Newswise — With the presidential nomination in the balance, the nation's attention is turning to the upcoming Democratic and Republican Conventions and the ensuing presidential race. Over the next weeks, John McCain and Barack Obama will be wooing voters across the country. Temple University election experts Michael G. Hagen, Christopher Harper, Marc Lamont Hill and James W. Hilty offer their thoughts.
MICHAEL G. HAGENAssociate professor of political science
Michael G. Hagen conducts polling and research on public policy and election trends in the Philadelphia region and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He is co-author (with Richard Johnston and Kathleen Hall Jamieson) of the The Presidential Campaign of 2000 and the Foundations of Party Politics and co-author (with Paul M. Sniderman) of Race and Inequality: A Study in American Values.
"In Pennsylvania, Hillary Clinton's influence will be critical. Clinton beat Obama handily in the Pennsylvania primary, and she remains popular among Pennsylvanians. Although Democratic candidates have done well in Pennsylvania in recent years, John McCain is likely to have more appeal here than did George W. Bush," said Hagen.
CHRISTOPHER HARPERAssociate professor of journalism
Christopher Harper focuses his research on the history of journalism and the role of digital media. He worked for more than 20 years in journalism at the Associated Press (Chicago), Newsweek (Chicago, Washington and Beirut), ABC News (Cairo and Rome) and ABC 20/20. He is co-director of Temple University's Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab.
"Citizen journalists (blogger and video bloggers) will play a big part in this political season because their messages can be targeted to specific groups and because mainstream media organizations, due to financial constraints, will be focused more on the horserace aspect of the presidential race," said Harper.
MARC LAMONT HILLAssociate professor of education
Marc Lamont Hill's work explores the intersections between globalization, popular culture, public/counter-public pedagogy, and youth identities.
"The economy has become an even bigger issue than the War in Iraq, which is good for both McCain and Obama because neither seems to have a good plan for getting us out of the war," Hill said.
Hill also predicts that young people are going to be more involved in this campaign, mostly because they mistrust their government and want to have more of a say. "This group seems to break more toward Obama, but because it's an unstable demographic, he has to make sure that it comes out in force," said Hill.
Additionally, said Hill, we can expect to see race permeate all aspects of the campaign.
JAMES W. HILTYProfessor of history and acting dean of Ambler College
James W. Hilty specializes in U.S. political history for the period since 1928, with particular focus on the Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy administrations. He is the author of Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector (1997).
"Historically speaking, the 2008 campaign strikes me as remarkably similar to the JFK-Nixon campaign of 1960, said Hilty.
"The greatest similarities are between JFK and Obama. In both instances, a young senator challenged the record of a two-term president as a recession impinged on the economy. JFK's theme, "Getting the country moving again" remarked on the need for change and declared America was approaching a 'New Frontier.' JFK, a Catholic, was attempting to break through a prejudicial barrier to the office. So is Obama. JFK persistently declared that he was not the "Catholic candidate," as Obama has declared that he is not the 'Black candidate'" Hilty said.
"Nixon, for eight years Eisenhower's Vice-President, had to defend the status quo and the Eisenhower record. McCain, by contrast, must both defend and deny the Bush record. Both Nixon and McCain are products of the Republican mainstream." Hilty said.
Temple University's CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICY is a think tank that examines all aspects of African American life from a public policy standpoint. It is co-directed by Thaddeus Mathis, professor of social administration, and Nathanial Norment, professor of African American studies.
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