Recap: Final Presidential Debate Panel

In keeping with the theme and general ethos of 2020, we had a few last-minute changes. Fortunately, the inimitable author, strategist and pollster Doug Schoen stepped in, along with the razor-sharp election whisperer, Rachel Bitecofer, as well as the brilliant, Emmy award-winning  journalist, Cynthia McFadden, as moderator. And we’re lucky they did, as there’s plenty to unpack from the final (*phew*) presidential debate. 

McFadden: Forget the formalities - Was there a winner? 

Schoen contends that while Trump showed some much-needed discipline and restraint, ultimately Biden did what he needed to do and simply “held up.” And although the race might tighten a bit, the fundamental dynamics of the race won’t significantly change. Trump did the best he could given the facts on the ground, specifically the negative fallout of the pandemic.  Ultimately, the candidates mostly spoke to their respective base, with Biden reaching out a bit to all Americans, but, notably, as a proud Democrat. With 45 million votes already, many experts are predicting record turnout for this election. Contrary to popular belief, however, Doug doesn’t see evidence that more turnout will invariably benefit Dems; and while Biden still has a clear advantage, swing states are closer than the overall popular vote.

Rachel, on the hand, said there probably wasn’t a winner of last night’s debate, just a loser - the American people. That was right before she soberly reminded us that our democracy is off the rails, that our president lies constantly and about important things, and that this enormous departure from American presidential history and norms has proven challenging for the media to cover in the face of the need for journalistic impartiality. While Trump was the consensus loser from the first debate, Rachel notes that this debate was mostly unnoteworthy. Partisans saw what they wanted to see – either a Trump win or a Biden win. Therefore, pure independents should be asked, but Rachel asserts they mostly don’t exist. 

Are there still Undecided voters? (very few) What about Independent voters? (not really)  

According to Doug, at this point in the race, Undecided Voters are low-information voters who feel alienated by the current system.  They represent about 6% or 7% of voters.

Rachel argues that, based on her research, Independents aren’t actually independent. Actually, they almost always “lean” one way or the other (just like us, except they’re not political junkies). Moreover, Independents often are just as settled as partisans, they’re just more embarrassed about their partisanship. 

Warning: Entering THE WEEDS 

Rachel describes a theory that postulates: In our polarized era, Independents have an anti-status quo bias, meaning that the status quo always sucks for these voters. Therefore, they’re likely to break away from the current status quo. In this case, that would mean Independents will break in favor of the Democrats.  In fact, per Rachel, the pandemic is likely to enhance the traditional 55%/44% vote for change by Independents.

Check Out Rachel’s article https://newrepublic.com/article/156402/hate-ballot 

Cynthia brings up voter Trust, citing “Democracy is like Tinkerbell; once you stop believing she dies.”

Both Doug and Rachel are worried about the integrity of election and health of our democracy; however, they diverge slightly on the causes. While Doug focused on foreign interference in our election; Rachel emphasizes the institutional erosion - in the Senate, in the lack of government accountability and responsiveness, and in Trump’s open warfare on the election itself.  

By the way, this warfare isn’t just Trump being Trump.  Rachel also voiced concern about RNC and DOJ coordination.  She paints the scenario whereby the conservative media machine declares Trump ahead on election day voting - knowing that Dems are more likely to vote by mail, Republicans in person - and then they launch a bevy of lawsuits to discredit mail-in votes that have yet to be counted. 

Additional Thoughts from our Panel  

Flash point?  Biden’s comments on oil - specifically that we should transition away from it - could provide Trump with an opening to highlight the radical approach of The Green New Deal and Biden’s perceived equivocation on fracking. 

Audience Question: Will it hurt Biden in PA? 

Doug said Trump should wield that comment in a hyper-targeted way in Pennsylvania.

Rachel said those comments are more important in Texas, whose economy is more reliant on oil. 

Biden has already walked it back and pivoted to ending subsidies for oil, which makes more political and practical sense. Although Trump has footage and will use it. 

Switching to forecasting for Congressional Races 

Rachel has the following states flipping Senate races to Dems:  Arizona to Mark Kelly, Colorado to John Hickenlooper, Maine to Sarah Gideon, North Carolina probably to Cal Cunningham (very close, but early African American turnout is high).

There are tantalizing possible Tossups for Dems: Iowa to Theresa Greenfield, Alaska to Al Gross, South Carolina to Jaime Harrison, Kansas to Barbara Bollier.

But not Kentucky – White, low college-educated electorate  

RE: Trump’s claim that Rs take the house – Trumps makes a lot of stuff up. No evidence, but hasn’t stopped him before. He’s just trying to keep people optimistic. 

Rachel said just as there are best practices with pandemic response, there are best practices for electioneering – Base mobilizing being one of them, and usually every nominee comes out of the primary and repositions toward the center in the general election campaign. 

However, Trump does things that are antithetical to winning elections:

Trump is still running a base strategy – worked last time, but it frustrates his handlers that they can’t get him to change course. He did tone down his temperament. 

Final points:  Rachel’s Minimal Effects Theory – Presidential campaigns don’t have a lot of room to influence voters in a hyper-partisan political landscape.

Trump has tamped down his voter erosion, but his first debate performance hurt the Senate Republicans. Trump is is seen as bad on race, empathy, police violence – not serious, empathetic voice. He’s adding to the criminality myth of black male. However, he has a bolder, better argument than Criminal Justice Reform – letting them out of prison. It’s a challenge for Trump as an incumbent to label Biden as the insider. 

