The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Communication and Civic Renewal (CCCR) hosted the conference, “Renewing Civic Life in Wisconsin: Fulfilling the Legacy of Bill Kraus” on Nov. 18 at the Gordon Commons in Madison, Wisconsin.
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Center for Communication and Civic Renewal (CCCR) hosted the conference, “Renewing Civic Life in Wisconsin: Fulfilling the Legacy of Bill Kraus” on Nov. 18 at the Gordon Commons in Madison, Wisconsin.
The conference featured a keynote lecture from former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson along with panel discussions from prominent Wisconsin journalists, leading academics and political figures considering how we can talk and work across political divides.
This conference was designed to spur discussions about how to improve civic connections in Wisconsin while also honoring the legacy of political icon Bill Kraus (1926-2018), who served as a Republican strategist before co-chairing Common Cause in Wisconsin for two decades. Kraus remains one of the most respected political leaders in our state’s history – known for being able to talk with people across the aisle and make compromises. We saw examples of the deep love that the people of the state have for Bill Kraus every time we asked someone to participate in our conference. People were excited and moved at the opportunity to share their research, their reflections on the state, and their memories of Bill.
Kraus was instrumental in running the successful Lee Dreyfus campaign for governor in 1978. As Kraus wrote in his book about the campaign, “We did everything wrong and it worked.” One example was when the printer reversed the state of Wisconsin on campaign buttons, they decided to keep them, adding the slogan, “we’re turning this state around!” Serving in the Dreyfus administration, Kraus was instrumental in helping to form the UW System and in passing a landmark gay rights bill in 1982 – decades before most of the country began taking the issue seriously. He fought for compromise, decency, and fairness. In April 2018, the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service created the “Bill Kraus Lifetime Achievement Award.
This conference features research from the Center for Communication and Civic Renewal at UW-Madison about the state of democracy in Wisconsin. The CCCR studies the relationships between communication and civil society, with an emphasis on understanding the political culture in Wisconsin. Bill Kraus would not be pleased with what is happening in our state. What are the contours of our political breakdowns? What are potential paths forward? Watch the sessions from Renewing Civic Life in Wisconsin: Fulfilling the Legacy of Bill Kraus and consider taking what you learn to contribute to our ongoing conversation about how our state can productively address the challenges before it.
This event would not be possible without the support of The Tow Foundation. Established in 1988 by Leonard and Claire Tow, its mission is to promote wellness and access to opportunities so that individuals and communities can thrive. It invests in innovative programs and reform in culture, higher education, journalism, justice and community wellness, and medicine.
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We hosted this conference with the intention to spur discussions about how to improve civic connections in Wisconsin while also honoring the legacy of political icon Bill Kraus (1926-2018), who served as a Republican strategist before co-chairing Common Cause in Wisconsin for two decades.
We are so excited to hear from our invited speakers and to share how the research we at the UW do shines a light on how our state is fulfilling, and falling short of, the shining example set by Bill Kraus’ contributions to how we govern ourselves in Wisconsin.
The topic of bipartisan civility and cooperation was the topic that Bill devoted much of his life to, and over the course of many years and many political campaigns, he became known as ’the conscience of Wisconsin politics.’ This conference should provide us all with lessons in how to get back to good government, how we might find our way out of the wilderness and into the light of transparency, fairness, and public input.
Bill was a political strategist from the days when campaign consultants were believers, not mercenaries. Bill retired but never retreated from his commitment to a healthy democracy. He haunted Capitol offices driven by his belief that “let the people decide” obligated legislators, Rs and Ds alike, to overturn gerrymandering to give voters their due.
This event would not be possible without the support of The Tow Foundation. Established in 1988 by Leonard and Claire Tow, its mission is to promote wellness and access to opportunities so that individuals and communities can thrive. It invests in innovative programs and reform in culture, higher education, journalism, justice and community wellness, and medicine.