Sunday, Sept. 18, 7:30 p.m.—RUTLAND—The Paramount Theatre and Castleton University will present the husband-and-wife team of James Carville and Mary Matalin—pundits, political advisers, authors and cultural/political experts—on the Paramount stage Sunday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 p.m. The event is part of Project 240.
Bruce Bouchard, executive director of the Paramount, commented: “From the conception stage of this project, two years ago, it was our programming dream to land these political icons as our keynote speakers. This booking involved two trips to Newport, R.I., many months of variables and the involvement of a long-time political operative to land an available date for our landmark series.”
The evening will feature counterpoint commentary from this powerhouse duo about this unprecedented 16-month national election cycle and a lengthy question and answer session with the audience following their presentation.
James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville is former co-host of CNN’s “Crossfire.” As a political consultant, his long list of electoral successes evidences a knack for steering overlooked campaigns to unexpected landslide victories and for re-making political underdogs into upset winners. His most prominent victory was in 1992 when he helped William Jefferson Clinton win the presidency.
Carville is also a best-selling author, actor, producer, talk-show host and speaker. His titles include “All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President” (with wife Mary Matalin); “We’re Right, They’re Wrong: A Handbook for Spirited Progressives”; “And The Horse He Rode In On: The People vs. Kenneth Star”r; and “Had Enough? A Handbook for Fighting Back.” Along with pollster Stanley Greenberg, Carville founded Democracy Corps, an independent, non-profit polling organization dedicated to making government more responsive to the American people.
Mary Matalin has made frequent television appearances as a political commentator, securing a career in conservative media advocacy following decades of work as an important political operative in the Republican Party and advisor to presidents Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and President George W. Bush, and Vice President Dick Cheney. She has recently changed her party affiliation to the Libertarian Party. Today, she co-hosts the nationally-syndicated radio program, “Both Sides Now.” As a television and radio host, political contributor, pundit and public speaker, she has become noted for her straightforward manner and insightful political repartee.
“Given that their appearance as part of Project 240 will occur just eight days prior to the most anticipated presidential debates (all four of which will be broadcast at the theatre) in a generation, we can fully expect bipartisan fireworks,” said Bouchard.
Tickets are $55 (main level) and $45 (balcony) and can be purchased at the box office, 30 Center St., Rutland, or at paramountlive.org.
Project 240 is a collaboration 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 the republic.
Photo courtesy of Paramount Theatre
James CArville and Mary Matalin