Episode Five: Big Challenges for the Future

Richard Gephardt reflects on his own experiences in American politics and lays out major challenges facing our nation including such topics as globalization, healthcare, education, the environment and terrorism. Gephardt is optimistic about America’s ability to meet these challenges head on and gives his recommendations for dealing with these issues. 

Mr. Gephardt’s presentation was recorded at this year’s A Day with Northwestern in Evanston on April 21, 2007.

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About the Presenter: Richard A. Gephardt (C62, H92)

A former House of Representatives Majority and Minority Leader and two-time Democratic presidential candidate, Richard Gephardt (C62, H92) has been an outspoken advocate on issues of economic fairness and opportunity.

Elected to Congress in 1976, Gephardt served 14 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a House freshman, he served on the Ways and Means and Budget committees, and became a national leader on health care, trade and tax fairness.

In 1984, Gephardt was elected chair of the House Democratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking leadership position in the House. The first Democratic candidate to enter the 1988 presidential race, Gephardt won the Iowa Democratic Caucus and helped frame the economic issues that dominated the election. In 1989, he was elected by his House colleagues to serve as Majority Leader and in 1994, was elected House Democratic Leader, the top Democratic Leadership position in the House. In 2003, he made a second run for the presidency, promoting a form of universal health care. He retired from Congress in January 2005 after serving Missouri’s Third Congressional District for 28 years.