Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "Liberals Hold the Moral High Ground" in NYC and Online, December 7

Morally speaking, is the left right? In today's divisive political arena, which side best embodies the nation's most cherished virtues? On Thursday, December 7 Intelligence Squared U.S. will hold a live debate on the motion "Liberals Hold the Moral High Ground." This debate caps off a fall season that saw the "fantastic" (New Yorker) debate series tackle everything from China's rise to the health care industry to the future of democracy itself.

Former Vermont governor and Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean and activist & former MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry argue that liberals do indeed hold the moral high ground. New York Times columnist David Brooks and Princeton professor Robert George oppose them, arguing that they certainly do not.

The debate will be held at NYC's Kaufman Center and stream live online, then air soon after as part of the syndicated public radio show and podcast "Intelligence Squared U.S." On December 7, online viewers can tune in at IQ2US's website (https://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/debates/liberals-hold-moral-high-ground).

WHAT: Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates "Liberals Hold the Moral High Ground"

WHEN: Thursday, December 7, 2017 / Reception 6:00-6:45 / Debate 7:00-8:30 PM

WHERE: Kaufman Center/129 W. 67th Street (bet. Broadway and Amsterdam)/New York, NY 10023

TICKETS: $40 ($12 for students w/ ID). To purchase, visit http://www.intelligencesquaredus.org/

Arguing for the motion:

* Howard Dean: Former DNC Chairman and Governor of Vermont

Gov. Howard Dean is a former Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, presidential candidate, six term governor, and physician. During his tenure as DNC Chairman, Dean created the 50-State Strategy, which was credited with helping Democrats make historic gains in 2006 and 2008. Dean now serves as a MSNBC contributor and is a strategic consultant for Dentons Law firm that has offices on five continents. Dean is also the founder of Democracy for America, a progressive online organization with one million members nationwide. DFA works to elect more progressive candidates to local, state and national office by providing the tools to create change.

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* Melissa Harris-Perry: Scholar, Activist & Professor, Wake Forest University

Melissa Harris-Perry is the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University. There she is the founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Center and the faculty director of the Pro Humanitate Institute. She is also the co-host of Freedom on Tap and an editor-at-large for ELLE.com. From 2012-2016, Harris-Perry hosted the television show Melissa Harris-Perry on weekend mornings on MSNBC. She is the author of the award-winning Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought, and Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in America.

Arguing against the motion:

* David Brooks: Op-Ed columnist, The New York Times

David Brooks became an op-ed columnist for The New York Times in September, 2003. He has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is currently a commentator on The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. He is the author of Bobos In Paradise: The New Upper Class and How They Got There and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense, both published by Simon & Schuster.

* Robert George: Political Philosopher & Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University

Robert P. George is the country’s most influential conservative Christian thinker, according to the New York Times. He is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and Director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. George is the author of numerous books, including Conscience and Its Enemies: Confronting the Dogmas of Liberal Secularism and The Clash of Orthodoxies. Previously, he served as a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights, and as a Judicial Fellow at the Supreme Court of the United States.

ABOUT INTELLIGENCE SQUARED U.S. DEBATES (IQ2US)

A non-partisan, non-profit organization, Intelligence Squared U.S. was founded in 2006 to address a fundamental problem in America: the extreme polarization of our nation and our politics. Their mission is to restore critical thinking, facts, reason, and civility to American public discourse. The award-winning debate series reaches over 30 million American households through multi-platform distribution, including radio, television, live streaming, podcasts, interactive digital content, and on-demand apps on Roku and Apple TV. With over 140 debates and counting, Intelligence Squared U.S. has encouraged the public to "think twice" on a wide range of provocative topics. Author and ABC News correspondent John Donvan has moderated IQ2US since 2008.