Rachel makes this point clear - Republicans are great at messaging, Dems struggle – they too often speak to the head, not the gut. 

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Rachel Bitecofer

A true election whisperer, Dr. Bitecofer received national acclaim for her prediction of the results of the 2018 United States midterm elections more closely than most other forecasters. She has continuously helped to predict and analyze elections and data making her one of the most sought after political scientists in the country. 

She continuously appears on tv, including CNN, MSNCB, along with media outlets like NYT, NPR and the Washington Post. 

Dr. Bitecofer is famous for her main thesis that modern elections are not decided by the swing vote, but rather negative partisanship, which prioritizes defeating the other side over any specific policy objective. Under her theory, shifts in voter turnout decide everything, and the "swing" mainly comes from whether voters decide to vote at all rather than deciding who to vote for.

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Doug Schoen has been one of the most influential Democratic campaign consultants for over thirty years. A founding partner and principal strategist for Penn, Schoen & Berland, he is widely recognized as one of the co-inventors of overnight polling.

Schoen was named Pollster of the Year in 1996 by the American Association of Political Consultants for his contributions to the President Bill Clinton reelection campaign.

His political clients include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Indiana Governor Evan Bayh, and his corporate clients include AOL Time Warner, Procter & Gamble and AT&T. Internationally, he has worked for the heads of states of over 15 countries, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and three Israeli Prime Ministers.

He is the author of multiple books, most recently publishing, The End of Democracy. He is a regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and various other newspaper and online publications. He is also a Fox News Contributor, making appearances on various news programs several times a week.

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Cynthia McFadden was named co-anchor of ABC News' "Nightline" in October 2005. She joined ABC News in February 1994 as the network's legal correspondent. Two years later she was named a correspondent for "PrimeTime," and was made a co-anchor of the broadcast in 2004.

McFadden took an exclusive and rare look inside the new Ku Klux Klan and covered the tragic school shooting in Newtown, Conn. She has reported extensively from Africa and India on the HIV-AIDS pandemic; from China on the environmental costs of that country's rapid economic growth; and on the illegal sale of women and young girls into sexual slavery. Her investigation into horrific human rights abuses in several Mexican mental hospitals led to a major overhaul of that government's institutions for the mentally ill.

McFadden led the first investigation by a major news organization into one of America's darkest secrets, the forced sterilization of 60,000 to 100,000 American citizens; tracked five accused murderers to their hiding places in El Salvador, where she interviewed two of them; and investigated the use of female contraceptives to treat convicted rapists.

She left ABC in 2014 and is currently the senior legal and investigative correspondent for NBC News. She has won a Peabody and an Emmy, along with countless other awards. 

Post Vice Presidential Debate Panel

In a season of surprises and unprecedented events, we heard from our VP nominees, Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris for their one-time debate this season.  On Thursday, October 8th, 4pm-5pm ET, The Common Good hosted an incredible conversation to analyze the historic evening.

Democratic strategist @Hilary Rosen, Republican strategist, @Susan DelPercio,  political commentator @TaraSetmayer, and legendary pollster @StanGreenberg reviewed the evening’s highs and lows and how the debate may affect their election fortunes.

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Hilary Rosen is a well-known strategist who effectively navigates the worlds of media, communications, business and politics. She is Vice Chair of the award-winning public affairs agency SKDKnickerbocker and an on-air CNN analyst.

Hilary formerly served as chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the leading trade association of America’s record companies. She became the first Washington editor-at-large and political director of The Huffington Post.

Throughout her career, Hilary has regularly been featured on power lists in a variety of sectors, including The New York Post’s Ladies Who Launch Entertainment Trends, Entertainment Weekly’s Annual Power List, The Hollywood Reporter’s Power 50 Women, The Washington Post’s Power 20 and National Journal’s Power Women in Washington. Hilary previously worked as Chief of Staff for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, as an assistant to New Jersey Gov. Brendan Byrne and has been an advisor to many elected officials over the years.

Tara Setmayer is a CNN Political Commentator, Contributor to ABC News and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She is currently the host of the "Honestly Speaking with Tara" podcast. Tara regularly appears on CNN's prime time programs and contributes to ABC's The View, Good Morning America, and Nightline.

In 2017, Tara was named as a Board Director for Stand Up Republic, a non profit organization formed in the wake of the 2016 election of Donald Trump to unite Americans behind the defense of democratic norms, ideals and institutions.

During her time as a senior congressional staffer, Tara successfully led the national effort to free unjustly imprisoned Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean through a presidential commutation issued by President George W. Bush on his last working day in office.  In addition to her communications duties, Setmayer handled policy issues on immigration and federal law enforcement.

Stanley Greenberg is a New York Times best-selling author and polling adviser to presidents, prime ministers and CEOs globally and right now, is conducting deep research in multiple countries. He was the senior pollster for President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and President Nelson Mandela. Greenberg's corporate clients include Boeing, BP, Microsoft, and other global companies.

He has been described as "the father of modern polling techniques," "the De Niro of all political consultants," and "an unrivaled international 'guru.'" Esquire Magazine named him one of the most important people of the 21st century. Republican pollster Frank Luntz says, "Stan Greenberg scares the hell out of me. He doesn't just have a finger on the people's pulse; he's got an IV injected into it. He's the best."

