Understanding Conservatives in the United States: A Conversation with Michael Graham

In association with the US Embassy, Dublin

On September 17, Michael Graham, a well-know conservative talk radio host in the United States, spoke at the UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies. . The topic of his talk  was American politics. Mr. Graham focused on two topics: the rise of, and ideas motivating, the Tea Party and the 2012 Presidential election. He explained why Americans who are sympathetic to the Tea Party are angry about many developments in American politics over the last four years. In particular, he mentioned the federal deficit, the government bailout of the automotive industry and concerns about what he and other Tea Partiers perceive to be a spendthrift federal government. He also predicted that Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee, would defeat President Obama in November. Graham argued that unemployment is too high, and Americans are too pessimistic about the future, for the President to win. After his talk, Graham took questions from the audience for about 40 minutes and an informal, and often humorous, conversation ensued. Graham was asked about possible inconsistencies in his world view, especially regarding foreign policy, and he talked a bit about his experiences growing up in rural South Carolina.

Later in the evening at the US Embassy, Michael debated with Leslie Marshall on the key issues in the forthcoming US Election, the debate was moderated by Sean O’Rourke from RTE News.