GAINESVILLE - As the 2008 presidential campaign moves into the home stretch, Brenau University on Friday will host the husband and wife team of James Carville and Mary Matalin.
The duo´s presentation, "All´s Fair: Love, War and Politics," begins at 6 p.m. on April 18 in Pearce Auditorium. Students and Brenau faculty will be admitted free. Limited tickets are available to the public at $25 each by calling in advance, 770-534-6160, or E-mailing [email protected]. There will be a brief public "meet-and-greet" session with the speakers at 5:30 in the parlor of adjoining Yonah Hall. Carville will also meet independently with students at 5 p.m.
Proving the old adage that politics makes strange bedfellows, the couple married shortly after Carville engineered Democratic candidate Bill Clinton´s successful "it´s the economy, stupid" 1992 campaign. Matalin worked for the other side in that election, as chief political consultant for Republican President George H. W. Bush.
This year Carville supports Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, while Matalin consulted the unsuccessful Republican campaign of TV star/former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson. Both Matalin and Carville are known for their biting wit in their analysis of American politics and politicians, and they´re equally adept at turning their humor on themselves as they are in using it on each other.
"Carville and Matalin joke about their political differences, and it will be extremely entertaining," Brenau President Ed Schrader said. "Although one - or both - may raise your hackles, their marriage and joint appearances show us that even strong-willed people of different persuasions can live together peacefully - well, most of the time."
The Brenau appearance is part of the Kay and Douglas Ivester programming series. "Kay and I have seen Matalin and Carville several times before," said Douglas Ivester, a Brenau trustee. "In an entertaining way, they represent two ends of the spectrum on political thinking. In this election season it is particularly important that our views are based on facts rather than emotion."
A report in The Orlando Sentinel about a recent Carville-Matalin appearance at the International Homebuilders Show demonstrates their typical shtick. "Politics," Matalin said, "is show business for ugly people." She told the group she resented her husband´s saying that, in her supporting the low-keyed Tennessean Thompson, she represented "the only candidate who ever tested positive for Ambien."
To the largely Republican audience Carville extended a welcome "to all you Democrats, both of you." As for predicting the outcome of the final presidential vote in November, "for both you Democrats out there, I´ve got good news for you. We have to literally talk our way out of winning this election. For the Republicans, being a lifelong member of the Democratic Party, I can assure you we are perfectly capable of doing that."
Louisiana native Carville and Matalin, who grew up in Illinois, were married in 1993 in New Orleans. They live in Virginia with daughters, Matalin, "Matty," and Emerson, "Emma." In addition to their political consulting and lectures, they frequently appear, separately and together, as network news analysts. Carville also occasionally dabbles in acting, most recently appearing as Missouri´s historic Gov. Thomas T. Crittenden in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," the 2007 film starring Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in the title roles.
Saturday
May 18th, 2024
1:32PM
