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 House of Representatives special committee on the January 6 attack on the Capitol and the political risks and opportunities that might come with this prime time broadcast. Al and Craig also see interesting comparisons and contrasts with the famed Senate hearings on Watergate and how it dramatically changed the country.
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.
Bob Parker says
I share the scepticism shared by Mr.s From & Fuller that the hearings will result in a major shift in voter preference unless GOP officials not only back away from trump but also start telling their voters the truth about the 2020 election. This speaks poorly of both these officials’ and the electorate’s ability to think for themselves and critically assess the data thru non-partisan lenses. However, based on the approval rating numbers for Biden and trump, there may be as much as 30% of undecided voters who could be swayed to vote for Dems in 2022 helping Dems to maintain control of both houses, or at least prevent the GOP from having filibuster proof control of the Senate and veto proof control of Congress. While this will extend the do-nothing record of Congress, it will minimize the harm caused by a Congress controlled by a trumpist GOP, and maybe wake up voters to realize we need 2 sane parties working together to move the country forward.
Stephen Schaare says
Hi Bob, You keep on dreaming. This Jan. 6th farce my bring the Dems perhaps .3% of Independents.
Nobody cares. The American people are concerned with their families and daily lives.
Food, energy, crime, the open southern border and so forth.
You are intelligent enough to know this, and you do. Your loyalty to the party will not allow you to state the truth.
Be well-Steve