American Morning
Meet AM: Chris McElveen – Wall Associate Producer
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/19/chris.mcelveen.art.jpg caption="Chris takes a break at his seat in the control room during the show."]
Editor's Note: Each Friday in “Meet AM,” we’ll introduce you to the people who get American Morning to air.
Today, we’d like you to meet Chris McElveen. Chris is officially the Wall Associate Producer, but he will always respond to “Wall” or “Vista.” Chris produces the giant Vista – this means he plans out and gets all the elements for the various guests, stories, and other fun things that go in the big projection wall every day. He’s been with AM for four years.
How did you end up at AM?
It all began long ago and far away at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The breakroom coffee was much worse there, and the AM showside staff was much smaller with just four people. In 2006 I moved to New York and joined the illustrious crew we have working on the show today.
How did you end up doing what you do?
I'm not sure. I think someone must've put something in my drink.
Author says, "I hate people"
There is probably someone, maybe several people, who drive you absolutely bonkers at work. Gossips, liars, know-it-alls. Every office has them.
So how do you deal with the worst of the worst at work? Marc Hershon, co-author of "I Hate People," spoke to Carol Costello on CNN’s “American Morning” Friday.
Carol Costello: We were intrigued by your title, "I Hate People." Why did you title it this way?
Marc Hershon: Well, for me, it's become a bit of a personal mantra. I've heard a lot of people mutter it under their breath professionally, in retail and business. It's not really the people we hate so much as it is their behavior. But there's something sort of viscerally satisfying to be able to say, “I hate people” when they drive you crazy.
Is feminism obsolete?
Editor's Note: Every Friday we touch on a hot button issue that, we hope, generates strong opinion from you. The segment is called "Just Sayin'" – and this week Carol Costello ponders the question: Is feminism obsolete? Tell us what you think!
From CNN's Carol Costello and Ronni Berke
It seems every time the media spotlight shines on Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, there's another debate about feminism. Some conservative women were upset feminists didn't protest loudly when late night host David Letterman initially refused to apologize for his off-color joke about Palin's daughter.
Is that because Sarah Palin isn't a feminist? Can a conservative woman be a feminist these days?
Not really, says Republican Strategist and CNN Commentator Mary Matalin. "No conservative woman would choose to call herself a feminist as it's described by liberals today," she says.
Matalin says feminism used to be about the freedom to choose the life you wanted. Now it's an exclusive club, closed off to women like Sarah Palin.
Avlon: Racist emails, Playboy's GOP list
Editor’s note: John P. Avlon is the author of Independent Nation: How Centrists Can Change American Politics and writes a weekly column for The Daily Beast. Previously, he served as Chief Speechwriter for New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and was a columnist and associate editor for The New York Sun.
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/06/19/wingnuts.racist.playboy.art.jpg caption="Email sent by TN state legislative aide (L) and Playboy.com article (R)."]
If you debase or dehumanize people who disagree with you politically, you’re deep into wingnut territory. That’s what we see in this installment of "Winguts of the Week," which looks at racist emails sent by southern Republican politicos and an ugly Playboy web-feature on “Conservative women we hate to love.” Get ready for a generous helping of racism and sexism from the right and the left.
I love the South, but southern conservatives have a notoriously complicated history where race and politics intersect. Little learning curve was shown in South Carolina this week when longtime local GOP activist Rusty DePass "joked" that First Lady Michelle Obama was descended from a gorilla, which had gone missing from a local zoo: "I'm sure it's just one of Michelle's ancestors – probably harmless." Watch
The comment, posted on the former state election director and Richmond County GOP chair’s Facebook page, drew widespread outrage. (Note to the over-60 crowd: the world of social networking isn’t conducive to racist asides that might have gone unchallenged in a country club or pool hall.)
DePass’s initial public defense was to claim that Michelle herself had said she was descended from apes. This apparent Scopes-Monkey Trial-era reference to evolution was not consistent with anything found in the first lady’s remarks. Silence about the scandal from the South Carolina Republican leadership was deafening but Mr. DePass eventually wrote a letter of apology to the first lady, presented in front of the local NAACP. Seems like evolution of attitudes might be a good thing all around.
But Rusty DePass wasn’t the only southern Republican politico to wade into the murky waters of racist emails masquerading as humor. This week, Tennessee state legislative aide Sherri Goforth found herself in the national news when she emailed an image labeled “Historical Keepsake” – showing the august portraits of presidents of the United States from George Washington on, ending with a pair of googly-eyes peering out from a black background to symbolize President Obama.
When confronted, the aide to State Senator Diane Black said only that she regretted sending the image to the wrong email list and from her government address. She stated that she had been "reprimanded" by her supervisors but not otherwise punished, let alone sacked, for sending out the email on the taxpayer’s dime. Here’s an idea – send her to work at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis for a few months on furlough.
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