Susan Del Percio has served as a media spokeswoman on many campaigns, both political and corporate, and frequently appears on many local and national news outlets as a political analyst. Susan is also an MSNBC contributor. She served in the Giuliani Administration. Appointed as a Special Advisor to Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2014, she initiated and implemented communication strategies, and advised and developed policy initiatives. Susan also served as Deputy Commissioner in the Giuliani Administration (1995-2001) prior to founding her firm in 2001. Her client list includes large and mid-size private corporations, Fortune 50 executives, leading elected officials, political organizations and candidates as well as non-profits.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the political, government, nonprofit and private sector arenas, she is a trusted advisor helping leaders develop and execute focused strategic communications and winning crisis management campaigns. Her unique insights on government procedure, regulatory environments and public policy is highly sought after, especially now, with public affairs, policy and media so thoroughly intertwined.

The First Presidential Debate Panel

ABOUT THE EVENT

Join us as we review the First Presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden. How are their performances going to impact voters, did it sway anyone and other insights from the night.  Our panelists reviewed and analyzed the highs and lows of the face-off between the Democrat and the Republican nominee's and how the debate may affect each ticket’s election fortunes.

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John Avlon is an author, columnist and commentator. He is a senior political analyst and fill-in anchor at CNN, appearing on New Day every morning. From 2013 to 2018, he was the editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast, during which time the site’s traffic more than doubled to over one million readers a day while winning 17 journalism awards.

Stephen Marshall wrote “Avlon talks about politics the way ESPN anchors wrap up sports highlights.” Columnist Kathleen Parker wrote, “Americans who are fed up with the Ann Coulter/Michael Moore school of debate and are looking for someone to articulate a commonsense, middle path, may have found their voice in John Avlon.”

He has written three books, one of which was hailed by TheModerateVoice.com as “the best political book ever on American centrist voters.” Avlon is also a co-founder of No Labels – a group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents dedicated to the politics of problem-solving and making government work again.

Ed Rollins is a giant in the political world, having served as campaign consultant and advisor for numerous congressional, senatorial, gubernatorial and presidential campaigns and victories.

During the Reagan administration, he served as Assistant to the President for Political Affairs and Director of the Office of Political Affairs. He would go on to lead Reagan's re-election campaign in which he oversaw the 1984 election where Regan won 49/50 U.S. states

He was the first non-member of Congress to serve as the Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Chief Political Advisor to the House Republican Leadership. He has gone onto manage successful campaigns for: Governor Christine Todd Whitman, Congressman George Nethercutt and Katherine Harris and currently serves as chairman of the Great America PAC.

He was inducted into the Political Consultants Hall of Fame in 201 and was was also the recipient in 2010 of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.

Doug Sosnik served as a senior advisor to President Clinton from 1994 to 2000, playing a key role in policy, strategy, political and communications decisions in the White House; his titles included Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy, White House Political Director and Deputy Legislative Director. Prior to joining the Clinton Administration, Sosnik was the chief of staff for Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, and later worked with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Mr. Sosnik currently advises elected officials, corporations, foundations, universities, non-profits and philanthropists on strategic planning and crisis management. Clients include the National Basketball Association, the Motion Picture Association of America and CNBC, as well as advised over 50 U.S. Senators and governors.

Doug co-authored a New York Times bestseller, Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community.

"National Security Threats" with Jane Harman and Michael Chertoff

Congresswoman- turned-Director of the Wilson Center, Jane Harman, joined former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff as we discussed national security threats and concerns facing the world. Terrorists don’t care if you’re a Democrat or a Republican.

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Representing the aerospace center of California during nine terms in Congress, Jane Harman served on all the major security committees: six years on Armed Services, eight years on Intelligence, and eight on Homeland Security. During her long public career, Harman has been recognized as a national expert at the nexus of security and public policy issues, and has received numerous awards for distinguished service. 

Jane Harman resigned from Congress in February 2011 to join the Woodrow Wilson Center as its first female Director, President and CEO. She is a member of the Defense Policy Board, the State Department Foreign Policy Board, and the Homeland Security Advisory Committee. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the Trilateral Commission and the Advisory Board of the Munich Security Conference.

As Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from 2005 to 2009, Michael Chertoff led the country in blocking would-be terrorists from crossing our borders or implementing their plans if they were already in the country. He was the co-author of the Patriot Act.  Before heading up the Department of Homeland Security, Chertoff served as a federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Earlier, during more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, he investigated and prosecuted cases of political corruption, organized crime, corporate fraud and terrorism – including the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

After leaving DHS, Chertoff created the Chertoff Group and provides high-level strategic counsel to corporate and government leaders on a broad range of security issues, from risk identification and prevention to preparedness, response and recovery. “Risk management has become the CEO’s concern,” he says. “We help our clients develop comprehensive strategies to manage risk without building barriers that get in the way of carrying on their business.”

"RNC Post-Convention Roundup" with Dan Rather, Margaret Hoover, & Alex Castellanos

Join The Common Good as we breakdown the past four day Republican National Convention. Brilliant political experts and commentators Dan Rather, Margaret Hoover, and Alex Castellanos discuss the RNC and what occurred.

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"DNC 2020" with Dan Rather, Ron Brownstein, and Karen Finney

Join The Common Good as we breakdown the four day Democratic National Convention. Brilliant political experts and commentators Dan Rather, Ron Brownstein, and Karen Finney discussed the DNC and what occurred.

