CMC In The News

In a Governing piece about why the president’s party almost always loses seats in midterms, Prof. Andrew Busch was quoted on the motivation of the party that lost the presidential election. “Even if the population is fairly divided on whether the president is going a good job, the people who are unhappy are more motivated,” he said.

Prof. Tamara Venit-Shelton was interviewed by Spectrum News 1 for a story about Pío Pico State Historic Park in Whittier, Calif. “Going back to the history of California and seeing it as a place that was multi-racial, that was polyglot, that was led by mixed-race people, led by Black people like Pío Pico, is a way of in fact reclaiming that history for the people who live in both Mexico and the United States today,” she said. “It’s important to be able to see your own roots and your own self reflected in history.”

Prof. Minxin Pei wrote an opinion piece for Bloomberg suggesting that China should remember the lessons of Nixon’s visit in 1972.

CNBC ran a story about the wave of House retirements in California as the Democrats scramble for control of Congress, which included substantial commentary from Prof. Jack Pitney. Regarding Rep. Devin Nunes’ resignation, he said, the special election for Nunes’ current district will give Republicans a “much better shot than they would have under the new map” that debuts in November. Pitney’s insights appeared in a similar story on The Current Online.

Prof. Minxin Pei was quoted in a WBUR podcast series about Richard Nixon’s great wager and how the former president’s diplomacy can inform U.S-China relations today. He expressed concern about China’s growing military strength, suggesting that it could take something like the 1962 Cuban missile crisis to prompt dialogue. “My fear is that the U.S. and China will not start talking seriously until they've actually gone through a similar episode—a really hair-raising, very dangerous episode in the next, say, three to five years.”

In an opinion piece for EABW News, Prof. Minxin Pei argued that “50 years on, [Nixon’s] visit to Beijing remains, as Americans would say, a geopolitical no-brainer.” While many in Washington consider Nixon’s meeting and the policy of engagement it initiated to be “one of history’s greatest strategic blunders” in that they “helped make China an economic superpower and a geopolitical threat to America,” Pei disagrees and goes on to describe some of the resulting geopolitical and economic dividends for the United States.

In ProMarket, the publication of the Stigler Center at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Prof. Minxin Pei is quoted in a Stigler Center panel, part of a series of conversations on China’s current situation and future prospects. “[Xi] wants to create a new narrative in China that would convince the Chinese people that China’s day in the sun has arrived, [that] he’s elevated China to a new status in the global community.” Whether he succeeded in achieving these goals, Pei said, is a complicated question

The New York Times interviewed CMC Prof. Ken Miller, director of the Rose Institute, for an op-ed about redistricting. “There was a lot of expectation the Republicans were going to exploit the process and that would give them control of the House,” he said. “But it looks like the Democrats will come out at least equal and maybe advantaged.”

In an op-ed published in Nikkei Asia, CMC Prof. Minxin Pei wrote that while the Ukraine crisis is a threat to Eastern Europe, for China it’s a “gift that keeps on giving,” while the U.S. is focused on that possible conflict. Russia could also become more economically reliant on China if sanctions are imposed. China is also observing Russian tactics and missteps in the event of a future crisis with Taiwan.

CMC Prof. Jack Pitney was interviewed by CNBC about Latino voters under California’s new House map. “Given the national climate and what they’re up against, Democrats will be extremely grateful for any kind of gain in California during the midterms,” he said.

In a commentary for Real Clear Politics, CMC Prof. Andrew Busch posed the COVID pandemic question, “When will the emergency end?” He compared the complicated resolution of this pandemic emergency to World War II, “an emergency that had at least four distinct endings because it had at least four distinct faces.” The Ohio Star also published this piece.

CMC Prof. Lily Geismer was interviewed by The Courthouse News, in a story examining neoliberalism politics with examples such as privatizing the Chicago parking meters and the rise of charter schools in Chicago. “For [neoliberals], the government’s main function is… to support and protect the free market,” Geismer said.

CMC Prof. Jack Pitney was quoted in the Los Angeles Daily News, in reaction to billionaire businessman Rick Caruso announcing his entry into the Los Angeles mayoral race and the hiring of a top campaign consultant. Caruso has hired Ace Smith of Bearstar Strategies, a “major force in California politics,” said Pitney. “Anything associated with him (Smith) should be taken seriously.”

The Washington Examiner interviewed CMC Prof. Jack Pitney in an article about President Biden’s ongoing responses to issues such as COVID-19, inflation, and crime. Pitney weighed in on each of these issues and how Biden is reacting and responding.

CMC Prof. Manfred Keil co-authored an article for The Press Enterprise with Robert A. Kleinhenz examining the economic conditions and recovery for Southern California during 2021 and the outlook for 2022. Keil is the Associate Director of the Lowe Institute and leads the Inland Empire economic forecast research team. Kleinhenz is CEO Kleinhenz Economics, Inland Empire Economic Council, Cal State Long Beach.