Jamelle Bouie Explores the Institutional Pitfalls of American Democracy

Jamelle Bouie spoke at length about what he views as the three key institutional issues of American democracy. Credit: Laratee VanNieuwenhuyze '24

“What’s wrong with American Democracy?” was the question The New York Times opinion columnist Jamelle Bouie sought to answer in Fusco Music Hall on Nov. 3.

Bouie’s lecture focused on what he viewed to be the three main issues with the United States governmental system as part of the college’s Autumn Lecture series. 

Bouie suggests that there are three key interlocking institutional issues with American democracy: the problem of our political parties and the way our party system is structured; the problem of institutions like Congress and the Supreme Court and how they shape our democracy; and the actual structure of American politics, as well as how American politics operates given its ground rules.

During the lecture, he captivated the audience with jokes and a relaxed demeanor, poking fun at the recent Congressional outcomes. Bouie consistently referred to what one would normally consider the issues of American democracy to be: whoever is sitting in office, whether it be the president or members of Congress, and changing who is in office would be the simple solution. 

Contrary to such belief, Bouie claimed, “If we’re consistently seeing the same kinds of patterns of behavior from the people who occupy these positions, if we’re consistently seeing the same kind of dysfunction from these institutions, then there’s… a broader, deeper problem… with the system.”

The lecture lasted for an hour and a half, ending with a Q&A session where both students and faculty posed questions to Bouie, all of which he answered to the best of his knowledge and expertise. Marist President Kevin C. Weinman was also in attendance.

Before the lecture, select students were given the opportunity to join Bouie and some faculty for dinner in the campus’ boathouse. They were allowed to have a more intimate Q&A session with Bouie. Questions ranged from career advice to his own personal stances on foreign and domestic policy. He also described his work ethic, process and personal interests.

Political science and journalism student Rebecca Dowling ‘25 found the lecture informative and interesting, as speaking about politics in this manner as an opinion columnist can be both “difficult” and “viewed as controversial.”

“However, he explained his ideas in such a way that made people stop, rethink, and analyze their own opinions,” said Dowling. “Marist should continue to have more guest lecturers like him who encourage students to think critically about their own opinions and the institutions that shape our lives.”