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"The Economy in Crisis - When the Worst is Yet to Come" with Glenn Hutchins and Andy Serwer

With massive unemployment, more businesses closing permanently, and the most devastating three-month collapse on record, what is next? The Common Good was joined by brilliant investor and business legend Glenn Hutchins, co-founder of the hugely successful Silver Lake Partners, Vice Chairman of Brookings, former Senior Advisor to President Clinton and board member of the NY Fed. The conversation was moderated by Andy Serwer, the former managing director of Fortune and the current Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo! Business.

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Glenn Hutchins has earned respect and success at the top of the business world, philanthropy, and public service. He is chairman of North Island and a co-founder of Silver Lake, and also served as chairman of the board of SunGard Data Systems, Inc. and Instinet, Inc. and a director of Nasdaq, Inc.   Previously, Mr. Hutchins served President Clinton in the White House as a special advisor on both economic and health-care policy. He was also a director of Harvard Management Company and co-chairman of Harvard University’s capital campaign.

Andy Serwer is the editor in chief for Yahoo Finance, where he oversees all editorial content from breaking news to in-depth stories to original video programming. He was previously the managing editor of Fortune and worked at Time Inc. for 29 years. He has been a regular guest on MSNBC’S Morning Joe and CNBC’s Squawkbox and many other TV and radio programs.

Serwer's daily online musings have earned him a reputation as one of the sharpest and most entertaining market commentators anywhere. According to an article in the May 22, 2000, New Yorker, "Achaea had Homer, the Spanish Civil War had Hemingway, California had the Beach Boys, and now our hyperactive stock market has its own poet-singer--Andy Serwer." He was named 2000 Business Journalist of the Year by TJFR, who called him "perhaps the nation's top multimedia talent, successfully juggling the roles of serious journalist, astute commentator and occasional court jester."

"The Coming Election Breakdown & Fixing an Already Broken Social Media" with Tom Rogers and Jessica Rogers Ecker

Media mogul and expert Tom Rogers, creator of MSNBC and CNBC, along with his millennial daughter Jessica Rogers Ecker joined The Common Good for a unique event where we discussed social media, the youth vote and the 2020 election. The impact will the youth vote play in the upcoming election, how social media will be a factor in this election, and so much more.

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A true innovator and leader in the field of television, news and entertainment, Tom Rogers is the founder of CNBC and a CNBC contributor, as well as the founder of MSNBC, when he served as the first President of NBC cable. He is the former CEO of TiVo and is currently Chairman of Engine Media, a broad based sports, esports, and news content & distribution company. He can also be credited for as bringing Netflix and Amazon to the TV screen. He is the former Senior Counsel to the House Telecommunications Committee where he oversaw the FCC and media industry. He is also an Editor-at-Large for Newsweek. 

 
He has been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame and has won an Emmy Award for contributions to the development of advanced television and advanced advertising.

Jessica Ecker is a graduate of Columbia University and Columbia Law School. After law school, she clerked for Hon. Michael M. Baylson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and then Hon. Cheryl Ann Krause of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is currently a litigation associate at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City. 

"Trump, the Republican Party, and the American Future" with Sarah Longwell and Susan del Percio

Sarah Longwell, political strategist, founder of Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT), and publisher of the right-leaning opinion and news website, The Bulwark, spoke to Susan del Percio about her focus groups, her priorities, and the Never-Trump movement. Sitting at tables with conservative intellectual heavyweights and discussing the cancerous effect of Trump got old for Sarah and inspired her to say to the group, which included Bill Kristol and Charlie Sikes, “let’s do something.” 

Sarah concedes that she originally and naively thought the establishment Republicans would serve as a guardrail against Donald Trump and that there would be a more formidable primary challenger to him; today, however, it’s clear that neither were true. 

Sarah harkened back to her days in communications to devise focus groups around the country with the intent of getting into the minds of “reluctant Trump voters” - what drove them to Trump and what would persuade them to leave him in 2020?

• Focus group participants readily admitted Trump’s erratic behavior and questionable character were problematic.  

• “Women, who voted for him and then went home and cried, were persuadable.”

Republican Voters Against Trump (RVAT)

Recognizing that personal stories move people, RVAT’s goal was to compile intimate testimonials from people who had voted for Trump in 20126, but were not going to in 2020. Sarah admits that it was hard at first, taking 4 months to get the first 100 videos, but after the launch, people saw they weren’t alone and videos poured in. 

“There’s not enough tax cuts and conservative judges in the world to justify Donald Trump,”  Sarah Longwell 

Trump won 3 states by 77k votes in 2016, so Sarah’s goal remained hyper-focused and grounded in reality - eliminate 3% of Trump’s support among Republicans. In order for Republicans to get the message, however, Biden needs a landslide victory. And that message, according to Sarah, is that Republicans should be electorally punished for their faustian bargain with Trump, someone who is actively subverting our Democracy. 

“I believe in liberal democracy more than I do marginal tax rates,” Sarah Longwell

Sarah predicts that Independents will break against Trump, because he now has a record to run on and it’s a bad one. Covid-19 has real consequences, and it will be harder to generate excitement to shake things up again - “I feel already pretty shaken right now! (we all do)” 

When asked why she doesn’t just become a Democrat, Sarah reminds us that she is still a conservative - a strong American presence in the world, free markets and limited government. Moreover, Democrats are experiencing something similar to Republicans right now, but they’ve done a better job of suppressing it’s populist, far left contingent. 

