Monday, February 25, 2008
Students will receive the opportunity to see the 2008 presidential election through the eyes of political journalists and Tuesday evening.
“Straight from the Trail” is the first lecture of the four-part Presidential Lecture Series presented by the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics.
Jonathan Earle, interim director of the Dole Institute, said he invited journalists to speak at this year’s lectures because he wanted students to learn about aspects of the presidential race that students could not find out otherwise by other news outlets.
“They can come ask these journalists anything they want, and that’s what I plan to do,” he said.
breakbox
Part I: “Straight from the Trail: Part I” Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7:30 p.m. Presenters: Political reporters Steve Kraske, Joel Mathis and Jill Zuckman
Part II: “Reagan’s Disciple: Has George W. Bush Advanced the Reagan Revolution—Or Derailed It?” Thursday, Feb. 28. 7:30 p.m. Presenters: Reagan presidency biographer Lou Cannon and White house correspondent Carl
Part III: “Straight from the Trail: Part II” Thursday, March 6, 7:30 p.m. Presenters: Journalists Chris Cillizza, Geoff Earle and Lynn Sweet
Part IV: “Ike’s Final Battle: The Road to Little Rock and the Challenge of Equality” Tuesday, March 11, 7:30 p.m. Presenter: Former President Bush speech writer Kasey Pipe
Visit www.doleinstitute.org for further details about the speakers and lectures.
Earle said that he thought the series was important because the University had not scheduled any other type of event that would help students better understand the presidential race. He said the series’ theme was, “The American Presidency: Past, Present & Future.” The series will consist of two “Straight from the Trail” installments as well as lectures on Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower’s and Ronald Reagan’s presidencies.
Cori Ast, a student assistant at the Institute, said youth had become an important demographic in this year’s election and students should not waste the opportunity to make their opinions matter.
“The candidates are giving them a voice,” Ast said. “I’m so excited to use mine, and I can’t understand why other students are not.”
Earle said many of the speakers he had invited were still involved with campaigns, which limited their availability and made it impossible for all of the speakers to visit on the same night. He also said that Tuesday’s Ohio Democratic debate presented a scheduling conflict as well.
Joel Mathis, who is the blue moderator for www.redblueamerica.com, a political blog Web site, and a Lawrence resident, said tomorrow at the first lecutre of the series he would explain to students why Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee were so successful in Kansas and Lawrence.
Mathis said Obama’s win was based on a combination of organization and inspiration. He said he had been told Hillary Clinton had a campaign organization in Lawrence, but he had never seen any proof of its existence. Mathis also said that Obama’s organization had done a good job of persuading Independent and Republican voters to reregister as Democrats at the recent caucuses to vote for Obama.
Mathis said the election of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, who is a Democrat , was proof of this trend.
Many fiscal conservatives had changed their party affiliation, Mathis said, because they were being pushed out of the Republican Party by the far right. Mathis said the social and religious conservatives were beginning to form the core of the Republican Party, which was why Huckabee won in Kansas.
“There are very few places on earth he would get the margin of victory he got in Kansas,” he said.
Steve Kraske, political correspondant for the Kansas City Star, said he, too, was surprised by the lack of effort Clinton seemed to put into her campaign in Kansas. He said Obama made a wise strategic move by visiting Kansas before the state’s caucuses.
“In some ways Senator Obama has just out campaigned the old veteran here,” Kraske said.
Mathis also said that he would comment on the recent New York Times article that accused Senator John McCain of having an extramarital affair with a lobbyist.
“It was surprising to see the New York Times come out with such a weak story on such a sensitive issue — and I say that as someone who would rather not see John McCain be president,” Mathis said.
Kraske agreed that the Times’ decision to run the story was a mistake. He said McCain was fortunate that the poor reporting reflected in the article had become the issue instead of McCain’s supposed affair.
“You’ve either got the story, or you don’t. And if you don’t have it, you don’t go there,” Kraske said.
— Edited by Matt Hirschfeld
Speakers share their memories of Reagan
Professor to give lecture on campaign ads
The lecture will cover Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s campaign advertisements and ...
Dole Center to host campaign lectures
Talks will feature political journalists and examine 2008 races.
