United States Presidential candidates, both Democrat and Republican, have been invited to the Irish-American Presidential Forum 2020.
All bi-partisan Presidential Candidates have been invited to the Irish-American Presidential Forum 2020 to respond to a six-point Irish American agenda, before officials and members of every national Irish American organization on Sunday, April 26, 2020, at The Fordham University School of Law, two days prior to the New York State Primary.
"Forum 2020 represents the singular event in the entire Presidential election cycle where our Irish Community can benefit by hearing all candidates stating their views on the six agenda topics representing the highest priority issues
to our 43million Irish American Community", stated the Forum Chairmen, former congressman Joseph F. Crowley, Irish Legal Activist Marty Glennon, and former New York State Assemblyman John C. Dearie.
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The six-point agenda covers America's role in the Irish Peace Process; appointment of a Special American Peace Envoy to Northern Ireland; Immigration; post-BREXIT; the McGuinness Principles and the US-Great Britain Trade Agreement.
A panel of high-profile, extremely knowledgeable Irish American leaders will ask each candidate one of the six agenda topics.
The distinguished panel is:
- Raymond O’Hanlon - Editor, “THE IRISH ECHO”; Author
- Debbie McGoldrick - Senior Editor, “THE IRISH VOICE”
- Adrian Flannelly - 50-Year Host, “IRISH RADIO”
- Hon. James F. McKay III - National President, ANCIENT ORDER OF HIBERNIANS
- Chief Judge, Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeals
- John Samuelsen - International President, TRANSIT WORKERS UNION
- Executive Director, James Connolly Irish American Coalition
- James T. Walsh - Former United States Congressman (R-NY)
- K&L Gates Lw Firm
To date, six Irish American Presidential Forums have been held with the original, in 1984, attended by Vice President Walter Mondale in 1984, in The Bronx.
By far, the 1992 Forum produced the most historically significant development, when then-candidate Governor Bill Clinton committed to appointing an American Special Peace Envoy. After his election, President Clinton designated former Senator George Mitchell as the Special Envoy who, after serving as a catalyst for peace over a two-year period, led negotiations in 1998 that culminated in the Good Friday Agreement.
Additionally, at the 1992 Forum, candidate Clinton agreed to issue a visa to Gerry Adams, which in his administration was later granted, permitting the Sinn Fein leader to travel to the United States.
Among the candidates who have participated in past Forums, in addition to Vice-President Mondale and President Clinton, including Vice President Al Gore, Jesse Jackson, Senator John McCain, Governor Michael Dukakis, Governor Jerry Brown and Secretary Hillary Clinton.
Selection of the Forum date, as with past Forums, recognizes the competing candidates’ campaign schedules, so holding it just two days prior to the New York State Primary assumes most all will be geographically in the greater New York area and able to participate.
The central concept for the Forum focuses on an Irish-American goal of requiring candidates for our Nation’s highest office to seriously consider our priority agenda and to thoughtfully formulate positions in response.
Additionally, the Forum advanced the premise that America, as a close friend to both Ireland and Great Britain, who have had virtually no bi-lateral peace progress success, should serve as an “honest broker” to achieve that goal, which is precisely what occurred twenty years ago.
“We sought to end several candidates’ beliefs that earning Irish constituents’ support was simply secured by slugging a St. Patrick’s green beer, or sporting a shamrock-filled tie, but knowing or doing little about our substantive peace agenda”, Dearie said.
The venue of Forum 2020, at the Fordham University School of Law, is located on the West Side of Mid-town Manhattan, at 150 West 62nd Street, New York, New York 10023.
Letters of invitation have been sent today to the following candidates:
- Senator Michael Bennet D
- V.P. Joe Biden D
- Mayor Michael Bloomberg D
- Senator Cory Booker D
- Governor Steve Bullock D
- Mayor Pete Buttigieg D
- U.S. Hud Secretary Julian Castro D
- U.S. Representative John Delaney D
- Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard D
- Senator Kamala Harris D
- Senator Amy Klobuchar D
- Governor Deval Patrick D
- Senator Bernie Sanders D
- Congressman Joe Sestak D
- Mr. Tom Steyer D
- Senator Elizabeth Warren D
- Ms. Marianne Williamson D
- Mr. Andrew Yang D
- Mr. Roque De La Fuente R
- President Donald Trump R
- Congressman Joe Walsh R
- Governor Bill Weld
Who would you like to see attending? Let us know in the comments section below.
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