“Polls are not gospel,” Sarah Longwell 

Biden has to play to win, which means Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and NOT Texas, which is expensive and unlikely. If he’s going to stretch anywhere, have it be Georgia. 

Sarah is mostly staying out of the Senate races, noting that it has been hard to watch so many moderate republicans get run out of the party. 

What happens to the GOP after Trump loses? 

It depends on the margin of his loss. There’s an opportunity to have a fight for the soul of the party, but unless Trump goes to prison, he’s not going anywhere. The party is doomed if he becomes a kingmaker, which is likely at this point. 

What’s possible if Republicans hold the Senate? 

• Rule of Law reforms 

• Anti-corruption legislation 

• Modest movement on Healthcare 

• Narrow senate majority is a foil for Biden. Excuse for Biden to go far too left, where he is comfortable.

What is Trump’s argument that he can run on against Biden? 

• Trump wanted to run on the economy, but can’t now, so he’s  trying cultural wedge issues. However, talking about monuments when Americans can’t send their children to school or afford groceries isn’t a winning strategy.  

“It’s not as fun to own the libs when you can’t own a house or a car because of a wrecked economy, “ Sarah Longwell

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Sarah Longwell has served as a defining member of the Voters Against Trump movement and gained national attention as a Republican strategist and active voice in Republican politics. She is the head of the Republicans for the Rule of Law, part of Defending Democracy Together, which has and does advocate against Trump. She also served as the first female member of the board for the Log Cabin Republicans and would go on to serve as chairwoman of the board. 

Sarah Longwell has been involved in national politics for several decades. After moving to DC she worked and eventually became the Vice President and Communications Director of Berman and Company. She later went on to create her own successful communications firm, Longwell and Associates.

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Susan Del Percio is a New York-based Republican strategist and founder of Susan Del Percio Strategies, she has advised dozens of candidates in New York and elsewhere on successfully communicating messages to an electorate. Ms. Del Percio has served as a media spokeswoman on many campaigns, both political and corporate, and frequently appears on many local and national news outlets as a political analyst. Susan is also an MSNBC contributor. She served in the Giuliani Administration and holds a Masters degree in political communications.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the political, government, nonprofit and private sector arenas, she is a trusted advisor helping leaders develop and execute focused strategic communications and winning crisis management campaigns. Her unique insights on government procedure, regulatory environments and public policy is highly sought after, especially now, with public affairs, policy and media so thoroughly intertwined.

Appointed as a Special Advisor to Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2014, she initiated and implemented communication strategies, and advised and developed policy initiatives. Susan also served as Deputy Commissioner in the Giuliani Administration (1995-2001) prior to founding her firm in 2001. Her client list includes large and mid-size private corporations, Fortune 50 executives, leading elected officials, political organizations and candidates as well as non-profits.

"The Law, the Vote, and the 2020 Election" with Solicitor General Neal Katyal, Moderated by Kay Koplovitz

Legal scholar and former Principal Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal joined The Common Good to discuss all the new legal challenges facing the 2020 election. Moderated by business legend and co-founder of Springboard Enterprises Kay Koplovitz, the two led a fascinating conversation, headlined by pressing issues such as mail-in ballot and combating the spreading of misinformation.

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General Neal Katyal served as Acting Solicitor General of the United States, where he argued several major Supreme Court cases involving a variety of issues, such as his successful defense of the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, his victorious defense of former Attorney General John Ashcroft for alleged abuses in the war on terror, his unanimous victory against eight states who sued the nation's leading power plants for contributing to global warming, and a variety of other matters. As Acting Solicitor General, Neal was responsible for representing the federal government of the United States in all appellate matters before the U.S. Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeals throughout the nation. He served as Counsel of Record hundreds of times in the U.S. Supreme Court. He was also the only head of the Solicitor General's office to argue a case in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, on the important question of whether certain aspects of the human genome were patentable.

Neal has also served as a law professor for over two decades at Georgetown University Law Center, where he was one of the youngest professors to have received tenure and a chaired professorship in the university's history. He has also served as a visiting professor at both Harvard and Yale law schools.

Ms. Kay Koplovitz is the founder and former Chairman & CEO of USA Networks, the SyFy Channel (formerly Sci-Fi Channel), and USA Networks International, today a multi-billion-dollar cable television network. Ms. Koplovitz ran the network for 21 years before stepping down in 1998. As founder of USA Networks, Kay is the visionary who created the business model for cable networks by introducing the concept of two revenue streams: licensing and advertising.

Since 2000, Kay has served as Chairman of Springboard Enterprises, where under her leadership, the venture-catalyst accelerator has been bringing women founders leading transformational businesses to full parity in raising capital. The value of Springboard Enterprises has been validated by a strong 19-year track record of success with over $10 billion capital raised, 190+ exits, and 20 IPOs. Companies in the portfolio include technology and life sciences, and in 2014, Ms. Koplovitz co-founded the New York Fashion Tech Lab bringing promising technology companies in collaboration with the fashion and retail industry.

Springboard Enterprises was born after Ms. Koplovitz’ was appointed as Chairman of the bipartisan National Women’s Business Council (1998 NWBC) by President Clinton.  During that time, Kay discovered that there were few venture capital and funding options for women entrepreneurs.

