UNE President’s Forum Explores the Left-Right Political Divide

With less than three weeks until Election Day, the University of New England on Wednesday hosted a panel of political experts to explore whether the political spectrum still holds meaning in a time of ideological flux.            

The panel, “Election 2024: Left, Right, or Unrecognizable?” was the eighth installment of UNE’s signature President’s Forum series, which provides a venue for respectful discourse on the most pressing social and global issues of our time, allowing conversations to unfold with civility and respect for differing opinions.

Held at the Harold Alfond Forum, the event featured panelists Verlan Lewis, Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University; Hyrum Lewis, professor of history at Brigham Young University-Idaho; Bryan Caplan, professor of economics at George Mason University; and Robin D. Hanson, associate professor of economics at George Mason University. 

The conversation was moderated by Shannon Zlotkowski, M.S., assistant provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UNE.

UNE President James D. Herbert opened the event by emphasizing the University’s commitment to fostering open inquiry and constructive dialogue. 

The Marketplace of Ideas reflects UNE’s core belief that exposure to differing perspectives is essential to personal growth and meaningful education. As part of the initiative, the President’s Forum provides a structured venue where students, faculty, and thought leaders can engage in civil discourse around some of the most contentious issues of our time.

The event unfolded as an engaging dialogue about the shifting political landscape ahead of the Nov. 5, 2024, election. While many Americans view the upcoming election as a battle between two opposing visions — either electing the nation’s first female president or re-electing a controversial former president — the panelists questioned whether these distinctions were as clear-cut as they seem.

Throughout the evening, discussion ebbed and flowed in, asking whether the ideological boundaries between America’s two dominant political parties are too fluid or contradictory to fit neatly into old paradigms.

Clockwise, from top left: Room 283 of the Harold Alfond Forum fills with students, UNE community members, and guests from the public; (from left): panelists Bryan Caplan and Robin Hanson, moderator Shannon Zlotkowski, and panelists/brothers Hyrum and Verlan Lewis; Zlotkowski asks panelists a question; a student rises to address the panel; and the five speakers debate the ideological complexities of American politics.

The Lewis brothers pushed attendees to reconsider the traditional left-right political framework. 

Verlan Lewis said there is no such thing as distinctively right or left in politics because both parties have shifting policies and positions with which voters won’t agree. 

He offered a hypothetical scenario in which grocery shoppers could not shop for themselves and were instead presented with both a red basket and a blue basket, comparing them to the two-party system and comparing store items to political issues.

“What a rational person would do is … actually dig through (each basket) and they would say, ‘Look, neither basket has everything that I wanted. Each basket has some stuff I want (and) some stuff I don't. I'm going to choose the basket that has more of the stuff that I want than the other one. That would be like voting for a political party.”

“Neither party is going to have everything that you want,” he added.

Meanwhile, Caplan and Hanson argued that, because humans inherently seek to belong, people are more inclined to either identify with the hard left or the hard right.

Hanson attributed this to the concept of tribalism, the act of in-group loyalty that binds people together based on common beliefs and lifestyles. He said the left-right paradigm continues to dominate our political sphere because smaller sects are unable to compete for members. 

“People want to be wholeheartedly supported and embraced by a community and, therefore, they need to simplify,” Hanson said. “There is a natural way in which it will end up with two main coalitions because, if you have smaller coalitions, they will lose out to bigger ones. And that's plausibly why we have two main coalitions in politics. And, if you want to join a tribe and have an identity, you want one of those two. And then it makes sense to pick a thing and embrace it fully, emotionally, with all your heart.”

Joshua Pahigian, M.F.A., director of the UNE Center for Global Humanities, reflected on the significance of the forum in shaping student perspectives.

“Events like this challenge us to think beyond simplistic narratives and help us understand that there are often deeper truths hidden beneath political labels,” Pahigian said. “It’s important that our students develop the confidence to explore difficult questions and engage with uncomfortable ideas. Learning to grapple with differing viewpoints with humility and respect is essential for their growth.”

Pahigian also noted that the forum offered a model for civil discourse, especially critical in a polarized world. “The ability to engage others thoughtfully, even when we disagree, is key to making society function. UNE’s commitment to these values is what makes this event so impactful.”

“Events like this are a reminder that education isn’t just about finding answers — it’s about learning how to ask better questions,” Pahigian added.

The President’s Forum, established in 2018, continues to bring thought leaders to UNE’s campuses to discuss pressing societal issues. As attendees left the event, many expressed appreciation for the opportunity to engage with complex ideas ahead of a pivotal election.

“While there is a lot at stake in this election for people on all sides of the issues, I hope programs like this show that, in order to preserve our democracy, we need to look past the manufactured oversimplification of what it means to be a Republican or Democrat, or an Independent, and instead get curious about where our own stances come from and why others feel so strongly about theirs,”  Zlotkowski, the assistant provost, remarked. “As I've talked with students, employees, and community members, I've learned that there truly is an openness to considering new ways of thinking about politics that are less polarizing.”

The next installment of the President’s Forum will take place on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, and will explore the supposed liberal bias among faculty and professional staff on college campuses. Four panelists will examine whether such bias exists and, if so, whether it’s a problem.