Political Rewind

Thursday on Political Rewind: It’s the last day of 2020 and have we ever longed more for a year to come to an end? 2020 has been a year of collective anxieties, griefs, and solitary sojourns. Some of us have lost people who are dear to us, or jobs, or the beautiful connections to those we love.

And yet, as we rummage through the smoldering ruins of this awful, horrible year, we may find that in what we’ve missed, we’ve learned valuable lessons.

Today, we speak to some of Georgia’s best-known and most inspiring faith leaders about what the year has meant to them and how they’ve found hope in difficult times.

Panelists:

The Rev. Dr. Kevin Murriel — Pastor, Cascade United Methodist Church

Rabbi Peter Berg — Senior Rabbi, The Temple

The Rev. Dr. Joanna Adams — Retired pastor, Morningside Presbyterian Church

Imam Plemon El-Amin — Imam Emeritus, Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam

Kevin Riley — Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Wednesday on Political Rewind: A methodical study of 15,000 Cobb County absentee ballot signatures by state law enforcement and election officials failed to turn up a single instance of fraud, according to the Secretary of State’s office. President Donald Trump and his Georgia supporters have argued for weeks that fraudulent absentee ballots contributed to his loss here.

Our panelists included: Mayor of East Point, Deana Holiday Ingraham; State Representative Chuck Efstration (R-Dacula); and Greg Bluestein, politics reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Tuesday on Political Rewind: Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler are among the Republicans that President Donald Trump has put on the hot seat. Will they help deliver the first override of a Trump veto after he refused to sign the Defense Authorization Act?

Also, Democratic Senate candidate Raphael Warnock is facing a barrage of partisan attacks accusing him of being anti-Israel, a charge that borders on suggesting he may be anti-Semitic. Warnock vehemently denies the accusations, and supporters say the attacks are an insult to the longstanding ties between Atlanta’s Black and Jewish faith leaders.

Panelists: 

Sam Olens — Former Georgia Attorney General

Dr. Andra Gillespie — Professor of Political Science & Director James Weldon Johnson Institute on Race, Emory University 

Rep. James Beverly — (D-Macon) Minority Leader, State House of Representatives 

Tamar Hallerman — Senior Reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Political Rewind team is back as we take a look at the top stories of the day.

It’s the last week of early in-person voting for the Jan. 5 runoff election. Candidates in the Senate runoff elections are moving into the closing days of their campaigns even as more than 2 million Georgians have already cast ballots early mail or in-person early.

Fundraising in the election continues to soar to new heights as campaigns approach a staggering half-billion dollars in spending before the last ballot is cast.

Also, the debate over relief for American citizens struggling through the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Last night, a recalcitrant President Donald Trump signed a massive coronavirus relief package he had threatened to veto. What does this latest move mean to Georgia's pair of Republican U.S. senators?

Panelists:

Hardie Davis Jr. — Mayor of Augusta

Jim Galloway — Lead Political Writer, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Patricia Murphy — Political Writer at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Julianne Thompson — Political Strategist, Commentator

The holiday tradition continues with "Political Rewind" host Bill Nigut and his reading of Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory." Capote's short story describes the Christmases he spent with an elderly, distant cousin when he was a young boy living in Monroeville, Alabama.

Capote was an American novelist who found his love for writing at 8 years old. He wrote several acclaimed short stories and novels that contributed to both nonfiction and fiction genres. Some of his most popular work includes Breakfast at Tiffany's, "Miriam" and In Cold Blood. He died in 1984.

As the world navigates a holiday season unlike any other, in a year marred by struggle and uncertainty, it can be hard to make sense of it all. And while 2020 may be exceptional, author Bruce Feiler argues that life's disruptions are not out-of-the-ordinary events.

In fact, he has written a new book which comes along at just the right time. It’s called Life is in the Transitions, which reframes how we approach life’s upheavals — or, as Feiler calls them, “lifequakes.” For this book, he interviewed hundreds of people to learn how they had coped with major life changes, like losing a job, getting a divorce, or any other number of destabilizing events. His book tells their stories and offers us insight into how we can utilize skills and tools to emerge on the other side of a transition.

"Political Rewind" host Bill Nigut spoke with Feiler in a program sponsored by the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum earlier this month. We hear their conversation about Life is in the Transitions and how these stories can provide meaning and value behind life’s turbulence.

Monday on Political Rewind: a conversation with best-selling author Julian Zelizer about the roots of toxic partisanship in the United States. In his latest book, "Burning Down The House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker," and the Rise of the New Republican Party, Zelizer explores the fame and fortunes of Newt Gingrich.

President Donald Trump’s four years in the White House were marked by hyper-partisanship heightened by his demonization of those who oppose him. But long before the presidency of Trump, an obscure West Georgia college professor employed similar tactics on his way to becoming one of the most powerful Republican leaders in Washington.

In Zelizer's new book on Newt Gingrich, the Princeton professor follows Gingrich through his first win in Congress and up the leadership of the GOP. Gingrich brought a unique ruthlessness which would change the tone of political discourse for years to come.

Panel:

Julian Zelizer — Professor at Princeton University and Author, Burning Down The House: Newt Gingrich, the Fall of a Speaker, and the Rise of the New Republican Party

Friday on Political Rewind: our panel discusses a wide array of topics, from the coronavirus vaccine to the dynamics of the Senate runoff races.

Also, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger received widespread acclaim for refusing to bow to pressure to label President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in Georgia a fraud. However, a new report from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution finds Raffensperger’s office might have inflated its investigations in cases of voter fraud for political purposes. Our panel weighs in on how the allegations may play into voter mistrust of the election process.

Our panelists included Mary Margaret Oliver, State House Representative (D-Decatur); Brian Robinson, GOP Political Consultant and President of Robinson Republic; Kevin Riley, editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Jim Galloway, lead political writer for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Thursday on Political Rewind: A conversation with author Jerald Walker, writer of “How to Make a Slave and Other Essays.”

Walker’s collection is a finalist for a National Book award. It gives an intimate account of the experience of the writer as an African American man in the United States. In the process of examining his own questions about race, Walker challenges white readers to confront their assumptions of the Black experiences in America today.

If recent years have begun a long-needed and vital conversation among white people about racial justice, the essays in “How to Make a Slave” eviscerate preconceived ideas of race with wry wit and unyielding honesty.

Wednesday on Political Rewind: Georgia’s pair of crucial Senate runoffs are drawing ad dollars and national political figures to the state. One day after the Electoral College sealed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, he campaigned in Georgia on Tuesday for Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock.

Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to make his fourth visit in the state since the runoff election began.

He is set to campaign for Gov. Brian Kemp-appointee Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Sen. David Perdue in Columbus and Macon on Thursday. The campaign stops come even as President Donald Trump continues to insist he won the election.

Around 500,000 people have already cast ballots in the first two days of early voting in the runoff, while another 1.4 million have requested absentee ballots.

Panelists:

Tia Mitchell — Washington Correspondent, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Greg Bluestein — Politics Reporter, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Riley Bunch — Georgia Statehouse Reporter, CNHI News

Adam Van Brimmer— Editorial Page Editor, The Savannah Morning News