"Coming Back from Crisis" with Governor Larry Hogan and Former Secretary Jeh Johnson

Governor Larry Hogan joined The Common Good for a conversation to discuss the pandemic. Moderated by former Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, the two discussed the state and federal response; unrest, racism and police brutality. Join us for expert insights into the 2020 political landscape and the direction of our country as well as many other issues of national interest.

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Governor Larry Hogan is a lifelong Marylander who is the son of Congressman Lawrence Hogan (MD-5). As a young man, Governor Hogan worked on his father’s campaigns, at first stuffing envelopes and knocking on doors, and eventually helping to manage them. .Hogan continued to work for his father when he was County Executive of Prince George's County.

He later went to create a real estate firm which quickly became the leading land development firm in the state of Maryland, focusing on economic development and bringing hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs to the state. In 2011, Hogan founded the grassroots organization Change Maryland. What began as an idea between a few friends quickly grew into the largest grassroots organization in State history and the leading voice of support for tax relief, responsible budgeting, and economic growth.

Governor Hogan was elected in 2014 and became the first Republican Governor to be re-elected for a second term in half a century. He has received mass praise for his work towards bipartisanship, being efficient, and always putting the needs of Maryland families and businesses first. Its main focus is to get the State’s budget under control, eliminate waste and abuse in State government, provide tax relief to struggling Marylanders, and bring jobs and businesses back to the State.

Secretary Jeh Johnson was appointed by President Obama on December 23, 2013, following confirmation by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 78-16.  Between 2013 and 2017 he served as Secretary of Homeland Security. Previously, Secretary Johnson was appointed by President Obama to be General Counsel of the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012. In that position, Johnson was one of the legal architects for the U.S. military’s counter terrorism mission during President Obama’s first term.

In 2010, Johnson co-authored a 250-page report that paved the way for the repeal by Congress of the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that prohibited gays from serving openly in the U.S. military. From October 1998 to January 2001, Johnson served in the Clinton Administration as General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force. From 1989 through 1991, Secretary Johnson was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted public corruption cases.

"Strategies to 270" with Douglas E. Schoen, Rick Tyler & Tom Rogers

Republican Strategist Rick Tyler and Democratic Political Analyst Douglas Schoen joined The Common Good for an elaborate conversation on how the Democrats and the Republicans are working towards their goal of winning the 2020 race to the White House. We are thrilled that Tom Rogers, founder of CNBC and MSNBC, former President of NBC Cable  and TCG Honorary Advisory Board member joined us to moderate the conversations.

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Douglas E. Schoen has been one of the most influential Democratic campaign consultants for over thirty years. A founding partner and principal strategist for Penn, Schoen & Berland, he is widely recognized as one of the co-inventors of overnight polling.

His political clients include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Indiana Governor Evan Bayh, and his corporate clients include AOL Time Warner, Procter & Gamble and AT&T. Internationally, he has worked for the heads of states of over 15 countries, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, and three Israeli Prime Ministers.

Schoen was named Pollster of the Year in 1996 by the American Association of Political Consultants for his contributions to the President Bill Clinton reelection campaign.

Rick Tyler is Co-Founder of Foundry Strategies, a political, strategic, and communications consulting firm specializing in helping their political and corporate clients reach their leadership potential by honing their communications skills. He is currently a Political Analyst for the MSNBC Cable News Network.

As the National Spokesman and Communications Director for Cruz for President, Rick was a senior member of Senator Ted Cruz’s 2016 campaign team. Before joining the Cruz for President campaign, Rick was an executive with The Strategy Group Company, an award winning nationally recognized political advertising and media placement firm.

For decades Tom Rogers has been a leader in media and technology.  Rogers was the first president of NBC Cable (now NBCUniversal Cable) and executive vice president of NBC, as well as NBC's chief strategist. Among his many accomplishments, Rogers founded CNBC, the nation's leading business news channel and established the NBC/Microsoft cable channel and internet joint venture, MSNBC. He has also helped to change TV consumption through TiVo and had been a driving force in bringing Netflix and Amazon to the TV screen. 

He has been inducted into the Cable Hall of Fame and has won an Emmy Award for contributions to the development of advanced television and advanced advertising

“Prospects for Business and the Economy" with Anthony Scaramucci & Fred Hochberg

Former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci joined The Common Good for a vital conversation on the future of our economy based on the impact of the Coronavirus. Moderated by former Export- Import Bank President Fred Hochberg, the two provided TCG members with insight into the prospects of our businesses and the economy over the next 6 to 18 months.

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Former White House Communications Director, Anthony Scaramucci joined The Common Good for a vital conversation on the future of our economy based on the impa...

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Mr. Anthony Scaramucci is the Founder and Co-Managing Partner of SkyBridge Capital. Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman, LLC in 2001. Earlier, he was a vice president in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co. 

In November 2016, he was named to President-Elect Trump’s 16-person Presidential Transition Team, Executive Committee. In June 2017, he was named the Chief Strategy Officer of the EX-IM Bank. He served as the White House Communications Director for a period in July 2017.

In 2016, Scaramucci was ranked #85 in Worth Magazine’s Power 100: The 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. In 2011, he received Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year – New York” Award in the Financial Services category and is the author of four books. 

