Opinion Awards Panel Discussion

Watch the panel give their thoughts on Sarah Palin:

Watch the panel discuss the hope for bipartisanship:

Panelists:

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AMY KLOBUCHAR is the first woman elected to represent the State of Minnesota in the U.S. Senate. In 1998, after serving as a partner in two of Minnesota’s leading law firms, Klobuchar broke new ground as the first woman elected to serve as the Hennepin County prosecutor, which includes Minneapolis and 45 suburbs. She was a leading advocate for successful passage of Minnesota’s first felony DWI law, for which she received a leadership award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. In 2008, Working Mother Magazine named her as “Best in Congress” for her efforts on behalf of working families.

EDWARD G. RENDELL became Pennsylvania’s 45th Governor in 2003 and began a second term of office in 2007. He serves as chief executive of the nation’s 6th-most-populous state and oversees a $28.3 billion budget. Rendell signed into law Pennsylvania’s first comprehensive local tax reform law. An Army veteran, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1965 and a law degree from Villanova Law School in 1968. Rendell was elected to two terms as District Attorney for Philadelphia from 1978 to 1985. From 1992 through 1999, Rendell served as mayor of Philadelphia.

ERIC CANTOR is a fifth-term Congressman representing the Seventh District of Virginia. In November 2008, Cantor was elected to serve as the Republican Whip. Cantor also holds a seat on the House Ways and Means Committee. His quick rise in the Republican Party has received national attention and was chronicled by The Weekly Standard, which recognized him as an emerging leader among an impressive group of “Young Guns of the House GOP.” Cantor received his law degree from The College of William & Mary and his Master’s degree from Columbia University in New York.

STEVE SCHMIDT is a Partner at Mercury, where he provides high level counsel to Fortune 500 companies. Formerly, he served as a Senior Advisor to Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 and Campaign Manager for the re-election of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 (for which he won “GOP Manager of the Year” from the American Association of Political Consultants). Schmidt also led the nomination team for Justice Alito to the Supreme Court. With former Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe, Schmidt is a founding Fellow of the Center for Political Communication at the University of Delaware.

Moderated by:

SIR HAROLD EVANS is editor-at-large of The Week magazine and the author of the critically acclaimed They Made America: From the Steam Engine to the Search Engine: Two Centuries of Innovators. His most recent book, the memoir My Paper Chase, covers his early life, his years as a leader in Britain’s newspaper industry, and his “second act” in America. Before moving to the United States in 1984, Evans served as the editor of London’s Sunday Times and The Times. He was Editorial Director and Vice Chairman of U.S. News & World Report, the Daily News, The Atlantic, and Fast Company. Evans was honored with a knighthood in the Queen’s 2004 New Year’s Honors list for service to journalism.