Political experts host final night of National Conventions in Rutland

RUTLAND – Project 240 continues with several prominent political experts and analysts joining live audiences at the Paramount Theatre, including Garrett Graff hosting a screening of the final night of the Republican National Convention on July 21 and David Sanger hosting a screening of the final night of the Democratic National Convention on July 28. Project 240 organizer and Paramount Theatre Executive Director Bruce Bouchard hopes the free community events will draw large local audiences.

Republican National Convention, July 21

The next event in the 19-part series will be the final night of the Republican National Convention on July 21. Recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on technology and politics, Garrett Graff will host the event at the Paramount. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with Graff taking the stage at 7 p.m., leading into the live broadcast from Cleveland.

Garrett M. Graff, a distinguished magazine journalist and historian, is recognized as one of the nation’s leading experts on technology and politics. He’s spent more than a dozen years covering politics, technology, and national security, written for publications from WIRED to the New York Times, and served as the editor of two of Washington’s most prestigious magazines, Washingtonian and POLITICO Magazine, which he helped lead to its first National Magazine Award, the industry’s highest honor. His online career began with his time as Governor Howard Dean’s first webmaster, and in 2005, he was the first blogger accredited to cover a White House press briefing.

Graff is the author of multiple books, including “The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web,” and the “Race for the White House,” which examined the role of technology in the 2008 presidential race, and “The Threat Matrix: The FBI At War in the Age of Global Terror,” which traces the history of the FBI and was named by Kirkus one of the best nonfiction books of 2011. His e-book, “Angel is Airborne: JFK’s Final Flight from Dallas,” was a finalist for the Livingston Award, the highest prize given to journalists under 35. His next book, “Raven Rock,” about the government’s Cold War Doomsday plans, will be published in 2017.

Democratic National Convention, July 28

The series rolls on with a live broadcast from the final night of Democratic National Convention on July 28, hosted by national security correspondent and senior writer for The New York Times, David Sanger. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with Sanger taking the stage at 7 p.m. leading into the live broadcast from Philadelphia. See next week’s Mountain Times for more information.

Project 240 is a collaborative effort between the Paramount Theatre and Castleton University designed to elevate public discourse around the 2016 general election, while bringing the community together for a series of impactful events in celebration of the 240th year of our republic. For more info, visit project240.org.