Richard Reeves Looks at Technology’s Place In Upcoming Election

In the Oct. 19 installment of Road to the White House 2012: Politics, Media & Technology, USC professor Richard Reeves discussed the impact of television in a seemingly social media dominated campaign. Reeves makes the point that we should not rule out the significance of television because "the more that things change, the more they stay the same." While social network have made the movement of information a lot quicker and more public, television is still where people go to evaluate their presidential candidates. Reeves said that televised programs of the campaign provide the public the illusion of a story…….

Senior Fellow Richard Reeves Writes About The Millenial Generation

Senior fellow Richard Reeves has published an article on TruthDig about the Millennial Generation and the effects that the economic environment has had upon them. He also references CCLP senior fellow Morley Winograd's book Millennial Momentum. You can read the post here. You can watch a recent conversation with Winograd, co-author Michael Hais, and CCLP director Geoffrey Cowan here…….

Reeves in NewsWorks – Presidential Illnesses

"As candidate and president," wrote Senior Fellow Richard Reeves, "Kennedy concealed his low energy level, radiating health and good humor, though he usually spent more than half of most days in bed." Reeves' words were cited in an article on NewsWorks, which examined the illnesses of presidental candidates from the past and present…….

The Money Melodrama in Washington

Stating the obvious: Politicians know politics; that's their business. Business is not their business, and any discussion about American presidents and economics has to begin with this discouraging word: American politicians, with a very small number of exceptions, don't know anything about economics. In Washington, during the deficit debates for the past few weeks, politicians are guessing–as I think most economists and pundits are–and they seize on almost any deficit idea that sounds good at the time. It has been ever thus: A mainstream American conservative, Richard Nixon, blurts out that we are all Keynesians now, and a mainstream American……

Over There With George M. Cohan

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif.–This prosperous enclave on the cliff overlooking Santa Monica Bay has many virtues, and one of the big ones is a great hometown Fourth of July parade. For more than three hours, folks sit on the curbs or on lawn chairs and watch America go by. Bands and Boy Scouts, firemen and bagpipers, veterans from half a dozen wars, politicians, beginning with the mayor of Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa, and more flags than you can count, most of them probably made in China. There was even a young man walking the streets passing out "Muslims for Peace" brochures…….

Get out of Afghanistan

LOS ANGELES — For years, since I moved there to cover Watergate, I have wanted to write a column about how Washington really works — a checklist of sorts. But I never got around to it. The closest I ever got was quoting the late San Francisco humor writer Arthur Hoppe. Writing from 3,000 miles away, he said, if I remember correctly: Washington is 67 square miles, about as high as the Washington Monument, and surrounded on all sides by reality. Last week, Joe Scarborough, former Florida congressman, talking head on MSNBC, and now guest columnist for Politico.com, did a……

Here We Go Again: Reform in California

Forget the midnight ride of Paul Revere, Callista Gingrich's jewelry collection and Anthony Weiner's … well, you know. The most important political people right now are 14 Californians you don't know. They are the members of the Citizens Redistricting Commission of this great state. American elections are rarely decided by debates in New Hampshire or even hundreds of millions of dollars in television advertising. By and large, American elections are determined by who comes out to vote, the fine print of election laws and squiggly lines on state maps. Except for presidential elections, which can surprise you, more than 90……

Politicians are Different from You and Me

The current issue of The Week magazine certainly has the right headline: "Hey, Look at Me!" But the picture was not of Congressman Anthony Weiner and his little package. The picture below the headline showed Sarah Palin and her great big Harley-Davidson. She is fully clothed, wrapped in leather actually. "Hey, Look at Me" could be the motto of modern politics, particularly male politicians. The name of the game has always been seduction of individuals, of crowds. That is what politicians do. I've traveled with a lot of them long enough to know that unlike the characters in "Toy Story,"……

The New American Segregation: The Military

CHICAGO — It seems that I only see American soldiers at airports. Walking forever through O'Hare here, every man and woman in uniform is greeted by the same line: "Thank you for your service." At American Airlines, military personnel are allowed to board before other economy class passengers, after first class and business class passengers are comfortable in their big chairs. It all makes me cringe. The reason for all this small courtesy is the guilt felt by the rest of us. This small band of brothers and sisters are doing our most difficult work, much of it as unnecessary……

Crime Seen From Two Cities

PARIS and NEW YORK — One of the most important men in the world, Dominique Strauss-Kahn of France, was on his way to meet with prime ministers and finance ministers from around the world on May 14 when he was pulled off an Air France flight to Paris by New York cops and treated exactly the same way any alleged felon is around New York — that is, badly. The next morning he was on most every television screen in the world, silent, unshaven and handcuffed. That is standard New York Police Department procedure, seen everywhere because the State of……