middlesex County Community Foundation has provided over 1.1 million dollars in grants to more than 150 organizations to improve the arts; cultural and heritage programs; educational activities; environmental conditions; and health and human services.