Pitney and Pei in the News

Professors Jack Pitney and Minxin Pei, both frequent media commentators, have made the newsagain.
Pitney, the Roy P. Crocker Professor of American Politics, appeared on NBC News, Los Angeles, about the heated Republican gubernatorial race between Meg Whitman and Steve Poizner. Whitman has been focused on jobs and the economy, but lately is defending herself against pressure from Poizner on issues of immigration and Goldman Sachs.
"The focus on jobs and the economy is what people say they want," Pitney commented. "The trouble is, Poizner's charges are starting to get some traction, and she needs to reassure people about her relationship with Goldman Sachs, and about her position on immigration."
(View NBC broadcast or transcript.)
Pei, the Tom and Margot Pritzker '72 Professor of Government and the director of the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies, meanwhile was the featured guest on ABC's "World View" on May 11, discussing China's potential to be the next superpower.
With many predictions being made regarding China's rapid rise in power, Pei was asked if he sees signs of a shift in global power from West to East.
"There is a shift, but the shift is not as rapid as most people tend to believe," he noted, explaining that China's economy is only about one-third of the United States' economy, and per capita income here is more than 10 times that of China. Thus, even the recent growth in China has not brought it up to the level of the United States.
Pei says the question is less about the strength of China and more about Americans' lack of confidence in the United States. "When you look at other countries, they do not have the same kind of problems the U.S. has," he said. "That's why a lot of Americans would say, Those countries are catching up.'"
(View ABC video.)