- Social:
University of Southern California
Professor of Law at the University of Southern California, syndicated columnist and political commentator for Fox News; campaign manager for Michael Dukakis' 1988 presidential campaign
PROFILE
Susan Estrich
Guest
FROM Susan Estrich
Which Way, L.A.?
Taking Stock of the First Debate In last night's debate , Mitt Romney was an aggressive challenger, not afraid to accuse a sitting President of not telling the truth. The consensus is that an aggressive Romney won the debate against Barack Obama , a President who was defensive and lacking in energy. We sample early reaction and ask how it might influence the remaining month of a close and hard-fought campaign.
To the Point
Will Last Night's Debate Change the Momentum? In Colorado this morning, President Obama gave an energetic stump speech, but even Democrats agree he was uninspired in last night's debate compared to Mitt Romney . Republicans are cheering Romney's aggressive performance, and both sides are wondering why the President failed to seize several obvious opportunities. Was he out of practice? Was it part of his campaign strategy? Will a different Obama turn up the next time around? In the meantime, can Romney use positive news coverage to establish a lead among potential American voters?
Which Way, L.A.?
Is Newt Gingrich Another Flash in the Pan? It's only January, and already the race for the Republican presidential nomination feels like it's gone on forever and that it might never end. Newt Gingrich clobbered Mitt Romney Saturday in South Carolina , and it turns out that Romney didn't really win Iowa after all. The Florida primary is just nine days away, with candidates raising the rhetorical volume before tonight's 18th debate in Tampa. There are four candidates left ( Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are the other two) and no real front-runner. We get the latest.
To the Point
Mitt vs. Newt: Establishment vs. Grass Roots Insurgency South Carolina demonstrated there's no real front-runner in the GOP race for the Republican nomination. Maybe there never was. Newt Gingrich now leads Mitt Romney in Florida polls with nine days left until the next primary and with candidates raising the rhetorical volume before tonight's 18th debate in Tampa. Gingrich is still calling Romney a "Massachusetts liberal" and, in a message to voters old enough to remember Gingrich as House Speaker, Romney says Gingrich "had to resign in disgrace." Rick Santorum and Ron Paul are still nipping away, but how much longer can this go on, as establishment Republicans try to cope with right-wing populism?
To the Point
Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Convention The latest foreign policy challenge comes amid talk of " Obama fatigue " and new attention's being paid to the role of Hillary Clinton at the Democrats' nominating convention in Denver. Clinton has not taken steps to quash a move to place her name in nomination two weeks from now in Denver. The result would dramatize that the Democratic Party is still divided.
Recommended
To the Point
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
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.