On Nov. 30, 2015, Wagner alum BOB BECKEL ’70 spoke for a Carey Institute event. Beckel is the author of a memoir, “I Should Be Dead: My Life Surviving Politics, TV, and Addiction.” Bob Beckel’s visit gave his audience a unique opportunity to hear from a Wagner alumnus who has been directly involved in some of the most momentous political and foreign policy affairs of the past half century and exchange views with him on current events.
Beckel’s political career began while he was still a student at Wagner College, when he worked for Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign. After graduation, he served in the Philippines as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1971 to 1972 and taught politics at George Washington University. In 1977, Beckel joined the U.S. State Department as the youngest deputy assistant secretary of state in the Carter Administration, helping shepherd the Panama Canal Treaty to ratification. Carter then named him as a special congressional liaison working on the SALT II treaty and Mideast affairs. Beckel was campaign manager for Walter Mondale’s 1984 presidential campaign. He became known for coining the campaign slogan, “Where’s the beef?” Beckel went on to be an analyst on the Fox News Channel, where he co-hosted the program, “The Five.” He is now a CNN pundit and columnist for USA Today.