Texas A&M University
Associate Professor of Communication at Texas A&M University, where she teaches courses on presidential rhetoric, and co-author of The Rhetoric of Heroic Expectations: Establishing the Obama Presidency
PROFILE
Jennifer Mercieca
Guest
FROM Jennifer Mercieca
To the Point
The presidential campaign goes back to the future America's founding fathers accused each other of crimes, hypocrisy and sexual misbehavior, but times had changed — until last night in St. Louis. As expected, Donald Trump’s comments about groping women, recorded some ten years ago, came up early last night in St. Louis. It was billed as a Town Hall, but some of the toughest questions came from the moderators.
To the Point
Is Trump Winning the Nomination by Beating the System? New Jersey Governor Chris Christie endorsed former opponent Donald Trump last week. Christie's own national finance co-chair called that "an astonishing display of political opportunism." This weekend in Birmingham, Alabama, US Senator Jeff Sessions said Donald Trump is leading "a movement." Trump boasted, "I hate to say it. I'm becoming main stream. All these people are now endorsing me." But the Republican "mainstream" is divided. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calls Trump's nomination, "something we don't want to see happen." There are reports of "frantic" efforts to stop Trump in his tracks — even down to a "brokered" GOP convention in Cleveland this summer. So far, he's beating the Party, the Big Money and the Establishment Media.
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To the Point
California Gets Back into Presidential Politics In 1972, California clinched the presidential nomination for Democrat George McGovern. Since then, the biggest state has become an ATM for candidates of both parties. But starting in 2020 all eyes will be on California as it moves its primary up to a month after the Iowa caucuses.
KCRW Features
Despite evacuation orders, some Malibu residents 'stay and defend' homes The Woolsey Fire destroyed 670 structures in Malibu, including more than 400 single family homes. That makes it the most destructive fire in the history of that beachside community. But some residents say even more homes would have been lost, if not for the private citizens who defied mandatory evacuation orders to protect their neighborhoods. The homeowners who stay during a fire can be a nuisance for fire fighters... but they say they're not going anywhere next time.