Mr. Fred Hochberg is a leading world expert on business, trade, and the economy. Under his leadership, the Ex-Im Bank supported more than 1.4 million American jobs and financed exports with a value exceeding $240 billion, while generating $3.8 billion in surplus revenue for U.S. taxpayers and reducing internal costs by nearly 30 percent.

Mr. Hochberg also spearheaded the Small Business Administration. Hochberg knows business: he served as an executive for the extremely successful catalog company, Lillian Vernon Corp., founded by his mother.  He recently published a book on trade entitled, "Trade is Not a Four Letter Word."

"Election 2020 Outlook" with Joel Benenson & Susan Del Percio

The Common Good hosted Democratic Pollster and former Obama campaign advisor Joel Benenson and renowned Republican Strategist Susan Del Percio for a discussion on competing strategies. The conversation dove into plans and ideas for their parties as they battle to win the House, the Senate and the White House. 

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Mr. Joel Benenson, founder and CEO of the Benenson Strategy Group, is one of the leading political and corporate strategists in the world. Benenson led the award-winning research and polling programs for President Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns and is the only Democratic pollster in history to have played a leading role in three winning presidential campaigns. 

Named "Pollster of the Year" by the American Association of Political Consultants and ranked among the "most powerful" people in D.C. by GQ, Benenson has left his mark at the highest level of politics. In addition to his role with President Obama, Benenson served as Senior Strategist to Hillary Clinton. He also worked on President Bill Clinton’s team during the 1996 race.

Benenson’s communications expertise, which led him to be a member of three presidential debate teams, has also made him a go-to consultant for C-suite executives seeking communications advice on both internal and external challenges. In the private and advocacy sectors specifically, his nuanced analytical approach, and ability to craft deft, winning strategies has powered organizations such as AARP, the American Civil Liberties Union, the National Football League, Toyota, and Procter & Gamble.

Ms. Susan Del Percio is a New York-based Republican strategist and founder of Susan Del Percio Strategies, she has advised dozens of candidates in New York and elsewhere on successfully communicating messages to an electorate. Ms. Del Percio has served as a media spokeswoman on many campaigns, both political and corporate, and frequently appears on many local and national news outlets as a political analyst. Susan is also an MSNBC contributor. She served in the Giuliani Administration and holds a Masters degree in political communications.

With nearly 30 years of experience in the political, government, nonprofit and private sector arenas, she is a trusted advisor helping leaders develop and execute focused strategic communications and winning crisis management campaigns. Her unique insights on government procedure, regulatory environments and public policy is highly sought after, especially now, with public affairs, policy and media so thoroughly intertwined.

Appointed as a Special Advisor to Governor Andrew Cuomo in 2014, she initiated and implemented communication strategies, and advised and developed policy initiatives. Susan also served as Deputy Commissioner in the Giuliani Administration (1995-2001) prior to founding her firm in 2001. Her client list includes large and mid-size private corporations, Fortune 50 executives, leading elected officials, political organizations and candidates as well as non-profits.

“An Insider Look- How The Government is Handling The Coronavirus on All Fronts”

The Common Good hosted Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, as he joined us for an inside scoop and a candid conversation on what is going on in Congress. The conversation dove into new legislation to help combat the Coronavirus, and insight into how the virus might impact the 2020 election in the Presidential, Senate and House races. 

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Senator Merkley started his political career in 1999 in the Oregon State House of Representatives where he became Speaker of the House before being elected to the US Senate in 2009. Prior to that he had lead Portland's Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit that empowers low-income families through home ownership. He also went on to serve as president of the World Affairs Council. 

In the U.S. Senate, Jeff continues to stand up for working families. He fights to create living wage jobs and to push back on unfair trade policies that ship Oregon’s jobs overseas. He has worked to make college more affordable and make retirement more secure for seniors. A true
reformer, he led an historic coalition to fix the broken Senate by breaking up the gridlock, making it more responsive to the concerns of working families.Jeff serves on the Senate Committees on Appropriations; Environment and Public Works; Budget; and Foreign Relations.

“Global Challenges: Facts and Fears in our New Era” with Richard Haass and Robert Wolf

The Common Good presented a timely conference call with President of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass as he spoke to us about international affairs, national security, and what the next chapter in humanities book will look like, moderated by former Chairman and CEO of UBS America Robert Wolf. 

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Dr. Richard Haass is a veteran diplomat and a prominent voice on American foreign policy who is currently serving his seventeenth year as President of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, think tank, publisher, and educational institution dedicated to being a resource to help people better understand the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries. 

Haass previously served as the Director of Policy Planning under President Bush from 2001-2003. Dr. Haass also served as U.S. coordinator for policy toward the future of Afghanistan and U.S. envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process.

Robert Wolf is the Founder of 32 Advisors, a holding company which includes the direct investing arm 32 Ventures, the bi-partisan economic insights platform Strategic Worldviews and the Flint, Michigan accelerator group 100K Ventures.

Prior to forming 32 Advisors, Robert spent 18 years at UBS, a global financial services firm. There he held several senior positions including Chairman and CEO of UBS Americas and President and Chief Operating Officer of the Investment Bank.

Robert held three Presidential appointments under President Obama; as a member of the Economic Recovery Advisory Board from 2009-2011, the Council on Jobs and Competitiveness from 2011-2013 and the Export Council from 2014-2016. In 2012 Robert was on the Homeland Security Advisory Council's Border Infrastructure Task Force.

