A Different Look At The Convention

As the GOP gathers in New York this week, much has been made about the variety of voices that will be taking the podium. Like the Democrats last month, the Republicans are betting that if they assemble the right line-up, the whole will be greater than the sum of its parts. Taking a cue from the conventions, I am pleased to announce a new feature for Redeeming Hope. Each day, I will be joined by four distinguished guests from the realms of journalism, academia, and advocacy in discussing the daily developments at the convention. By bringing leaders together in this blog space to discuss fundamental issues of public life, we hope to build on the success of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation’s conversation series at The National Press Club and to allow more people to share their insights.

Rather than discussing who is scoring political points or the behind-the scenes minutia that are in ready supply elsewhere online, we will focus on the themes and tone that emerge from the convention and their impact on the election and public life. Be sure to keep up with the discussion each day.

My guests this week are:

Bill Bishop is a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman. Recently, he has written a series of articles called “The Great Divide,” which explores the implications of the political, cultural, and demographic divisions that are commonly referred to as the Red/Blue Divide. The series can be found here

Carol Darr is Director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet at The George Washington University. Previously, she served as the Acting General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Commerce and as Associate Administrator of the Office of International Affairs in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.

Meredith McGehee is Executive Director of the Alliance for Better Campaigns and founder of McGehee Strategies, an independent consulting service that specializes in public interest advocacy campaigns. Formerly Senior Vice President and Chief Lobbyist for Common Cause, she was named by The Hill as one of the top nonprofit/grassroots lobbyists in Washington.

Jay Rosen is a press critic and writer whose primary focus is the media's role in a democracy. He is Chair of New York University’s Journalism Department and has been on the faculty since 1986. He teaches courses in media criticism, cultural journalism, press ethics and the journalistic tradition, among other subjects. He is covering the convention for Knight Ridderand his own blog Press Think 

Thanks to each of them for joining me this week.