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 take on the possible raising of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. They also turn their attention to the passage of HR 1, authored by John Sarbanes (D-MD), which expands how and when Americans can vote at the same time when some states are preparing legislature to curtail or eliminate current voter rights, like voting on Sundays or automatic voter registration programs.
This video is approximately fourteen minutes in length. To listen to the podcast version, please use this link:
And in our outtake session, Al and Craig chat for a few minutes on the Republican conservative CPAC conference held in Orlando last week.
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.
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.
Bob Parker says
Another informative conversation between From and Fuller. Regarding the publics’ lack of confidence in our elections, no amount of reform will change that until the “big lie” is repudiated by all Republicans. The comment that each party is looking for advantage when it comes to voting reform is both correct and incorrect. While the Republicans admit that their motive it to limit the number of votes cast admitting that the more people vote, the less likely they would win, the Dems motive is to make voting easier for all voters irrespective of their party affiliation/preference. Yes, a greater turnout in November favored the Dems in the Presidential and some Senate races, the GOP benefitted at the House and state races. Making it easier to vote, and minimizing gerrymandering, makes voting a contest of ideas and not a contest driven by petty manipulation of who can vote. True reform is in the best interests of our country and that should be the overriding goal.