Catherine Rampell, left, and Paul Krugman will discuss the state of American democracy during “A Republic, Can We Keep It?” at 6 p.m. Aug. 17 at the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. The event, moderated by Eagle columnist Don Morrison, will launch the 2026 campaign for The Eagle’s Local Journalism Fund.

Dear Reader,

The Berkshire Eagle is proud to present “A Republic, Can We Keep It?” a conversation between Catherine Rampell and Paul Krugman, two of our neighbors who have spent years commenting nationally on issues that affect the quality of our lives.

The event will mark the formal start of the 2026 campaign for The Eagle’s Local Journalism Fund. We established the LJF several years ago in partnership with the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to help The Eagle remain financially stable while expanding its reporting at a time when newspapers across America face strong financial headwinds.

Catherine Rampell is an anchor at MS NOW and the economics editor at The Bulwark, where she writes a weekly newsletter called "Receipts." A former columnist with The Washington Post, her expertise is in using data to illuminate economic issues.

What: “A Republic, Can We Keep It?” a conversation with Catherine Rampell and Paul Krugman, moderated by Berkshire Eagle columnist Don Morrison

When: 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17

Where: Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company, Lenox

Tickets: $35 for general admission; $120 for VIP admission, which includes a reception with the speakers after the program

Purchase: Visit berkshireeagle.com/republic or call The Eagle’s customer service representatives during business hours at 413-496-6355 or scan the QR code to buy tickets.

About: The event marks the launch of The Berkshire Eagle’s 2026 Local Journalism Fund campaign.

Paul Krugman won the Nobel Prize in economics in 2008 and is a professor emeritus at Princeton University. He is also a bestselling author and former New York Times columnist. His Substack newsletter has about 600,000 subscribers and ranks among Substack’s bestsellers.

Both Catherine and Paul have homes in Berkshire County.

“A Republic, Can We Keep It?” will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17, at the Tina Packer Playhouse at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

The conversation will be moderated by Don Morrison, The Eagle’s popular columnist.

Many people will recognize the title of our event — “A Republic, Can We Keep It?” — as a play on a famous quotation attributed to Benjamin Franklin. According to the traditional account, Franklin was leaving the Constitutional Convention on its final day when Elizabeth Willing Powel asked him, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”

Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

In its infancy, the future of our democracy was very much in doubt. That doubt eased over the decades, but events of the past 10 years have rekindled it for many Americans on both sides of the political aisle, making this discussion both important and timely.

At The Eagle, we agree with Winston Churchill’s observation that democracy is the worst form of government except for all the others that have been tried. We are proud to present a forum featuring two people who have spent decades observing the workings of our political and economic systems.

“A Republic, Can We Keep It?” promises to be an engrossing and provocative evening. VIP tickets, which include admission to a reception with the speakers after the conversation, are $120 each. General admission tickets are $35 each.

Tickets can be purchased at berkshireeagle.com/republic or by calling The Eagle’s customer service representatives during business hours at 413-496-6355.

I hope to see you there. In the meantime, please keep reading The Eagle and supporting quality, independent local journalism.

Best,

Fred