Bush visits K-State; KU speech programmers wince
Sen. Barack Obama picks Sen. Joe Biden ...
After months of speculation, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee announces his running ...
The Iraq War
The two candidates offer different views on the Iraq War.
Disappointment sets in for Republican supporters
GOP election watch parties break up early as Barack Obama defeats John ...
Poole: How narrow victories will pile up ...
Obama’s ‘flip-flop’ doesn’t deter supporters
The Democratic Presidential nominee opts out of public financing, becoming the first ...
Evaluating presidential platforms
Obama and McCain differ on three major points during campaign.
Sen. Brownback addresses RNC delegates
He says Gov. Sebelius would lose Senate race for his seat, endorses ...
Thompson campaign manager remains hopeful after Michigan ...
Bill Lacy left his job indefinitely as director of the Dole Institute ...
Alaskan students weigh in on Palin
Students say she is a good governor but some think the vice ...
Oberthaler: Tongue in Beak
Gobble up your week's dose of satire.
'Once in a lifetime' opportunity
Making the journey for Barack Obama’s inauguration
Editorial: Why students should vote for Obama
The Kansan editorial board's endorsement
Political power couple to speak at Lied ...
Bob and Elizabeth Dole will answer questions, promote public service.
Nader speaks to Lawrence crowd
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader reminded listeners at Abe and Jake's Landing ...
Poole: Republicans' VP pick shattered the mold
By choosing Gov. Sarah Palin, Sen. John McCain proved that he is ...
Student town hall forum on the presidential ...
The Dole Institute of Politics plays host to the morning crew of ...
Dole speaks at RNC event
The former senator and presidential candidate backs McCain, slams Obama
Biden says he and Obama ‘share a ...
Barack Obama and Joe Biden were officially named the Democratic presidential and ...
Kansan bloggers' take on the prolonged primaries
Joshua Anderson, Andy Greenhaw and Kelsey Hayes discuss the ramifications of the ...
Minster: Party does not recognize Republican principles
Republicans used to think government should allow citizens to be responsible for ...
Two sides of healthcare
Health insurance is one of the major issues this year.
Political event lures students with pepperoni
New York Post correspondent will share his experiences over pizza today.
Web site attracts students for Obama stencils
Students visit yeswecarve.com, a non-Obama affiliated Web site, for Obama-o-lanter stencils.
Political analyst to speak at Union
George Stephanopoulos will visit Lawrence April 7 and answer students’ questions.
Thompson: How the culture of fear relates ...
Bob Woodward speaks at Dole Institute
Woodward talks about his 40-year career as an investigative journalist at the ...
Supporters cheer after Obama is named President
Students and Lawrence residents celebrate at watch party, relishing in the historic ...
Red and blue don't always mix
While U.S. politics are heating up headlines, politically mixed relationships are feeling ...
Democratic Caucus unorganized yet successful
More than 4,000 democrats attended the caucus last night. This number was ...
The candidate wears Prada
Fashion-conscious politicians make their mark in modern pop culture.
Sebelius persuades students to support Obama
Kathleen Sebelius spoke at the University on Monday about the upcoming Democratic ...
Doles discuss careers at Lied Center
At annual Dole Lecture, senators talk about achievements and friendship with Sen. ...
Three counties vote in Republican caucus, Huckabee ...
A crowded, but successful, Republican caucus brought hundreds of voters from three ...
Cohen: Debates didn’t show us anything new
Student delegate details Democratic Convention
Clarissa Unger has spent time across the country campaigning for Barack Obama.
Kansas Republicans assemble for first presidential caucus ...
Republicans who registered by Jan. 25 can caucus on Saturday, Feb. 9, ...
From left: Kimberlee Hinkle, Libby Johnson and Hannah ...
1 comment
Kansas Jayhawk fans hold aloft a reproduction of ...
2 comments
Erin Saupe, a Ph.D. student from St. Cloud, ...
1 comment
0 comments
Armed robbers continue to threaten.
3 comments
Lecture from Greg Mortenson, co-author of New York ...
0 comments
Comments
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.
Sign in to comment
Or login with:
OpenID