Newswise — What does former President Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky have to do with the 2008 U.S. presidential campaign? Plenty, according to political science professor Robert Kraynak.
Clinton's infidelity changed the political landscape and even today is having an impact, Kraynak told the "Dallas Morning News" and "Newsday" for recent articles. He believes traits like infidelity -- once campaign killers -- are more tolerated by voters.
"There's a way that Mr. Clinton softened up public opinion in a way that makes Rudy Giuliani possible," said Kraynak. "People are genuinely not sure if the office of the presidency is supposed to be a results-oriented job or a moral authority."
"U.S. News & World Report" also cited Kraynak in an article about Hillary Clinton's win in the New Hampshire primary. Colgate faculty are providing expert analysis on topics ranging from candidates' character and religious beliefs to campaign finance reform and spending limits.
Last week, Michael Johnston, Charles A. Dana Professor of political science, spoke on Minnesota Public Radio about corruption and special interests: presidential candidates vow to fight them, but is it all just rhetoric?
Corruption can lead to an erosion of democratic values and have a real affect on citizenship, said Johnston, author of "Syndromes of Corruption."
FACIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CANDIDATESCarrie Keating/professor of psychology
Expertise: Keating focuses on the elusive quality of charisma by investigating the skills and traits associated with social dominance and leadership. She also studies facial structure and form of the presidential candidates and how we perceive such traits as trustworthiness, strength, weakness, intellectually superiority, and charisma, to name a few. Together with colleagues and student collaborators, she has discovered that humans convey dominance through facial expressions akin to those of other primates; that facial features which make people appear powerful also make them seem untrustworthy; that people who are socially powerful have unusually good acting skills; and that persuasive performances begin with kidding oneself. Her studies of dominance and deception have been featured in the print, radio, and broadcast media outlets in the U.S. and abroad, including PBS's Scientific American Frontiers, Dateline NBC, Discovery Magazine, The McLaughlin Group, McLaughlin One-On-One, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and The Learning Channel.
HAND GESTURESSpencer Kelly/assistant professor of psychology
Expertise: Kelly applies his research -- on the role of hand gestures in producing language-- to politicians and public figures from around the world. From President Bush's palm movements to Saddam Hussein's pointing, Kelly can analyze the possible meanings and functions of the hand gestures we repeatedly see in the media. "Gesture, and other forms of visual communication are tightly integrated with our understanding of language," he said. "Gesture may represent one of the earliest forms of communication in the evolution of language." Kelly has been quoted by numerous media outlets worldwide, including Danish public television, Radio 3 in Hong Kong, the Orlando Sentinel, the New York Times, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
CANDIDATES' CHARACTERRobert Kraynak/professor of political science; Presidential Scholar
modern political philosophy, American political theory
"President Clinton's eventual admission of his White House affair with Monica Lewinsky helped change the political landscape," Dr. Kraynak, a Republican now leaning toward supporting Mr. Romney, told Newsday for a recent article.
'There is a way that Clinton softened up public opinion in a way that makes Giuliani possible. People are genuinely not sure if the office of the presidency is supposed to be a results-oriented job or a moral authority,' Dr. Kraynak said. 'Different periods in our history, we value one more than the other.'
FOREIGN POLICY: THE IRAQ WAR AND '08 ELECTIONAndy Rotter/professor of historyColgate University
Expertise: Rotter focuses on U.S. diplomatic history, recent U.S. history -- particularly the Vietnam War -- and how, historically, they have affected presidential races. "At the time of the 1968 elections, for example, the Vietnam War had become a liability for Vice President and presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey — he was seen as being saddled with the war," said Rotter. "Richard Nixon came in with a roadmap for the area, and he was elected." The situation with Iraq, he said, isn't all that different. "Even if we pull all of our troops out of the country — which doesn't seem likely in two years — American voters want someone with a plan for Iraq, as well as the economy, health care, and other hot button issues." He has been quoted by Newsday, the Philadelphia Daily News, and the Times Literary Supplement, among other media outlets.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORMJay Mandle, Professor of Economics; treasurer, Democracy Matters
"Americans don't trust their government or political system. Cynicism about the motives and interests of our politicians is so deep that voters find themselves in an immobilizing contradiction," wrote Mandle in a recent Newsday column about political corruption.
Mandle is an expert in economic policy and treasurer of Democracy Matters, a national college campus-based organization focused on campaign finance reform. Mandle's commitment to the issue of money in politics is evident in his regular monthly editorial, Money On My Mind, appearing on the Democracy Matters website, http://www.democracymatters.org
CAMPAIGN SPENDING Michael Johnston/professor of political science
Specialties: American politics and public policy, mass media, comparative politicsJohnston believes the negative view of the political process could have an impact on the '08 presidential election. While more subtle in the United States, corruption can lead to an erosion of democratic values and have a real affect on citizenship, said Johnston.
Johnston added that voters seem to have little hope for genuine reform, which can undercut their inclination to vote or participate in the electoral process. The last major attempt at campaign finance reform, the McCain-Feingold Bill of 2002, did very little to take the money out of politics, but rather made it easier for incumbents to raise funds and stay in power, he said.
Stanley Brubaker/ professor of political science
Specialties: Constitutional theory, American governmentBrubaker has been interviewed by a number of media outlets about campaign spending limits and issues related to constitutional law. Brubaker has also traveled to Iraq to speak at a conference about Iraq's constitution.
DOES A CANDIDATE'S RELIGION MATTER? Timothy Byrns/professor of political science
His specialties include Comparative Politics, American Politics, and Religion and Politics, and most of his published work has focused on the role of religious institutions in democratic political systems. Byrns is a regular panelist on WCNY's (PBS) Ivory Tower broadcast, where he weighs in on national and local politics.
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