Dukakis Center and ELIAMEP co-host online discussion with Michael Dukakis
Michael Dukakis, former Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, celebrated his 87th birthday on November 3, Election Day this year in the United States. Did this life-long Democrat and public servant have any extra reason to celebrate?
Governor Dukakis shared his thoughts on a range of issues to a national audience in an exclusive live online appearance yesterday with the directors of the Dukakis Center at ACT and Eliamep, who co-hosted the event. Donald Trump is the former Governor's biggest worry, whether or not he returns to the White House once the results have been announced. Dukakis is concerned about the fact that a very large number of American voters continue to support President Trump and seem ill-disposed toward accepting a victory by the Democratic candidate, Joe Biden.
Dukakis reflected further on the need to address issues like climate change, health care, housing in urban and suburban areas, and the economy more generally, On foreign policy, he urged an approach favoring diplomacy and consensus-building, which had been the hallmarks of Dukakis' own governing style for over three decades. He worries about the prospect of a second Cold War, this one with China, and is adamant about the need to preserve and cultivate friendship and alliance around the world.
On the prospects of a Biden victory in the coming weeks, Governor Dukakis was a little more optimistic, calling the former Vice President a true consensus-builder and a life-long friend of Greece. Mr. Biden will face considerable challenges in the likely event that he prevails once the votes have been counted.
The interview, conducted by David Wisner, Executive Director of the Dukakis Center, and George Pagoulatos, General Director of Eliamep, elicited a few more intimate revelations as well, in which Governor Dukakis recollected how he began his career in politics, how he has approached his role as an educator, and how he has stayed true to his Hellenic heritage.
