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E-Newsletter > Speakers News: October 2008

Speaker news: October 2008

IN THIS ISSUE:
Matt Bai on Obama and the white vote; Gerard Baker, Zach Karabell and Margaret Atwood on the economy; Brad Pitt as Billy Beane in the Moneyball movie

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ECONOMY IN CRISIS

Why This is the Election You Wouldn't Want to Win

How the financial crisis has changed everything for the next President

"2008 may be the best year there has been to lose an election," writes Gerard Baker in his Times of London column. Charting the economic collapse of Wall Street, and its ramifications on both the American and the world stage, Baker writes: "The bailout/rescue plan/ socialisation of the banking system -- whichever you prefer -- has, in effect, already rendered null and void almost everything that the presidential candidates have been proposing for the past six months...it would certainly not be prudent to expect there to be any room left over for promised tax cuts, spending increases on health, education or anything else."

Keep reading "This is the Election You Wouldn't Want to Win" from the Times of London

Gerard Baker Speaker Bio

ECONOMY IN CRISIS

What Will Wall Street's Collapse Mean for Main Street?

Zachary Karabell lends perspective and insight to the current economic crisis

Economy in Crisis: To the panic, the headlines, and the bailouts emanating from Wall Street and Washington, Zachary Karabell adds an important element: perspective. How does this financial crisis stack up against other similar moments in history, and what does the future hold, especially for normal consumers and companies? In a recent Newsweek article, Karabell, a CNBC regular and the head of River Twice Research, weighs in. "The meltdown of Wall Street and the resulting government intervention are real and will reshape the industry," he writes. "But it's much less apparent what the ramifications are beyond the financial industry."

Keep reading: "The Echoes of Crisis" from Newsweek

THE ECONOMY

A Matter of Life and Debt

In the midst of our economic meltdown, Margaret Atwood examines the dark side of wealth

In her new book, Payback, Margaret Atwood delivers a surprising look at our romance with debt -- a timely topic given the recent financial crisis. As only she can, Atwood lucidly explains the role of debt in religion, literature, and human societies throughout the ages, showing us that the idea of what we owe one another -- "debt" -- is built into human nature. "Debt," she writes in a recent New York Times Op-Ed, "has to do with our basic sense of fairness, a sense that is embedded in all of our exchanges with our fellow human beings."

Keep reading: "A Matter of Life and Debt" from nytimes.com (#2 most popular article, Oct. 22)

Margaret Atwood Speaker Bio

THE ELECTION

"Can Obama Close the Deal with Those White Guys?"

Matt Bai travels with Obama through Red states and swing states as he courts the white male vote

In an article on Barack Obama's fight to win the support of white, small town male voters, Matt Bai speaks candidly with Obama about race, the media (especially FOX News), and the few missteps he has made during his Presidential run. Bai, one of the most admired political writers today, also looks at the complicated history of Democrats and white voters, as well as the real effect of Obama's race on voters. One thing to keep in mind, Bai reminds us, is not whether race is a factor for voters when choosing a President (it clearly is), but whether it is the determinative factor.

Read Matt Bai's New York Times Magazine cover story: ?Will Gun-Toting, Churchgoing White Guys Pull the Lever for Obama?

Matt Bai Speaker Bio

FROM PAGE TO SCREEN

Moneyball, The Movie: Brad Pitt as Billy Beane

The actor twice voted the World's Sexiest Man Alive is slated to play baseball?s most charismatic GM

Variety is reporting that Brad Pitt is attached to the movie adaptation of the bestselling book Moneyball: the Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Pitt would star as Billy Beane, the Oakland A's GM whose innovative leadership has turned baseball (and business) on its head. Beane's underdog A's consistently win, despite being in a small market and having a tiny budget and few star players. Using statistics, computers, and a knack for harnessing undervalued assets, Beane has exposed -- and capitalized on -- the flawed economics of major league baseball.

Billy Beane Speaker Bio

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