As is tradition at Merion West, here are the editor’s choices for our favorite Merion West interviews of 2019.
Editor’s Choice: The Best Interviews of 2019
Erich J. Prince
Erich J. Prince is the editor at Merion West. Erich has contributed to a variety of publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Hartford Courant, The News & Observer, the Orlando Sentinel, and The Hill. His opinion writing has been honored with two awards from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He studied political science at Yale, completing his thesis on the history of polarization in the United States Congress.
Author: Erich J. Prince
Erich J. Prince is the editor at Merion West. Erich has contributed to a variety of publications including The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Hartford Courant, The News & Observer, the Orlando Sentinel, and The Hill. His opinion writing has been honored with two awards from the Columbia University School of Journalism. He studied political science at Yale, completing his thesis on the history of polarization in the United States Congress.
Editor’s Choice: The Best Articles of 2019
As is tradition at Merion West, here are the editor’s choices for our favorite Merion West articles of 2019.
Why Yasmine Mohammed Is Speaking out Against Islam (Part II)
“Actually, the two things that ex-Muslims let go of—the very last two things that they let go of—are eating pork and anti-Semitism. It’s because both of these things are so ingrained in us from such a young age.”
Why Yasmine Mohammed Is Speaking out Against Islam
“What I was not prepared for was the tsunami of just hate and pushback and disdain that would come from people I thought were my people: people that believed in enlightenment values, Western values, and liberal values.”
Rep. Denver Riggleman: Bringing Internet to Rural Areas
“If you have to take your kids and you have to go into a parking lot of a library in order to do homework, that is not something that they want to have to deal with.”
Rep. Madeleine Dean: Making Community College a Priority
“[Some of my students] couldn’t do all three: commute, work, and schoolwork. So, I saw the affordability problem growing and growing in that setting, but I hear it also from my constituents in every higher education setting.”
Interview: Rep. Jeff Van Drew on Getting the Two Parties to Work Together
“America is an experiment in democracy like none other. I do believe in American exceptionalism. They spoke about many things, but one of the things that they spoke about was the fact that we should never be overly reliant on political parties.”
Georgia’s AG: Fighting Gangs and Human Trafficking
“Like [how] the Southern District of New York became the hub for financial crimes, the Northern District of Georgia has become a hub for online financial crimes and cybersecurity because it all runs through our network.”
Gov. Brian Kemp: His Approach for Georgia
“And things like rural broadband, having quality health care, just a good quality of life, good ability to get a great education—whether it’s going into a technical field college or university setting. We had a lot of different options for folks, and we’re slowly moving the needle.”
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What Happens to Those Who Investigate Government Corruption
“I knew the consequences of looking into public corruption. You’re not going to make many friends, and you’re certainly going to make many enemies.”
Sen. David Perdue: Making Washington More Results-Oriented
“We need to go back to what the Founding Fathers and Mothers had in mind: a citizen-legislator—somebody that comes here, tries to get results, and then goes home and lets the next person try.”
One-on-One with Rep. Dwight Evans (Part II)
“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to, because you don’t understand, I’m not your typical Democrat.”
Interview: Rep. Madeleine Dean at Border Detention Facilities
“They slid a note, children with a note under the door and said, ‘How can we help you?'”
One-on-One with Rep. Dwight Evans
“I have no differences when people produce outcomes.”
Wayne Messam, The Florida Mayor Running for President
“And some talk is floating around right now about merit-based immigration. Individuals like my parents would have been at the bottom, the end of the line, and would perhaps never have had an opportunity, and yet they helped build the agriculture sector.”