"Social Impact - Change and Investing in the Wake of the Coronavirus" with Sir Ronald Cohen and Alan Patricof

The Common Good presented a timely conference call with social impact investor and Father of British Venture Capital and Social Investment leader, Sir Ronald Cohen. Hosted by venture capital investor Alan Patricof, the two provided brilliant insight on the topic of social change, investing, business, and the economy in the unprecedented time of the corona pandemic.

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Sir Ronald Cohen is Chairman of the Global Steering Group for Impact Investment and The Portland Trust. He is a co-founder director of Social Finance UK, USA, and Israel, and co-founder Chair of Bridges Fund Management and Big Society Capital. 

For nearly two decades, Sir Ronald’s pioneering initiatives in driving impact investment have catalyzed a number of global efforts, each focused on driving private capital to serve social and environmental good. These efforts are leading the global impact investment movement towards an Impact Revolution. He is credited as "the father of British Venture Capital" and "the father of social investment", along with being the head of the G-20 Social Impact Commission. 

He chaired the Social Impact Investment Taskforce established under the UK’s presidency of the G8, the Social Investment Task Force and the Commission on Unclaimed Assets. In 2012 he received the Rockefeller Foundation’s Innovation Award for innovation in social finance.

Alan Patricof is the founder and managing director of Greycroft. A longtime innovator and advocate for venture capital, Alan entered the industry in its formative days with the creation of Patricof & Co. Ventures Inc., a predecessor to Apax Partners – today, one of the world’s leading private equity firms with $41 billion under management. He stepped back from the daily administration and operational aspects of Apax Partners, LP in 2004 to concentrate on a group of small venture deals on its behalf.

In 2006, he founded Greycroft Partners, a venture capital firm, to invest in leading early and expansion stage investments in digital media. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, Greycroft is currently investing from its fifth Fund as well as its second Growth Fund and has $1B+ under management.

Alan is active in the New York and Washington communities. He is currently a board member of the Finance Committee of Northside Center for Child Development in Harlem and the Board of Overseers of Columbia School of Business. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations

“The New Political Landscape: The Coronavirus Impact on the 2020 Election” with Donna Brazile

The Common Good presented an important political briefing with Donna Brazile, renowned political strategist and former Chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Ms. Brazile discussed a plethora of topics including the Coronavirus crisis, the government’s response and the effects on the political landscape relating to the upcoming election. 

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Former Chair of the DNC and current commentator on Fox News, Donna Brazile joined The Common good to share her expertise and experience on the Coronavirus cr...

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About Donna Brazile:

Veteran Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile is Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, former National Chair of the Democratic National Committee as well as the former chair of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute. She is also an adjunct professor, author, syndicated columnist, and television political commentator, and was the first African-American woman to run a major-party political campaign. 

 Author of the best-selling memoir Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics, Ms. Brazile is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, a syndicated newspaper columnist for Universal Uclick, a columnist for Ms. Magazine, and O, the Oprah Magazine, an on-air contributor to CNN, and ABC, where she regularly appears on ABC’s This Week.  In March of 2019, she joined FOX News where she serves as a contributor.

“The Coronavirus Crisis - How to Contain the Coronavirus Disease” - Conference Call Briefing on the Coronavirus with Dr. Kavita Patel

On Tuesday, April 21st 2020, Dr. Kavita Patel, a nonresident fellow at the Brookings Institution, joined us for a informative conference call conversation on the coronavirus crisis and the pressing issues facing individuals  around the world. 

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Dr. Kavita Patel served in the Obama White House focusing on health reform, financial regulatory reform, and economic recovery issues as director of policy for the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement and served as a senior advisor to the late Senator Edward Kennedy. She is currently a primary care physician in Washington DC and a nonresident Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Her prior research in healthcare quality and community approaches to mental illness have earned national recognition and she has published numerous papers and book chapters on healthcare reform and health policy.  She has testified before Congress several times and she is a frequent guest expert on NPR, CBS, NBC and MSNBC as well as serving on the editorial board of the Journal Health Affairs.

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"The Coronavirus: Impact On Business & The U.S. Response” with Fred Hochberg and Kay Koplovitz

On April 14th 2020, The Common Good hosted an important COVID-19 economic briefing and Q&A with former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank Fred Hochberg and Kay Koplovitz, founder of USA Networks and Founder and Chairman of Springboard Enterprises.

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About Fred Hochberg:

Mr. Hochberg is a leading world expert on business, trade, and the economy. Under his leadership, the Ex-Im Bank supported more than 1.4 million American jobs and financed exports with a value exceeding $240 billion, while generating $3.8 billion in surplus revenue for U.S. taxpayers and reducing internal costs by nearly 30 percent.

Mr. Hochberg also spearheaded the Small Business Administration. Hochberg knows business: he served as an executive for the extremely successful catalog company, Lillian Vernon Corp., founded by his mother.  He recently published a book on trade entitled, "Trade is Not a Four Letter Word."

About Kay Koplovitz:

Kay Koplovitz is an extraordinary business leader having founded USA Networks and Springboard Enterprises. USA would eventually become the number one ranking cable network in primetime viewership for 13 consecutive years and made Koplovitz the first woman ever to head a television network. Springboard is a non-profit organization fostering venture capital investments in women-led high growth companies and raised over $10.3 billion and created over 10,000 jobs since its inception.