President's Radio Show examines changing political landscape |   |
The mid-term elections have made it clear that American politics are headed in a new direction. During the President's Radio Show on Monday evening, CNN's Chief National Correspondent John King and former White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart joined the campus community in weighing the facts and the future of U.S. politics. You can listen to a recording of the entire show by clicking the "play" button below. Another topic of discussion was what changes are in store for the GOP? Lockhart fielded that question and others from College Republicans representative Lauren Zeitler '09, focusing on "what can the party do to overcome President Bush's unpopularity?" Lockhart answered by agreeing that "Politics do change quickly…The winner in 2008 will be the party and candidate who successfully advocates for change. In presidential elections, the public votes on an agenda for the country." A lively discussion was maintained by the student audience as well as student panelists including Zietler, Aaryon Matyac '09 of the College Democrats, Joe Bochynski '09 representing the Progressive Student Union and Austin Kana '09 on behalf of the Current Affairs House. As CNN's Chief National Correspondent, King is responsible for reporting on a range of stories in the United States and around the world. Covering the last four presidential elections, the events leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and the war on terrorism, King has been widely recognized for excellence in journalism. The President's Radio Show, which first hit the airwaves in the fall of 2005, features prominent call-in guests from a variety of backgrounds discussing issues of local, state and national importance. The hour-long program was taped at 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 13 in the Sanford Room and broadcast on campus NPR-affiliate WEOS at 7 p.m., reaching 89.7FM and 90.3FM in Geneva and 88.1FM in Ithaca.
Listen to a recording of the latest broadcast.
The main question, following the dramatic shift in congressional power, was the same query Radio Show host President Mark D. Gearan posed to King: "What's going on in today's Washington?"
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King, who received an honorary degree from the Colleges last spring, answered Gearan's question by forecasting an emphasis on domestic policy in the next Congress, "meat and potatoes" issues like health care and the minimum wage. This is critical, King said, for the success of the Democratic party's new mandate. "Use the political leverage from the election, but stay on economic and middle-class issues."
Lockhart was the White House Press Secretary from October 1998 until September 2000. He has advised numerous political campaigns including most recently, John Kerry in 2004. Lockhart is currently President of the Glover Park Group.
Posted on Tuesday, November 14, 2006