University of Delaware Center for Political Communication
NATIONAL AGENDA 2014
Speaker Series Begins September 10
Save these dates!
National Agenda 2014 focuses on the battle for control of congress midway through the Obama second term, with some of the biggest and most experienced names in American politics. We span the transition from an earlier era of political strategy to the age when social media can make or break a candidate.
These events are live simulcasts of guest speaker talks and interviews taking place on the UD Campus in Newark Delaware USA.
They are moderated by Ralph Begleiter, Director, Center for Political Communication and former CNN World News Correspondent.
Questions will be taken from the Second Life audience.
Join us on the following Wednesdays at 4:30 slt.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/University%20of%20Delaware/62/149/27
*** Sep 10 - 4:30pm ***
Making Fun of Politics: The Colbert Report
http://bit.ly/1lCfisA
Frank Lesser was an Emmy Award winning writer for Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report,” known for lampooning American politics and for creating a satirical - but real - political action committee during the 2012 campaign.
Colbert has characterized Lesser as his muse, and the two collaborated to create some of television’s funniest and most biting political satire. Lesser is a graduate of Brown University, and the author of “Sad Monsters.”
*** Oct 1 - 4:30pm ***
Boy on the Bus
http://bit.ly/1wavsu4
CNN political reporter Peter Hamby has covered some of the highest profile political stories of the Obama era, including the 2008 and 2012 presidential races, the impact of the tea party, and the Republican resurgence of 2010. He has traveled with the campaigns of Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Sarah Palin. Hamby earned a B.A. in English from Georgetown and a master's in journalism from NYU. He also studied at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
About Peter Hamby- Boy on the bus
Hamby is a national political reporter for CNN Digital, based in the network’s Washington, D.C. bureau. Hamby focuses his attention beyond the Beltway to tackle the politics, policies and campaigns that affect the nation at state and local levels. His work, including in-depth articles, analysis and a political video franchise, is integrated across all CNN Digital platforms and CNN television.
A seasoned cross-platform journalist, Hamby contributed to CNN’s Emmy Award-winning election coverage throughout America’s Choice 2012, traveling to many of the battleground states as CNN’s reporter-at-large with a focus on the Republican primary contest and Mitt Romney’s campaign. In that role, he broke a number of major political stories, including the news that Gov. Rick Perry would drop out of the race as well as Florida's decision to move their 2012 primary date and up-end the Republican nominating calendar. After the 2012 campaign, POLITICO named Hamby one of "10 Breakout Political Reporters of 2012."
Previously, he covered some of the most high profile political stories of the Obama era, including the 2008 presidential race, the arrival of tea party movement and the Republican resurgence of 2010. During CNN's Peabody Award-winning coverage of the 2008 presidential race, Hamby was a traveling producer and reporter on the campaigns of Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Sarah Palin. In 2007, Hamby launched CNN's South Carolina "mini-bureau" to provide on-the-ground coverage of the state's pivotal Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.
Hamby joined CNN in 2005 as part of the team that launched The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer. He spent two years as a producer and researcher for the show, contributing to the network's award-winning coverage of stories including Hurricane Katrina, the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, and the 2006 midterm elections.
Hamby earned a bachelor's degree in English from Georgetown University and a master's degree in journalism from New York University. He also studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Hamby was a Spring 2013 fellow at the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, where he authored a widely-circulated study on the impact of Twitter on media behavior and campaign press strategy.
Follow Peter on Twitter @PeterHambyCNN.
*** Oct 29 - 4:30 pm ***
The Digital Campaign
http://bit.ly/1qgknr2
Teddy Goff was the Digital Director for President Obama’s 2012 campaign, managing a 250-person nationwide team responsible for social media, email, web, online advertising, online organizing, design, and video. Under Goff’s leadership, the campaign raised more than $690 million over the Internet and registered more than a million voters online. TIME described his work as "redefining the limits of viral politics." He is a graduate of Yale University.
About Teddy Goff
Teddy Goff is a Partner at Precision Strategies.
Under his leadership, Obama for America also built Facebook and Twitter followings of more than 45 and 33 million people respectively, earned more than 133 million video views, ran more than $100 million in online media spend (the largest such program in political history), built groundbreaking tools for online fundraising and campaigning, organized hundreds of thousands of volunteers and events through a proprietary organizing platform, and sent the second-most retweeted tweet (thanks, Ellen) and most liked Facebook post of all time.
*** Nov 12 - 4:30 pm ***
Meaning of the Midterm Elections
http://bit.ly/1rx4GvM
Former White House Spokesman Mike McCurry is a Washington-based political strategist and Distinguished Professor of Public Theology at the Wesley Theological Seminary. Over nearly four decades, McCurry has served in the White House as press secretary to President Bill Clinton, as spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, and director of communications for the Democratic National Committee. McCurry earned his B.A. from Princeton, and M.A. degrees from Georgetown and Wesley Theological Seminary.
About Mike McCurry
Mike McCurry is a partner at Public Strategies Washington, Inc., where he provides counsel on communications strategies and management to corporate and non-profit clients. He is also a Distinguished Professor of Public Theology at the Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.
McCurry is a veteran political strategist and spokesperson with nearly four decades of experience in the nation’s capital. McCurry served in the White House as press secretary to President Bill Clinton (1995-1998). He also served as spokesman for the U.S. Department of State (1993-1995) and director of communications for the Democratic National Committee (1988-1990). McCurry held a variety of leadership roles in national campaigns for the Democratic ticket from 1984 to 2004.
McCurry began his career on the staff of the United States Senate, working as press secretary to the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources and to the committee's chairman, Senator Harrison A. Williams, Jr. (1976-1981). He also served as press secretary to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1981-1983).
McCurry serves on numerous boards or advisory councils including Share Our Strength, the Children’s Scholarship Fund, the White House Historical Association and the Executive Committee of the Global Health Initiative of the United Methodist Church. He is co-chairman of the Commission on Presidential Debates which sponsors the general election debates between candidates for President and Vice President of the United States.
McCurry received his Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University in 1976, a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University in 1985, and a Master of Arts from Wesley Theological Seminary in 2013.
*** Nov 19 - 4:30 pm ***
Post-Election Analysis
http://bit.ly/1r7IdkL
David Plouffe and Steve Schmidt return to their alma mater for incisive analysis of the election and their political outlook.
Plouffe is a former White House adviser to President Obama, and helped lead his successful campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
Schmidt is an international political strategist who was John McCain’s campaign manager in 2008. He is Vice President of Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm.
********* More information at the website *********
University of Delaware in Second Life
National Agenda is Presented by
Institute for Global Studies,
Department of Communication,
Department of Political Science & International Relations
Center for Political Communication
Moderated by Ralph Begleiter, Director, Center for Political Communication
Posts
