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 proposition that with polls consistently showing Trump leading in battleground states and the extremely low impact of having the former president being found guilty of a felony, matched with frequent media highlights of an aging Joe Biden, has the 2024 election outcome already left the station?
This video podcast is approximately 12 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 eight years, where he now chairs the board of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and is a former board member of the Academy Art Museum and Benedictine. He also serves on the Spy’s Board of Visitors and writes an e-newsletter available by clicking on DECADE SEVEN.
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.
Kent Robertson says
Both of these gentlemen are out of touch with the reason Trump appeals. Yes, he’s bombastic. Yes, he is often rude when he fights back against his attackers. Many conservatives don’t like these traits.
What we do like is his policy agenda. We are sick of the inexorable 50-year slide toward socialism. We have had enough of the progressive agenda: including CRT and gender fluidity and tearing down statues and BLM rioting, and open borders (and fentanyl), and failure of the public school system, and spending ourselves into trillions of debt, and inflation, and assault on the Second Amendment, and censoring by big tech, and one-sided reporting by the major news and social media, and one-sided use of the judicial system and federal bureaucracies and their Administrative Law Judges to stymie political opponents, and defunding the police and protecting criminals more than victims…deep breath…
I’ll stop here, and just say that there is no debate in From and Fuller. They both miss the point. They are both so set in concrete that they can’t see why Trump appeals. Conservatives want a return to the Constitutional principles that made this country great. They are embodied in our Constitution and Bill of Rights.
It has more to do with a return to personal responsibility and the rule of law than it has to do with Trump. It has to do with the failure of Congress to do its job and its ceding of power to the Executive… ie the “Swamp” that also includes all the bureaucracies and institutions that have espoused the liberal, now progressive agenda for 5 decades.
We woke up during the COVID debacle, and we are fully awake and alert now. The Spy would do well to include a voice in your “conversation” that understands why half (and growing) the country are aching for a return to those principles that made the Country the envy of the world.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Yeah, it sucks when we have a President that is pushing policies to help the poor and middle class, who
have suffered supply side economics for 40-some years, leaving the demand side obliterated. And how
horrible wanting everyone to not only afford health care but also to receive Social Security and Medicare:
which Republicans have always called “Socialism”. Let us not forget public schools…oh yeah, your guy
wants them turned into book banned, church themed, white history only “institutions of learning” LOL.
Yeah, bring on the destruction of regulations that keep our air quality breathable, our water sustainable for wildlife and humans. Oh, and keep those women, “feminist Nazis” as your deep thinking erudite group calls women, without healthcare choices.
And while this happens, sell our nation to the highest bitter in the corporate world, give a 1 billion dollar
donation to Trump and they have free rain over OUR nation to pollute. Gosh, this on top a another
hugh promised tax cut for Billionaires.
Add defunding NATO, screwing our allies for Putin, and your
idea of America is sick.
And you know what is sad? A billionaire from Australia has such control over the false news fed to millions daily, they would be appalled if they were ever fed the facts.
Ann P Farrell says
I don’t understand how someone who tried to overthrow the government (OK with hanging his VP) while calling insurgents harming dozens of DC police while defacing Capital including spreading feces on statue of John Lewis, who claims to want to disband (not uphold) Constitution, be a dictator (for a day?), dismantle key government agencies that protect us, and constantly degrades justice system – threatening judges, juries, witnesses and their families – whose been convicted of sexual assault and 34 felonies, stole from vets charity, is “return to the Constitutional principles”.
Re Bill of Rights”, where does it say we should deprive women of bodily autonomy and minorities of voting rights and let legislators and SCOTUS make decisions based on religion when FUNDAMENTAL principal of founders was freedom FROM religion (separation of church and state) and life, liberty and pursuit of happiness for ALL, not just white men.
What made us the envy of the world were democratic principles not hate- and grievance- filled rhetoric and pathologic lying. While current president is showing signs of age the former POTUS is far more demented, having been diagnosed by leading Hopkins psychologists as a malignant narcissist (psychopath) in well researched book The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump. His fathers Alsheimer’s likely passed down as evidenced by recent symptoms.
