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 political impact of dozens of student protests at some of the nation’s leading universities protesting Irasel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.
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 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.
Donald L Singleton, Ph.D. says
Craig Fuller represents the same tired old crap trotted out when any citizen group challenges the reactionary status quo. “Outside agitators” is always the distraction. “Outside agitators” is always the distraction spewed by reactionaries. I am a lifelong Democrat and voted today with great difficulty for Biden. I voted before I saw his miserable performance on TV blaming the students. I would not have cast that vote had I heard his spew. I may not be able to quell my conscience in November enough to repeat my vote. Voting for a common criminal is out of the question so I just may pack up and leave the country. I too am a graduate of UCLA and am glad to see students who were little engaged when I was there speak out against the tragedy of Palestine. Ronald Reagan rode the backlash against the Civil rights movement into office with the God-awful consequences which followed. I hear no sense of decency, no sense of humanity, no sense of morality in any of this discussion. Israel has sh*** in its mess kit and the world has turned against the genocide. Having stood under the Arbeit Mach Frei sign in Dachau, a life changing experience, one cannot then deal with an Israel which has become what they beheld! The free pass that Israel has gotten for its perfidy over the years is no more. That ship has long since sailed beginning with Israel’s vicious attack on the American Liberty ship killing and wounding multiple Americans, to say nothing of their running over and killing a young American woman with a bulldozer for protesting the destruction of a Palestinian home, or of the sniper assassination of a female reporter. This is just a small sample of the outrageous behavior conducted in the name of Zionism. Many Israelis despise the Netanyahu fascist government, and the demonstrations are loud and long. Al Fromm is little better, and the political discussion is irrelevant to this deeply moral tragedy. Biden should have kept his mouth shut as he is going to lose the youth vote and the vote of any American with a conscience.
Reed Fawell 3 says
Al From quite accurately described the overwhelming merits of Joe Biden’s initial thoughts and policy to counter Hamas’s October 7 attack on nearby Israeli settlements, how it’s barbarism constitutes a threat to civilization itself, as well as ever more minority groups. He also clearly sees and understands how Joe Biden’s subsequent statements and actions (or lack thereof) have severely compromised US foreign policy and security, and empowered America’s enemies seeking domestic chaos in America, in ways that are likely to cost Mr. Biden his reelection.
Craig Fuller was right to highlight the “outside actors” control and influence over student protestors seeking this end. The outside influence has been on open display since Charlottesville. Now its amped up by DEI ideology and identity politics put on steroids by the earlier deaths of George Floyd and Michael Brown. Unfortunately, America’s elite now use its political system to inflame voters with hate on the basis of the false claims against the identity of their opponents, and so demonize their opponents. This has been going on for a very long time. Jews are to target of choice today. The lists keep expanding in our downward spiral, joining the MAGA Republicans as enemies of the state. The elites of both parties are guilty. Hence our downward spiral. There is hope ever. Responsible people within the elites are now beginning to see and appreciate the problem. They need to act now in bipartisan ways to halt the hysteria. This interview discussion is a step in the right direction.
Craig Fuller says
I always appreciate comments….and, these two got be thinking….especially when I heard a phrase about how today we are “debating realities.” It prompted a post on my newsletter, DECADE SEVEN – to read the post, click: https://decadeseven.substack.com/p/debating-different-realities?r=1il0bj