Vanderbilt University
Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University
PROFILE
Marc Hetherington
Guest
FROM Marc Hetherington
To the Point
Politics and the power of a word There's a new word in this year's political vocabulary: "deplorables" -- first used by Hillary Clinton to describe "half" of Donald Trump's supporters. Trump seized on it as a mistake that betrayed her elitist detachment from the beleaguered working class — and many pundits agreed. But Clinton's not backing away, claiming that elements of Trump's fan base are demonstrating his appeal to racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry. Now the word "deplorables" is fueling both sides of the campaign, appearing on t-shirts, twitter memes and advertisements. Did Clinton commit a gaffe that might cost her dearly or has Trump fallen into a trap that reveals more than he wanted?
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Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
What is Trump's plan for Middle East peace? On his first foreign tour, President Trump has promised "peace" between Israel and the Palestinians. Are there any details for re-starting talks that have been stalled for the past three years?
To the Point
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.