2008 Election

Rebecca Traister, a Salon.com senior writer who covered the 2008 presidential race from a feminist and personal perspective, will speak at Vanderbilt University’s Stevenson Center at 7 p.m. Feb. 22. Read More

Research by Vanderbilt and Claremont political scientists show a significant number of American voters remain biased against Mormons and other religious minorities. Read More

The Presidency of George W. Bush Gary Gerstle, the James G. Stahlman Professor of American History, has done extensive research about President George W. Bush’s vision for a multicultural world and the steep challenges it faced during his administration. Gerstle’s essay, “Minorities, Multiculturalism and the Presidency of George W. Read More

Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson, two of the nation's most experienced political reporters, will engage in an evening of political discussion April 1 at the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University. The 5:30 p.m. event will be followed by a reception and book-signing. Read More

What does having an African American president mean to this country and the world? Two Vanderbilt scholars discuss the historical significance. (26:04) Read More

A lecture by Dhavan Shah scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 28, at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center at Vanderbilt University has been cancelled due to poor weather conditions affecting Shah's travel. It will be rescheduled. Read More

The No. 1 priority facing President-elect Barack Obama is the economic crisis, which, so far, is focused on the financial sector. But there are other serious issues deserving attention from the president-elect. Read More

Like other presidents before him, President-elect Barack Obama will be under immense pressure to reward campaign workers, state and local party officials, interest groups and key donors with positions in the new administration. Read More

Vanderbilt experts are available to comment on education, immigration and health care policy. Read More

Political pundits have time to reflect in the days ahead on the reasons behind Barack Obama's historic election as the first African American president, but the president-elect must focus immediately on his transition and the challenges ahead, according to several Vanderbilt professors. Read More

A smooth presidential transition with an emphasis on advance preparation and avoidance of past pitfalls is crucial to a strong start for the next administration, says political scientist David E. Lewis. Vanderbilt experts are available to discuss the many aspects of this year\'s presidential election. Read More

Just a few weeks after hosting ESPN's GameDay on campus, Vanderbilt University students are preparing for a different match-up on Tuesday, Nov. 4, and have dubbed their Election Day activities "Election GameDay." Read More

More than 1,300 newly registered voters can make their voices heard during this year's hotly contested presidential race thanks to the efforts of Vanderbilt University student organizations. Read More

In answering Gwen Ifill\'s question about vice presidential powers at last week\'s debate, Joe Biden redirected attention to the still not very well known concept of the "unitary executive." Biden charged that Dick Cheney had become "the most dangerous vice president we\'ve had probably in American history" because of his attempts to create a super-powerful unitary executive. Read More

It\'s that time again. With the mud flying in the presidential race, pundits, journalists and political observers of all stripes are denouncing the campaign\'s new, strikingly negative tone. Listening to them, you\'d think that the very fabric of our democracy were being ripped apart every time a candidate aired a tough attack ad, threw an elbow or issued a sharply worded statement. Read More

Continued thrust and parry between Barack Obama and John McCain has led many to label the 2008 presidential campaign the most negative campaign in the modern era. Negative ads have dominated the airwaves to the point that even Karl Rove argued that both candidates have gone too far. Read More

Political scholars, journalists and pundits will offer their informed perspective on where the 2008 presidential election is headed during an Oct. 7 forum for students that is sponsored by Vanderbilt University and the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt. Read More

John McCain Needs Game-Changer: Campaign and polling expert John Geer says Barack Obama should strive to look presidential and avoid major mistakes in the remaining two presidential debates, while John McCain needs a game-changing event to shake up the race. However, with economic troubles looming, that could be difficult for the GOP nominee. (Vanderbilt has a campus broadcast facility with a dedicated fiber optic line for live TV interviews and a radio ISDN line) For a full list of election experts and news coverage, visit ElectionVU 2008. Read More

Vanderbilt University will host a number of events leading up to and on the day of the Oct. 7 presidential debate in Nashville. Read More

To bring this historic election straight into classrooms, the Vanderbilt Virtual School has created an interactive videoconferencing program that gives 5th through 12th grade teachers a curriculum and a slate of expert instructors, including CNN commentator Lou Dobbs, to share with their students. Read More