The Dodd Center for Human Rights hosted former Congress members, Loretta Sanchez and Fred Upton, along with their moderator, Amber Diaz (UConn Class of 2011), for a talk at the Konover Auditorium about bipartisanship and fostering civic and democratic engagement on Thursday, Sept. 26.
The event started with words from the director of the Dodd Human Rights Impact programs, James Waller, and some words from University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric. Waller first introduced Maric to the stage, where she talked about the importance of democracy and civic engagement while providing a small introduction to the congress members and moderator present.
Waller then came back to add more about the importance of democracy and to introduce the two panelists and their moderator. The moderator, Amber Diaz, is an NBC Connecticut anchor and reporter who graduated from the UConn College of Liberal Arts and Sciences in 2011. Sanchez was a Democrat representing the state of California in the House of Representatives from 1997 to 2017. While serving in the House, Sanchez was on committees concerning international policy, counterterrorism and nuclear proliferation. Upton was a Republican representing Michigan in the House of Representatives from 1987 to 2023. He was the Chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee during the Obama administration.
Diaz asked both Congress members what the saying “meet people where they are at,” means to them. For Sanchez, she talks about meeting people “at the kitchen table,” dealing with day-to-day issues that most Americans have. Upton talked about how voters want their politicians to get the job done, supporting his argument with the fact that Ronald Reagan managed to get bills passed through a Democratic congress, leading to him winning 49/50 states in reelection. He also talks about how some issues — such as defense and energy — have bipartisan backing, meaning both parties find themselves more willing to work with each other on such issues.
Next, Diaz asked what civic engagement meant to both former Congress members. For Sanchez, civic engagement is about giving a voice to underrepresented groups in her district; she talked about how the district she used to represent, Orange County, is a place described by Reagan as “where rich Republicans go to die” and would always send six white male Republican male House of Representatives members. When Sanchez ran for office, she painted herself as a changemaker and promoted Latina and female representation within Orange County politics. Upton described civic engagement as being able to support your beliefs and not succumbing to popular opinion or party lines. He talked about how he had no problem opposing his Republican party and voting for Democratic proposals while in the House of Representatives.
Diaz next talked about the political divide present throughout the country and what steps could be taken to close it. Upton advised being respectful towards others, much like he did with opposition during his time in Congress, never resorting to name-calling and such. He also called on the audience to help bridge the political divide. Sanchez talked about finding common ground with someone who may have opposing views on certain issues. For example, years ago Sanchez and a congressman from Colorado got on TV to talk about a bill that would put money in colleges nationwide to train more nurses, as there was a nursing shortage in California. Even though this representative from Colorado was strongly anti-immigrant — opposed to Sanchez’s background as a migrant — they were both able to agree that there was a nursing shortage that needed to be filled.
Diaz referenced polls that suggest that confidence in public institutions is at an all-time low and asked both panelists what could be done to reinvigorate it. Sanchez believes that voters should select leaders who will fortify and believe in these public institutions, not someone like Trump who tried to rip it up from the ground underneath. She also defended the right of due process, stating that an American’s right to a day in court with a fair, impartial jury is important.
Upton talked about how the upcoming November election will end up in a divided Congress, how huge issues like immigration need to be dealt with, and the emergence of a far left and far right within Congress. He states that an overhaul of the U.S. election systems could help mitigate some of these problems in Congress. He highlights California’s jungle primary system, which made Sanchez and Kamala Harris — two Democratic candidates — candidates for a senate seat back in 2016. He also highlights how in his congressional district, primaries were held in August right as the school year started, so barely 15% of his constituents turned out to vote for their representative, meaning Upton needed only 8% of his constituents votes to become a congressman.
A Q&A session came after 45 minutes of questions by Diaz. One member of the audience, a former Orange County resident, asked the panelists for any advice on how to communicate disagreements. Sanchez believed in Nancy Pelosi’s advice to always keep the smile in your voice, as nasty people won’t know how to react. Upton highlighted the importance of always being available for his constituents and for his opponents, always agreeing to debate whenever and wherever possible. He also highlighted the importance of being an educated voter and common-sense legislation, so people understand what you are trying to do.
Another audience member referenced George Washington’s farewell address, warning against a two-party system. She asked the panelists if she thought the two-party system led to the political polarization we have today. Both panelists argued against this. Sanchez said that parties have less control in a multi-party system than in a two-party system. She also argued that the importance of the two-party system in US politics is that extremists didn’t raise the ranks too prolifically in a political party, as they would have to conform to party politics before running for important offices.
This has changed in recent years with the rise of social media, as being extravagant can now help you win public office. Upton agreed with this last point as well, saying how the Republicans don’t want Marjorie Taylor Greene to state her opinions, but because she brings in donations, they put up with it (campaign fundraising in general is also a problem). He also highlighted how in a parliamentary system like Germany’s Bundestag, party members have no independence on how to vote, rather conforming to party lines to keep their jobs. Upton doesn’t like this system and likes that he has the independence to vote against the Republican grain.
When asking Astra Finch, a fifth-semester computer science major, about what she thought of the event, she described about how there is a “disconnect between us and them, to be frank … they keep saying get involved, but a lot of us don’t know how, why, when, or what the resources are for that.”
When asked if the talk could invigorate her to be more active in politics, she told me she was a part of CT Voters First, an organization trying to make local elections and primaries follow ranked choice voting, and that it is nice to know that “there are some people who support the idea of young people getting into politics.”
For their final remarks, Sanchez noted the importance of doing your own research to educate yourself for this upcoming election, along with a call for the people in the audience to get active in politics by working as staff for politicians and to vote in this upcoming election in November to instigate the change they want to see. In response, Upton replied “ditto.”