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Washington University in St. Louis News & Information > News Topics > Public Policy & Politics >

Presidential Politics & Campaign Issues

Washington University in St. Louis has a strong connection to modern presidential politics, having been selected to host presidential candidate debates in each election since 1992. Presidential debates were held here in 1992 and 2000; the 1996 debate scheduled to take place here was cancelled. WUSTL will host the second presidential debate of the next elections on Oct. 8, 2004. WUSTL also is home to a top-rated graduate program in political science, which includes leading experts on presidential politics and policies. Faculty with a special interest in commenting on the 2004 campaign are listed below; click on sub-topics to locate faculty with expertise on specific campaign issues.
| Faculty Experts: |
Showing Presidential Politics & Campaign Issues Experts 1 through 5 of 31.
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Charles Burson
 Visiting Professor of Law

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| Burson |
Charles Burson has an extensive professional career including Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary at Monsanto Company from 2001-2006; Counsel to the Vice President, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff at The White House, Office of the Vice President from 1997-2001; Attorney ...

Expertise: Bush v. Gore, Supreme Court and presidential elections, lawyer's role in corporate crisis management

Direct contact: (314) 935-8166
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cwburson@wulaw.wustl.edu

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Thomas Schweich
 Visiting Professor of Law and Ambassador in Residence

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| Schweich |
Thomas Schweich served the Bush administration as the ambassador for counternarcotics and justice reform in Afghanistan, as the government's principal deputy assistant secretary (PDAS) for the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and chief of staff to the U.S. Mission ...

Expertise: foreign policy, Afghanistan

Direct contact: (314) 935-3379
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tschweich@wulaw.wustl.edu

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Melissa Waters
 Professor of Law

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| Waters |
Waters' research and teaching interests include foreign relations law, international law, international human rights law and international criminal law, comparative law, conflicts of law, civil procedure, and complex civil litigation. Her scholarly work focuses on the incorporation of international ...

Expertise: international law, foreign relations law, war on terrorism, conflicts of law, international human rights law, civil procedure

Direct contact: (314) 935-3458
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mawaters@wulaw.wustl.edu

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Timothy McBride
 Associate Dean for Public Health

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| McBride |
Tim McBride has been active in testifying before Congress and consulting with important policy constituencies on Medicare, insurance and rural health policy issues. He is a member of the Rural Policy Research Institute Health Panel that provides expert advice on rural health issues to the U.S. Congress ...

Expertise: Health insurance, universal health care, public health, Medicare policy, health economics, gerontology and Social Security, state health policy, …

Direct contact: 314-935-4356
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tmcbride@wustl.edu

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Gregory Magarian
 Professor of law

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| Gregory Magarian |
Magarian is a leading expert in the areas of election law, the electoral system, free speech, the First Amendment and constitutional law. He is the author of a number of articles including the forthcoming "Substantive Media Regulation in Three Dimensions" (George Washington Law Review).

Expertise: election law, First Amendment, third parties, free speech, law and religion, church-state law, media regulation, …

Direct contact: (314) 935-3394
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gpmagarian@wulaw.wustl.edu

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Showing Presidential Politics & Campaign Issues Experts 1 through 5 of 31.
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| News Stories & Tip Sheets: |
Showing Presidential Politics & Campaign Issues Stories 1 through 3 of 71.
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Obama shaping a different world
 Historian finds 'profound' difference between President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize and those awarded to Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt

Oct. 9,
2009 --
An historian of politics and American institutions at Washington University in St. Louis says that there is a "profound" difference between the awarding of a Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Obama and ones to Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. And it has nothing to do with the fact that President Obama is only eight months into his first term as president and Presidents Roosevelt and Wilson were both near the end of their second terms when they received theirs, says Peter J. Kastor, Ph.D., an associate professor of history and of American culture studies in Arts & Sciences.

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College Savings Initiative aims to advance college success for all families
 The New America Foundation and Washington University in St. Louis will examine innovative ways to create more inclusive 529 college savings plans

May 21,
2009 --
The New America Foundation and Center for Social Development (CSD) at Washington University in St. Louis announce a new College Savings Initiative to examine and improve 529 college savings plans so more people have the opportunity to attend and complete college. "Saving money is not easy, but research shows many people can save when they have incentives and a way to do so. More low-income families may save with well-designed 529s and incentives," said Margaret Clancy, Policy Director at CSD. "We will study 529 innovations to see which ones are effective. This will inform 529 policy so that it can benefit families of all income levels."

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Health insurance after job loss
 Expert discusses coverage options and the future of health insurance for the unemployed

Jan. 15,
2009 --
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| McBride |
Losing a job usually comes with the double whammy of losing any employer-sponsored health insurance. Timothy McBride, Ph.D., leading health economist and associate dean for public health at WUSTL's George Warren Brown School of Social Work, is available to discuss current coverage options and the future of health insurance for low-income people. "Health reform, if it is considered in Congress, may provide relief for low-income persons," he says. "In the short run, there are unfortunately few options for the unemployed unless they are relatively healthy and can buy cheap policies, or have significant savings. It is one of the sad aspects of our broken health-care system."

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Showing Presidential Politics & Campaign Issues Stories 1 through 3 of 71.
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U.S. Census Bureau data on the medically uninsured simply can't be denied
Los Angeles Times

Sept. 17,
2009 -- Michael Hiltzik says the medically uninsured iin America have become a political football. Opponents and supporters of healthcare reform toss assertions about them back and forth.
The report, which says 46.3 million people lacked coverage as of the end of 2008, makes the case for reform stronger than ever by punching holes in arguments that minimize the plight of the uninsured.
Includes comments by WUSTL social work and public health professor Timothy McBride.

