A month before the next president of the United States is sworn into office, scholars from all over the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for their first assessment of the George W. Bush presidency. Streaming video from the conference is available below.
Nov. 25: Grand Valley Political Science Professor Erika King said it's good that President-Elect Barack Obama is picking people with experience for his Cabinet (audio clip). On speculation that Hillary Clinton will be nominated Secretary of State, King said Obama is sticking to his pattern of picking people who are more centrist (audio clip). King said as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton would gain an international stage (audio clip). King said our world economic crisis is forcing Obama to plan and choose his Cabinet quickly (audio clip).
Nov. 6: Roger Moiles, instructor of political science says Barack Obama's win Virginia is a sign of the times (audio clip). He says Obama's victory will inspire people and open up the system to those who thought they couldn't compete (audio clip). He adds that Obama is facing big issues and doesn't have a lot of time to make good on his promises (audio clip). Moiles says it's possible for Republicans to have a big comeback by next election (audio clip).
November 3: On the day before the election, professor Erika King says 'never say never' for McCain, but it's an uphill battle (audio clip). King says Obama isn't taking anything for granted, and that the ground war has begun (audio clip). Did Sarah Palin hurt McCain's ticket? King says she didn't help (audio clip). She adds that, just like in the Clinton days, the big issue is the economy, and the Republicans barely had a chance in this race (audio clip).
Oct. 16: John McCain and Barack Obama faced off for the final of three debates last night. Whitt Kilburn, assistant professor of political science, reacted to the candidates' performance. Kilburn says Obama won the debate by not losing (audio clip). He says McCain lost because he played to the Republican base instead of undecided voters (audio clip). He says McCain will have a difficult time turning things around (audio clip), and he adds that McCain focused on the wrong issues during the debate (audio clip).
Oct. 9:CNBC commentator and former FDIC Chairman L. William Seidman talked about the financial crisis and gave his opinion on the presidential candidates Thursday as part of the 2008 Seidman College of Business Breakfast Series at Grand Valley State University.
Seidman, a Michigan native, is chief financial commentator for CNBC Business Television, and his "Seidman Says" commentaries are widely watched and reported. Seidman was an economic advisor to presidents Ford and Reagan, and served as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. From 1989-1991, he was the first chairman of the Resolution Trust Company, which was a direct product of the S&L bailout. He was founding chairman of the Board of Trustees of Grand Valley State University.
The event was sponsored by the Seidman College of Business Alumni Association and The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies. Streaming video of the event is available here:
Oct. 8: Roger Moiles, instructor of political science, weighs in on the town hall debate between McCain and Obama. He says McCain needed a game changer, but didn't get it (audio clip). Moiles says McCain ran into problems when he wouldn't prioritize his spending proposals (audio clip). He says Obama wasn't great, but didn't make any major mistakes (audio clip). Moiles adds that the next debate is critical and that it's not too late for McCain (audio clip).
Oct. 7: Whitt Kilburn, assistant professor of political science, spoke about tonight's town hall debate. He says the pressure is on McCain tonight because the polls show Obama is ahead (audio clip). He says McCain needs to focus on Obama's inexperience but it may be difficult to do that with a town hall format (audio clip). He says the economy will be the main focus of the debate which may not play in McCain's favor (audio clip). He says Obama needs to avoid making any big mistakes because that is what destroyed Gore's lead against Bush in 2000 (audio clip).
Oct. 3: Erika King, professor of political science at Grand Valley said there was not a clear winner in the vice presidential debate. She said Biden was successful at being calm and knowledgeable and succinct, while Palin demonstrated she could hold her own on a variety of issues and could connect with the average American. She added that history shows people don't vote for a vice president, so the debate probably didn't sway many undecided voters -- they will wait for the next presidential debate. King says neither candidate made any big mistakes; they did what they needed to do (audio clip). She said Palin was hurting the ticket, but not anymore. She performed well, similar to when she first accepted the nomination (audio clip). King says the most important thing now for the presidential candidates will center around the economy (audio clip). She added that McCain's decision to give up in Michigan was strategic and financial (audio clip).
Sept. 30: Erika King, professor of political science, spoke about the Biden/Palin debate scheduled for Thursday. King says the strategy for both candidates should include being as accurate as possible (audio clip). She says Palin should work on giving clear, responsible answers (audio clip), and that Biden needs to restrain himself (audio clip). King adds that the debate is only one small factor for those still undecided (audio clip).
