CMC In The News

A Washington Examiner piece about Biden’s attempts to move past the pandemic quoted Prof. Jack Pitney: “Most Americans are sick of restrictions and want the pandemic to be over,” he said. “Sounding the alarm bell might trigger resentment instead of watchfulness.”

Prof. Ronald Riggio was quoted in a Swaddler piece about why we believe people in power when they lie. Speaking broadly about lying, he said, “It’s the politics of audacity. The more outrageous and audacious the lie is, the more people say ‘that’s got to be true because why would someone make something like that up?’”

In an opinion piece for Bloomberg, Prof. Minxin Pei wrote: “Any hopes that U.S. President Joe Biden might persuade his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to help stop the war in Ukraine should probably be put aside. … With no good options, China’s only coping strategy for now is to do what it can to help Russia without crossing U.S. red lines.”

The Washington Post quoted Prof. Frederick Lynch on the benefits of higher education. “...education has provided upward mobility...and many benefits outside of work, such as critical thinking, civic engagement, healthy behavior and so on,” he said.

Prof. Andrew Busch wrote a commentary about mail voting and election legitimacy for RealClear Politics. Co-author of Divided We Stand: The 2020 Elections and American Politics, Busch wrote that the proportion of ballots cast by mail nearly doubled from 2016 to 2020, a development that contributed to undermining confidence in results. He outlines two problems—inadequate ballot security and delayed vote totals—and ways of mitigating future concerns.

Professor Lily Geismer spoke with C-SPAN2 at the Tucson Festival of Books about her book, “Left Behind: How the Democrats Failed to Solve Inequality.”

Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in a Patch piece on the challenges Gov. Newsom may face on his path to reelection: “Even if the challenger in November isn't very compelling or strong, a lot of people will vote for that person to express their displeasure with the incumbent. And there might be a lot of displeasure this November.”

Prof. Lily Geismer’s new book, “Left Behind: The Democrats’ Failed Attempt to Solve Inequality” was reviewed by the New York Times. Geismer has also appeared at the Tucson Festival of Books and been interviewed on several radio and podcast shows.

The Los Angeles Times interviewed Prof. Gaston Espinosa about the Latino evangelical community and their growing shift towards conservative politics.

In an AARP article examining the factors impacting the 2022 midterm election season, Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted on the effect of the pandemic: “If COVID is still lingering throughout 2022, there’s going to be more of a demand for mail ballots and early voting. But in a lot of states that’s going to be more difficult so it could have a negative impact on turnout.”

In an opinion essay for the New York Times, Prof. Michael Fortner analyzes how Democrats can achieve sustainable police reform. “Palpable fear in the streets must be met with seriousness, compassion and nuance: People want more than just punishment,” he writes.

In a Standard-Speaker piece about gerrymandering, New York Times columnist Gail Collins quoted Prof. Ken Miller: “There was a lot of expectation the Republicans were going to exploit the process and that would give them control of the House. But it looks like the Democrats will come out at least equal and maybe advantaged.”

In an op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Prof. Minxin Pei said that whether or not China—the world’s second-largest economy—sides with Russia in its war on Ukraine, it will pay a hefty price. “Short-term inconveniences pale in comparison with potential long-term risks and costs if China fails to strike a delicate balance between supporting Russia, its strategic partner of convenience, and preventing ties with the West from collapsing completely.”

The Los Angeles Times cited Prof. Wendy Lower, director of CMC’s Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, in an article about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has affected the Ukrainian Jewish community.

An ABC7 Los Angeles story about how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could impact the Southern California economy quoted Prof. Manfred Keil, director of CMC’s Lowe Institute of Political Economy, on agriculture. Keil did not expect a big impact to wheat, one of Russia’s key exports, in the United States. While European markets are more closely impacted by Russian exports, Keil said, “American farmers will benefit from this.”