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Elusive price tag for universal health coverage
MSNBC.com

Sept. 10,
2009 -- How much is it going to cost to provide health care for all Americans? Until the details are complete, the only honest answer is: no one knows, reports John Schoen. "We know that the underinsured tend to be healthier," said Timothy McBride, associate dean for WUSTL's public health. "So if they were to get insured they would not be as expensive as the rest of us."

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Analysis: Obama tries evenhanded approach
Associated Press
and 51 others

June 8,
2009 -- Nancy Benac reports on Obama's Cairo speech in which he tried to explain the American mindset to Muslims and the world of Islam to Americans. Various experts comment on the speech, including WUSTL presidential rhetoric specialist Wayne Fields.

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What another woman would bring to Supreme Court
The Christian Science Monitor online

May 19,
2009 -- Expectations are high that Obama will nominate a woman to the Supreme Court. A recent study by three academics focusing on the votes of federal court of appeals judges bears out the observation that a conservative woman acts more pro-women's rights than a conservative man. The research was conducted by WUSTL law and political science professor Andrew Martin and WUSTL political science doctoral student Christina Boyd, along with Lee Epstein of Northwestern University Law School in Chicago.

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Flu control tests Obama balancing skills
Associated Press
and 47 others

May 4,
2009 -- When it comes to swine flu, Obama is trying to strike the right balance between protecting public and economic health. That's resulted in some doublespeak and spin, evidence of the inextricable ties between a looming epidemic and a listing economy. Includes comments by WUSTL American culture studies director Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

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Obama takes more questions than Bush
The Washington Times

April 28,
2009 -- President Obama has gotten off to a busy start, fielding more questions in formal press conferences in his first months in office than the American people saw from his predecessor. WUSTL history professor Peter Kastor comments.

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Greenpeace appoints veteran organizer to its top post
The New York Times

April 14,
2009 -- Greenpeace USA announced the appointment today of its top organizer, Phil Radford, as its new executive director. Radford, 33, is a WUSTL alum (1998). He has been with Greenpeace since 2003 and was behind the launch of the "Frontline" initiative that nearly doubled the organization's annual budget to $30 million.

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Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early
USA Today
and 1 others

Feb. 12,
2009 -- WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill.

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Black History Month has added meaning in 2009
USA Today
and 3 others

Feb. 2,
2009 -- Obama's election, and this year's 100th anniversary of the NAACP, means there has probably never been more reason to celebrate the annual February observance, black leaders and historians say. Includes comments by WUSTL AFAS professor Gerald Early.

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Under Obama, 'war on terror' catchphrase fading
Associated Press
and 18 others

Feb. 2,
2009 -- The "War on Terror" is losing the war of words. The catchphrase burned into the American lexicon hours after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is fading away, slowly if not deliberately being replaced by a new administration bent on repairing the U.S. image among Muslim nations. Includes comments by WUSTL English and American culture studies professor Wayne Fields, who is an expert on presidential rhetoric.

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A moment in history: The American story renewed
Associated Press
and 32 others

Jan. 21,
2009 -- WUSTL cultural historian Peter Kastor comments on Obama's place in America's history.

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Obama's speech a quiet call to arms for Americans
Associated Press
and 37 others

Jan. 21,
2009 -- Barack Obama used his inaugural address Tuesday to sketch a portrait of the nation as it is, and as it should be. Includes comments by WUSTL presidential rhetoric expert Wayne Fields.

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SPIN METER: Obama stresses dire economy at start
Associated Press
and 32 others

Jan. 14,
2009 -- In hard times, the man in the Oval Office usually is the cheerleader-in-chief, looking ahead optimistically. Not Barack Obama, who is taking office full of gloom and doom about the nation's economy, warning that things are dire and bound to get worse. WUSTL American culture studies director and political rhetoric expert Wayne Fields comments.

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The Bush Legacy
The Boston Globe

Jan. 13,
2009 -- Examining the Bush legacy, which won't be an easy one for future historians to assess. While most unsuccessful presidencies involved presidents who were considered captives of events, unable to muster effective responses, Bush's was one of bold strokes that, for better or worse, will be debated for a long time. WUSTL law professor Rebecca Dresser, who serves on the President's Council on Bioethics, comments on the stem cell research decision.

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Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent
The Wall Street Journal online

Nov. 17,
2008 -- The Center for a New American Security, a small think tank here with generally middle-of-the-road policy views, is rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum, who wrote a book on Washington think tanks.

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Segment on Vote 08 and Missouri
ABC News 'Good Morning America'

Nov. 4,
2008 -- Kate Snow reports from St. Louis and asks why it is that "As Missouri goes, so goes the nation." WUSTL political rhetoric expert Wayne Fields weighs in with his answer.

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Story on a state that's politically divided right down the middle
CNN American Morning

Oct. 31,
2008 -- In this segment, Kiran Chetry talks with WUSTL law students Erick Harris and Scott Talkov, two politically divided roommates in a politically divided state -- Harris supports McCain and Talkov supports Obama.

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Politics in a purple household
Los Angeles Times

Oct. 29,
2008 -- A feature on an odd couple-- Democrat Scott Talkov and Republican Erick "E.D." Harris are WUSTL law school roommates and political junkies.

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Young voters could rock the polls this year
Associated Press
and 19 others

Oct. 27,
2008 -- There's always talk about the impact young voters could have in choosing the next president, but some barriers stand in the way, such as access to college campuses. WUSTL persuaded the county to put a polling place on campus for this election.

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McCain camp insists he can overcome funding mismatch
USA Today
and 1 others

Oct. 21,
2008 -- Statewide polls show Obama and McCain are essentially tied in Missouri. No one ideology or business interest dominates the state and the electorate tends to be practical, says WUSTL American culture studies professor Wayne Fields.

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