In appreciation: Gwen Ifill, 1955-2016

Featured at The Undefeated

The right question — thoughtful, relevant, bold — can catch even the most prepared politician off guard.

It seems a generation ago, but it was just 12 years. Barack Obama was an Illinois senator who had given a memorable speech at the summer’s Democratic National Convention. John Kerry was running against the incumbent President George W. Bush. On Oct. 5 2004, at Cleveland’s Case Western Reserve University, Republican Vice President Dick Cheney and his Democratic challenger John Edwards were in a debate, and moderator Gwen Ifill asked just such an incandescent question.

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Nov182016 TAGS:

Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks

Featured at WCCB Rising


CHARLOTTE, NC — President-Elect Donald Trump is promising to “drain the swap,” but a lot of his cabinet picks are Capitol Hill heavyweights. Appointing former Breitbart News Executive Chairman Steve Bannon as chief strategist is getting the most backlash. Political contributor Mary C. Curtis weighs in on the Trump transition.

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Nov162016 TAGS: , ,

The Heat: Media, polls & U.S. politics

Featured at CCTV

On China Central TV’s ‘The Heat,’ discussing media and the elections, with Kathy Kiely, Joe Madison, Sean Callebs and anchor Anand Naidoo:

 

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Nov112016

Hope for a United Future in America’s Divided Past

Featured at Roll Call

When you enter the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, you step into an elevator going down, and through its glass walls, the years flash by, with history moving backward, to the 1400s. Campaign 2016 has often resembled that kind of journey, not moving that far into the past, of course, but far enough to a time when no thin line of civility kept American citizens from lashing out at one another — loudly, and with anger and violence.

That has been the dispiriting price of the long slog to Election Day, Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton, with the country collectively collapsing at the finish line. Still, it would be wise for all Americans to acknowledge that there are miles to go, and that this path is one we have traveled since the beginning, often with one side celebrating and the other deflated — a future of cooperation and compromise downright impossible to imagine

 

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Nov112016 TAGS: , , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: Reaction To Donald Trump’s Election; Other NC Election Results; CMS Magnet Vote

Featured at WFAE

North Carolina voters played a big role in the outcome of the presidential race, but the governor’s race is still too close to call.  Our panel of reporters will look at that, and at some of the other shakeups and outcomes in state-based races.  Also, CMS takes a vote on the magnet school lottery, and the Hornets are off to a flying start.  

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Nov112016 TAGS: , , , ,

Trump’s Coalition Can’t Last

Featured at Roll Call

It wasn’t a question of if, but when. When would demographics become destiny for political candidates hoping to lead an increasingly diverse America, and require outreach more than a photo op with a taco bowl?

‘When’ has not yet arrived

 

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Nov102016 TAGS: , , ,

U.S. election: ‘Tomorrow could be beginning not the end’

Australian Broadcasting

Barack Obama’s election was a watershed moment for African-Americans, but they appear to have less enthusiasm for this election’s Democrat Hillary Clinton. Mary C. Curtis, a columnist at Roll Call and NPR contributor, discusses Mrs Clinton’s popularity with The World.

Read the rest atAustralian Broadcasting
Nov082016

What Happens to the GOP’s Diversity Dream?

Featured at Roll Call

After the presidential election of 2012, the Republican Party had a plan. Mitt Romney won over a majority of white voters, but failed miserably at attracting the diverse electorate that increasingly is America. GOP would have to stand for something other than Grand Old Party. The Growth and Opportunity Project was born, with one goal being outreach.

As then Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in stark terms at the Republican National Committee winter meeting in Charlotte, N.C., in January 2013: “We must reject the notion that demography is destiny, the pathetic and simplistic notion that skin pigmentation dictates voter behavior. … The first step in getting voters to like you is to demonstrate that you like them.”

The goals were lofty and judged doable, with Mississippi national committeeman Henry Barbour saying the message should be “the opportunity for people to aspire to reach their dreams whatever that may be.” He touted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as the party’s future: “She’s smart; she’s not afraid.”

What happened in 2016? The short answer: Donald Trump.

 

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Nov082016 TAGS: , , , , ,

Local News Roundup: More Presidential Candidate Visits; Polls Tighten for NC Races

Featured at WFAE

This week’s top stories: Political campaigning is in the homestretch, with November 8th just around the corner…  The NAACP gets a hearing on what they consider to be illegally canceled voter registrations, and the county commission talks magnet schools.

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Nov042016 TAGS: , , , , , ,

If North Carolina Is Another Florida, That’s Good and Bad

Featured at Roll Call

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is feeling pretty excited these days. If you’re a political junkie or just going out for a walk, it’s hard to miss the array of top-tier political figures and celebrities eager to tell you how important your vote is. The state is not quite Florida yet, in terms of its role in the president-electing business, but it’s getting there. – See more at: http://www.rollcall.com/news/opinion/north-carolina-another-florida-thats-good-bad-clinton-trump#sthash.uHoTqrd7.dpuf

Read the rest atRoll Call
Nov032016 TAGS: , , , , ,
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