Husband-and-wife political analysts James Carville and Mary Matalin are the presidential guest speakers for the 2010 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. Following an introduction by AAOS President Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD, the bipartisan duo will share their individual political perspectives—on healthcare reform and more—along with candid life experiences when they take to the podium on March 11 in the Morial Convention Center’s LaNouvelle Ballroom. At the conclusion of their presentations, Mr. Carville and Ms. Matalin will respond to questions from the audience.

Democratic strategist
Mr. Carville emerged on the political scene in 1986 when he helped catapult Robert Casey to a remarkable come-from-behind win in the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. In the years that followed, Mr. Carville established himself as a successful campaign manager with a knack for steering political long shots to victory. He is probably best known, however, for his role in guiding Bill Clinton to the Oval Office in 1992. As a result of those efforts, Mr. Carville, along with George Stephanopoulos, was the focus of the 1993 feature-length, Academy Award-nominated documentary The War Room. That same year, he was honored as Campaign Manager of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants.

After the Clinton victory, Mr. Carville’s political focus shifted to foreign consulting. He has worked with clients in Greece, Brazil, Honduras, Argentina, Ecuador, Canada, Mexico, and Dominican Republic, among others. In 1999, he successfully managed Ehud Barak’s campaign to become the Prime Minister of Israel.

Mr. Carville is also an actor, producer, talk-show host, speaker, restaurateur, and author of several political books. With his wife, Ms. Matalin, he co-authored the best-selling campaign book All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President. In 2003, Mr. Carville and Ms. Matalin starred in the HBO series K Street, a docudrama based on the working lives of Washington political consultants. Mr. Carville can be seen regularly on television as a CNN commentator and contributor; he also hosts an XM radio sports show.

Celebrated conservative
Ms. Matalin began her political career working on local and state campaigns in her home state of Illinois. In the early 1980s, she moved to Washington, D.C., to work with the Republican National Committee (RNC), and in 1984 served as national voter contact director for the Reagan-Bush Campaign.

Ms. Matalin held senior positions in George H.W. Bush’s 1988 campaign, and after the election she was appointed chief of staff for the RNC. She served as the deputy campaign manager for political operations during the 1992 Bush re-election campaign. A key Republican strategist, Ms. Matalin later served as assistant to President George W. Bush and counselor to Vice President Dick Cheney; she was the first White House official to hold that double title.

In addition to being a political consultant, Ms. Matalin is also a recognized author, political commentator, and talk-show host. She hosted CNN’s political debate show Crossfire, is the former founding co-host of the Washington-based political weeknight talk show Equal Time, and has had her own talk radio program “The Mary Matalin Show.” Along with co-authoring the book All’s Fair: Love, War and Running for President with her husband, she wrote Letters to My Daughters, and has contributed to various periodicals including Newsweek and The Los Angeles Times.

Ms. Matalin is editor-in-chief of the conservative publishing imprint Threshold Editions, and serves on the boards of the Washington Humane Society, the Richard B. and Lynne V. Cheney Cardiovascular Institute at The George Washington University, and the editorial board of Campaigns and Elections magazine. Ms. Matalin and her husband Mr. Carville currently reside in New Orleans.

Mr. Carville and Ms. Matalin will address 2010 Annual Meeting attendees on Thursday, March 11, at 11:15 a.m. in the LaNouvelle Ballroom at the Morial Convention Center.

Maureen Leahy is assistant managing editor for AAOS Now. She can be reached at leahy@aaos.org