Milligan to discuss dysfunction in Congress at Nov. 14 Flagler Forum event

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Susan Milligan

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (11/05/2013)(readMedia)-- As the nation tries to move past the recent government shutdown, author and US News and World Report columnist Susan Milligan will discuss the dysfunction prevalent in Congress at the Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy lecture series on Nov. 14.

"There's a lot wrong with Washington, but it's not what people think," said Milligan, co-author of "Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy." "We spent so much time and effort trying to eradicate backroom dealing, favor-trading and the proverbial old boy's network that we have eliminated the very things that made Congress work."

Milligan believes the breakdown of personal connections is dooming Washington.

"Lawmakers don't spend any time together anymore, and the breakdown of that personal network is a major reason Congress can't -- or won't – compromise," said Milligan. "They used to go out drinking and poker-playing together. Now, congressmen are worried about someone snapping a cell phone photo of them downing a drink, and rarely go out in Washington."

For more than 27 years, Milligan covered Washington, the Albany statehouse and New York City Hall for States News Service and the New York Daily News and the Boston Globe, where she recently served as White House and National Political Correspondent.

Milligan spent five years as a writer based in Budapest, Hungary. From there, she reported on the wars in the Balkans, the economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe and the arts for a variety of magazines and newspapers.

Milligan's lecture, "Washington Wreck in Review: How a Divided Nation is Paralyzing Congress," will take place at Lewis Auditorium at Flagler College, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided.

Call (904) 819-6400 for more information.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.