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 assess whether or not the judicial branch of the Federal government is strong enough to repel a Trump DOGE takeover. Al and Craig also discuss the future of JFK conspiracy theories in the aftermath of President Trump’s decision to release once-secret files on the assassination.
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.
Holly Geddes says
Another way to frame this question is as follows: Is the executive branch employed by the judiciary and subject to the whims of every local judge or justice? Are they each an equal part of the government with its own powers and responsibilities? Is the President the top executive in the Executive Branch. Do the Democrats want to look forward to a time when a Democratic President is subject to Republican judges?
Nancy Robson says
Excellent discussion with on-target questions to lead it off. I am heartened by the courts’ calling into question some of this stuff, and was especially struck by Justice Roberts’ almost immediate response to trump’s calling for impeachment (of a Republican-appointed judge, no less!). But the big question right now, wh was hit on by both From and Fuller, is enforcement. If trump and the others in power refuse to acknowlege the rule of law let alone adhere to it, and there is no enforcement, no matter how may injunctions are issued, they are completely “in power” and we’re in huge trouble. (As an aside, I hate the use in the media of the words in “in power,” wh in itself offers power. It should be “in office” as a reminder that there is a term, not a stronghold).
Melinda Carl says
Response to “Another way to frame this question is as follows:”
Does a Democratic President who follows the Rule of Law have anything to fear from a Republican judge?