I don’t believe anywhere near half the country is duped by this grifter conman who sees his MAGA supporters as marks. Please, let’s have that conversation, anytime!
Mark Pellerin says
Trump supporters such as you have said to me, “We just like his policies”.
So, I’ve asked, “Just what were his policies/agenda ?
Were they…..
Stop the Steal ?
Drop us out of the Climate Accord because he personally has no belief in science ?
Deny Covid and so deceive about it with a mind to save “his economy” ?
Stop border immigration through fear and/or by separating family members ?
Place tariffs on offshore goods so we here are forced to pay more for those products because there aren’t alternative products now made in the U.S. ?
I think I will drink bleach if he’s elected again. For one thing, I grew up in a career military family (my Mom and brother and I have all served in civilian roles) and the man’s distaste for those who served is beyond deplorable and disgusting. BARF.
For another, he’s done more to divide us than what could be possibly imagined. I think he must be some kind of agent for “the other side” for all the damage he’s done.
Finally, if you’re “tired of the slide to socialism” and call it INEXORABLE – what in this World do you suggest we do about it? You’re word is labeling it as “impossible to stop or prevent” so then .. what ?
“Would you take it out on Main St. and shoot it full o’ holes ?” — Bob Dylan said that..
what were Trump’s podo you think Trump will deliver a return to principles?
Darrell parsons says
There are two things which trouble me about this article. The first one is the title. If potential voters read only the headlines, then this kind of lead into an article continues to reinforce something which is being promoted by the Republican candidate, not to mention the Bot interference from other countries. It is especially galling because neither of the two men who are discussing the subject believe that a Trump presidency is inevitable. Of course, it isn’t inevitable. And the polls are unreliable. Yet, there are respected polls which show Biden leading.
The second concern I have is that you, Mr. Wheelan, made the statement that Biden is stumbling through his public speeches. To my mind, you are repeating a lie being disseminated by the Maga crowd. And probably by the foreign bots. Biden has never been a great orator. And there are instances where he has stumbled. But when compared to Trump’s unbelievably wacky statements, there is no contest as to who is making sense. Joe Biden has made two trips to Europe for major, global meetings recently. I would expect that he’s tired. On the other hand, Trump has no excuse for the ridiculous things he says. And if the comments weren’t so frightening, it would be laughable.
My answer is, NO, a Trump win is not inevitable. In fact I believe it is unlikely, because as entertaining as some of his outrageous behavior is, a majority of Americans see through it, and are not going to vote for him.
I hope Trump does not withdraw from the planned debate wit Biden. My guess is that he will find some reason not to show up – just as he found an excuse not to serve in the military. A debate between the two would be a valuable thing for all of us.
Carol Voyles says
Perhaps he’ll get one of his court dates scheduled for that evening.
Gina bell says
I think people who vote for Trump should do what he told them and Drink Bleach.
Bishop Joel Marcus Johnson says
Thank you for this much-needed discussion. As the nation inches closer to abandoning democracy, this conversation gives courage to those who’d felt it was already lost. The Spy does another great service!
Tim Furey says
Wow … all these comments except the first one are so full of hate and vitriol!
I suggest everyone “read the room” and recognize the likelihood Trump gets re-elected this Fall. Just as with the first Trump term, his administration won’t cause the sky to fall or see “democracy die in darkness.” Rather than hyperventilate and demonize Trump or Biden, perhaps we can just get back some simple objectives most of us (not all) can agree to:
1. Legal immigration
2. Ending foreign wars
3. Control of government spending and taxes
4. Allowing states and local governments to make and enforce laws as their citizens choose
5. Re-establishing biological women’s’ Title IX rights
6. Freedom of speech — even speech you don’t like
These seem to be the policies Trump runs on and what he did as 45. Let’s try to be policy productive as opposed to personality paranoid.