Vice Presidential Debate: Biden and Ryan Square OffAmerican University experts are available for pre and post analysis
WHAT: American University experts available for analysis of the Vice Presidential debate on October 11.
WHERE: In–studio, on campus, via telephone
WHO:
Experts on the Vice Presidency
Robert Lehrman, public communication professor, is a former speechwriter and staff member for Vice President Al Gore.
Politics and Media Experts
Leonard Steinhorn, public communication professor, is an expert in American politics, culture and media, strategic communication, the presidency, and recent American history. He often serves as a political analyst for Fox 5 News in Washington, D.C.
Dotty Lynch, public communication professor, serves as a political consultant for CBS News doing on-air radio analysis and was a member of the CBS News Election Decision Desk. In 2010 she wrote political analyses for The Fiscal Times. She is only available for print and radio interviews.
Richard Benedetto, journalism professor is a former White House correspondent and columnist for USA Today and political columnist for Gannett News Service.
Jane Hall, journalism professor, specializes in media and politics, particularly in issues of special interest to young people. She appears regularly on CNN’s Reliable Sources.
General Political Experts
Allan Lichtman, distinguished professor of history, is an expert on the presidency, presidential campaigns, voting behavior, public opinion, party conventions, and American political history. Lichtman is renowned for his "13 Keys" system, which he used in June 2010 to predict that President Obama will win a second term. Lichtman says that the death of Osama bin Laden is a major foreign affairs feather in President Obama's cap, and is one of the factors that will get him reelected.
James Thurber, university professor of government and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, is an expert on campaigns and elections, presidential-congressional relations, and author of Obama in Office (2011).
Tax ExpertsDavid Kautter, is managing director of the Kogod Tax Center and executive in residence in the Department of Accounting and Taxation. Previously, Kautter served as Ernst & Young's Director of National Tax, the chief operating executive for the firm's national tax practices. Kautter has written extensively on tax law, policy and compliance issues, authoring articles in major journals including the Journal of Accountancy and Tax Advisor.
Don Williamson, director of the Masters of Science in Taxation program and executive director of the Kogod Tax Center, has published over 50 articles in professional and academic journals and was recognized by the Bureau of National Affairs as its outstanding author for 2007.
Employment, Income Inequality Expert
Robert Lerman, professor of economics, researches how employment, income support, and youth development impact low-income populations. He can also discuss income inequality. In the 1970s, Lerman worked on reforming the nation’s income maintenance programs and on youth employment policies as staff economist for both the Congressional Joint Economic Committee and the U.S. Department of Labor. He was one of the first scholars to examine the patterns and economic determinants of unwed fatherhood and to propose a youth apprenticeship strategy in the U.S. *Lerman is out of the country from September 27 through October 17. He is only available by email and possibly by Skype.
Foreign Policy
Robert Pastor, professor of international relations and director of the Center for North American Studies, served as the U.S. National Security Advisor on Latin America (1977-1981), was a consultant to the State and Defense Departments during the Clinton Administration, and was the founding director of the Carter Center’s Latin American and Caribbean Program. Pastor is the author of The North American Idea: A Vision of a Continental Future (Oxford, 2011).
Jordan Tama, assistant professor of U.S. foreign policy, specializes in the foreign policy making process, presidential-congressional relations, intelligence reform, and counterterrorism policy. He is the author of Terrorism and National Security Reform: How Commissions Can Drive Change During Crises (Cambridge University Press, 2011). Tama has served as a senior staff member on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. House of Representatives and as a speechwriter for former U.S. Representative Lee Hamilton, and as an intelligence and counterterrorism policy advisor to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
David Mislan, an assistant professor of U.S. foreign policy, focuses his research on foreign policy analysis, international security, and qualitative methods. His most recent book, Enemies of the American Way: Identity and Presidential Foreign Policymaking (Continuum, 2012) investigates the relationship between how U.S. presidents define American identity and how they conceptualize threats to national security
Defense Budget
Dr. Gordon Adams, professor of U.S. Foreign Policy at American University’s School of International Service, oversaw all U.S. foreign affairs and national security budgeting at the Office of Management and Budget under the Clinton Administration where he worked with Leon Panetta during the last ‘defense build down’ resulting from the end of the Cold War. Adams is the co-author of Buying National Security: How America Plans and Pays for Its Global Role and Safety at Home (Routledge 2009). He is a regular columnist for Foreign Policy.Campaign, election, and voter behavior expertsCandice Nelson, department of government chair, is an expert on presidential and congressional elections and also studies voting behavior. Her most recent book Grant Park: The Democratization of Presidential Elections 1968-2008 looks at how presidential candidate selection has evolved.
Jan Leighley, is an expert on American political behavior, voter turnout, media and politics, and racial/ethnic political behavior. She is currently working on a book-length manuscript on voter turnout since 1972.
Patrick Griffin is the academic director of the Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute and served as legislative affairs director in the Clinton administration. Griffin also has served in various roles in the U.S. Senate including as a staff member on the Senate Democratic Policy Committee and the Senate Budget Committee. Women & Politics Experts
Jennifer Lawless, director of the Women and Politics Institute, is a nationally recognized expert on women's involvement in politics and women’s issues. Her latest book is Becoming a Candidate: Political Ambition and the Decision to Run for Office (2012).
American University is a leader in global education, enrolling a diverse student body from throughout the United States and nearly 140 countries. Located in Washington, D.C., the university provides opportunities for academic excellence, public service, and internships in the nation’s capital and around the world.
RSS