Every Thursday, the Spy hosts a conversation with Al From and Craig Fuller on the most topical political news of the moment.
This week, From and Fuller discuss the results of the Michigan primary election, the Supreme Court’s decision to rule on the Trump immunity case, and the announcement of Mitch McConnell stepping down from his minority leadership role in the United States Senate.
This video podcast is approximately sixteen minutes in length.
To listen to the audio podcast version, please use this link:
Background
While the Spy’s public affairs mission has always been hyper-local, it has never limited us from covering national, or even international issues, that impact the communities we serve. With that in mind, we were delighted that Al From and Craig Fuller, both highly respected Washington insiders, have agreed to a new Spy video project called “The Analysis of From and Fuller” over the next year.
The Spy and our region are very lucky to have such an accomplished duo volunteer for this experiment. While one is a devoted Democrat and the other a lifetime Republican, both had long careers that sought out the middle ground of the American political spectrum.
Al From, the genius behind the Democratic Leadership Council’s moderate agenda which would eventually lead to the election of Bill Clinton, has never compromised from this middle-of-the-road philosophy. This did not go unnoticed in a party that was moving quickly to the left in the 1980s. Including progressive Howard Dean saying that From’s DLC was the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.
From’s boss, Bill Clinton, had a different perspective. He said it would be hard to think of a single American citizen who, as a private citizen, has had a more positive impact on the progress of American life in the last 25 years than Al From.”
Al now lives in Annapolis and spends his semi-retirement as a board member of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (his alma mater) and authoring New Democrats and the Return to Power. He also is an adjunct faculty member at Johns Hopkins’ Krieger School and recently agreed to serve on the Annapolis Spy’s Board of Visitors. He is the author of “New Democrats and the Return to Power.”
For Craig Fuller, his moderation in the Republican party was a rare phenomenon. With deep roots in California’s GOP culture of centralism, Fuller, starting with a long history with Ronald Reagan, leading to his appointment as Reagan’s cabinet secretary at the White House, and later as George Bush’s chief-of-staff and presidential campaign manager was known for his instincts to find the middle ground. Even more noted was his reputation of being a nice guy in Washington, a rare characteristic for a successful tenure in the White House.
Craig has called Easton his permanent home for the last five years, where now serves on the boards of the Academy Art Museum, the Benedictine School, and Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors.
With their rich experience and long history of friendship, now joined by their love of the Chesapeake Bay, they have agreed through the magic of Zoom, to talk inside politics and policy with the Spy every Thursday.
David A Turner says
Al, I’m not taking it personally but why is your appeal to Save Our Republic so one-sided? Politely I ask, please enlighten me.
Why not even mention that President Biden can also compromise between now and November in order to ensure his reelection?
Seriously, why can’t he — full-throated– do what President Bush failed to do re. dumping his inadequate vice president? Kamala Harris is Quayle to Biden. But moderates and non-Trump conservatives are told to “buck up” and swallow whole her dreary act once again. Our incompetent V.P. cannot be allowed close to the Oval Office. Her “failing forward” is almost a sure bet if we elect Joe to a second term. George Will’s latest editorial in the Post points out how Franklin Roosevelt dumped progressive V.P. Wallace, in spite of Wallace’s clamoring fans among the Party’s huge Leftwing fringe. Nevertheless, FDR won what was to be a very close election. G. Will points out there’s a lesson in this for our Joe Biden.
It’s completely fair to say racial/sexual identity politics is why Democrats are absolutely terrified of asking Kamala to voluntarily step down. “It’d be political suicide!” scream White liberals. That’s ugly and unfortunate. But you’ve gotten yourselves into this dilemma. This cliff’s edge is where you’ve taken The Republic. So, just find Biden another Black woman. Hopefully someone more like Texan Barbara Jordan than Harvard’s Claudine Gay.
Nope. No compromise say the Democrats. You must take it or leave it. And, somehow, you add, it’s the undecideds’ fault if we Democrats can’t compromise in order to beat Donald Trump. Huh?
Unseemly, compromise politics is undemocratic now? Unthinkable? Since when?
Just as bad, West Wing operatives actually don’t want to close the Border via Executive authorities. They’d rather whine about a failed, Senate insiders’ deal that they hoped would boost Biden to an undeserved hero’s posture re. his worst presidential failure — migration. Don’t you think Americans would prefer action — not a crybaby? Insiders’ deals will go right over most voters’ heads no matter how much CNN chokes us with that line. But, no, Democrats can’t demand the President take either of these two steps. A wide-open Border and an eventual President Harris: those are not lightweight consequences, unworthy of discussion. Al, are either of these compromises unreasonable? Will a second Trump presidency truly be the fault of undecideds? Or of yours? You’re a rational man, why not talk compromise?
Al From says
Just for the record: Citizens to Save Our Republic is a bipartisan effort. For those interested, here is its statement of purpose:
https://www.forourrepublic.us/purpose