Sept. 25: Roger Moiles, instructor of political science, commented on the political candidates and the economy and whether the first debate will take place as scheduled tomorrow. Moiles says it may be an "empty chair" debate because while McCain wants to suspend the debate, Obama says he's showing up. This could cause problems for both candidates (audio clip). Moiles also says debates have been televised since the 1960s and an "empty chair" debate would be very unusual (audio clip).
Sept. 23: Erika King, professor of political science at Grand Valley State University, says the debates will draw more viewers than normal because of the competitive contest, so candidates must take advantage of that (audio clip). She says public and media are more interested than normal and so the debates are crucial (audio clip) . She says the candidates use "stand-ins" to practice for debates -- including Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (audio clip).
Sept. 22: Erika King, professor of political science spoke about the importance of the electoral college and how candidates are using it. King says because of how electoral college works, candidates know certain states they'll win, so they will spend the next few weeks in "toss-up" states only -- states like Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida and Virginia (audio clip). King says even though California has the largest number of electoral colleges votes with 55, it has been solidly Democratic, so neither candidate will visit (audio clip). King says our country does not have a direct election when it comes to picking a president (audio clip).
Sept. 19: The presidential candidates are reacting to the current financial crisis sparked by Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and the buyout of Merrill Lynch. Grand Valley banking expert Daniel Giedeman says John McCain can get away with the message of government regulation. (audio clip) Giedeman adds that Barack Obama may try to blame the latest economic developments on McCain policies (audio clip).
Sept. 10: Kevin denDulk, associate professor of political science, commented on remarks about faith and religion concerning Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. denDulk says he doesn't agree with media reports suggesting Palin is downplaying or hiding her faith because McCain needs the votes (audio clip). He says McCain can't win without evangelical votes (audio clip). denDulk says Obama is working very hard at trying to get religious voters (audio clip). He says in the 1960s evangelicals were more likely to vote Democratic than Republican, but that has changed (audio clip).
Sept. 5: Roger Moiles, instructor of political science at Grand Valley State University says McCain's emotional version of his time as a POW is what made his speech a success (audio clip). Moiles says the debates between the candidates will be crucial (audio clip. Erika King, professor of political science at Grand Valley, says McCain isn't a dynamic speaker but he was successful in giving the message he wanted (audio clip). King says the key now for both sides is spending time in the swing states (audio clip).
Sept. 4: Roger Moiles, instructor of political science at Grand Valley reacted to Gov. Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention. Moiles says he thought it was ironic that Palin called herself an outsider to politics as usual (audio clip). Moiles says it's clear she was brought on the ticket to shore up the conservative base (audio clip). He adds that it will be a critical time when Palin goes head-to-head with Joe Biden (audio clip). He adds it will be interesting to see how the issue of inexperience plays out on both sides (audio clip).
Sept. 3: Erika King, professor of political science at Grand Valley State University says Sen. Joseph Lieberman speaking at the Republican National Convention was a positive phenomenon (audio clip). King adds that the purpose of Lieberman was to attract independents (audio clip). She says vetting questions will now have vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin under a microscope (audio clip) and says any new surprises from Palin's background will be a problem (audio clip).
Aug. 29: John McCain selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. Political Science Professor Erika King says Palin's inexperience may not be a bad thing (audio clip). King says Palin is an intriguing choice (audio clip). She adds that Palin brings important things to the McCain campaign (audio clip).
Aug. 28: Erika King, professor of political science says Joe Biden was articulate, passionate and on message (audio clip). She says Obama has proven he has beautiful and soaring rhetoric, and that his speech should concentrate on an uplifting message. (audio clip). King says Obama made history with his nomination, but it's a double-edged sword (audio clip). She adds that it's been a tough year for Republicans going into their convention (audio clip).
Aug. 27: Political Science professor Donald Zinman says Hillary Clinton did what she needed to do in her speech (audio clip). He added that media will be dissecting Bill Clinton's speech (audio clip) and that Joe Biden will give delegates the "red meat" they want (audio clip).
Aug. 26: According to Roger Moiles (bio), instructor of political science, Hillary Clinton needs to be supportive of Barack Obama's campaign if she wants to have a political future (audio clip). Moiles adds both she and former President Bill Clinton could be blamed if Obama loses in November (audio clip).
