Bob Woodward to Discuss Origins and Impact of Washington’s Dysfunctional Politics at Nov. 13 Robbins-Wilf Program

With the government shutdown and debt limit crisis still fresh on people’s minds, and immigration reform and other issues embroiled in partisan politics, Yeshiva University will host a discussion on “Washington's Broken Politics” featuring two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Bob Woodward. The lecture, part of the Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence program, will be held on Wednesday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues.

Bob Woodward will address Washington's dysfunctional politics at the Nov. 13 Robbins-Wilf program.

“Politics in Washington has become so dysfunctional that public approval for Congress has sunk to nine percent and more than six in ten Americans would like to replace their own member of Congress—an unprecedented low opinion of Congress—while approval for the president is at 42 percent, an all-time low for President Obama,” said Bryan Daves, clinical assistant professor of political science at Yeshiva University and moderator of the event. “Just at a time in which Americans expect their leaders to deal with difficult problems, their leaders seem unable to put politics aside. To understand how we got here, the consequences of the dysfunction and the way forward, we invited one the nation’s most respected and experienced journalists to offer his unique insights.” One of America’s preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors, Woodward has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor at the Post. As a young reporter in 1972, he was teamed up with Carl Bernstein, and the two did much of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal that led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resignation of President Richard Nixon. Woodward has authored or coauthored 16 non-fiction books in the last 36 years. All 16 have been national bestsellers and 12 of them have been #1 national non-fiction bestsellers — more than any contemporary author. The program is under the auspices of the Dr. Marcia Robbins-Wilf Scholar-in-Residence program at YU’s Stern College for Women. Dr. Robbins-Wilf, a founding member of the Stern College Board of Directors, established and funds the Scholar-in-Residence program which brings top scholars, authors, artists and opinion makers to Stern College—offering students unique perspectives on the world. Admission is free and open to the public with valid photo ID and ticket, which can be reserved at www.brokenwashington.eventbrite.com. There will also be a book signing immediately following the lecture.