Experts Available For Commentary and Analysis of Hot-Button 2008 Presidential Election Issues

WORCESTER, Mass. – Faculty experts in a wide range of political and related disciplines from the College of the Holy Cross are available to offer distinctive perspectives on some of the hot-button political issues expected during debates, the primary elections and throughout the 2008 campaign.  For more information, or for assistance scheduling an interview, please call Kristine Maloney at 508-793-2419 or kmmalone@holycross.edu. Experts listed below may also be contacted for comment directly.

Political Parties/Special Interest Groups/Primary Elections/Role of the Internet Daniel Klinghard, assistant professor, political science 508-793-2361 (office) dklingha@holycross.edu Klinghard specializes in political parties, focusing on differences in party organization and candidate strategy over time.  He can comment on how changes in primary election schedules, fundraising practices, special interest group involvement, and technology (particularly the Internet and sites like MoveOn.org) have altered the strategic environment for candidates.  Interested in the ways in which institutions shape and restrict the behavior of politicians, he can provide insight into how particular candidates might approach integrating new policies (such as a health care program or social security reform) into the current institutional environment.  Klinghard is currently completing a book on political parties in the late 19th century, which aims to explain the nature of so-called "party decline" throughout the 20th century. History of Elections/Wartime Campaigns/Role of Religion Edward O'Donnell, associate professor, history 508-793-3730 (office) eodonnell@holycross.edu O'Donnell has expertise in the history of presidential elections and campaigns, and has published articles on John F. Kennedy's campaign, and the 1884 and 1928 presidential elections - all three of which involved questions about Catholicism.  The author of several books, including the forthcoming textbook, Visions of America: A History of the United States (Longman, 2008), which covers presidential elections from 1848 to 1916, he can address presidential campaigns that took place during wars, such as Lincoln's (1864) and Wilson's (1916) re-elections. O'Donnell has extensive media experience and is a former Morning Edition commentator for NPR member station WNYC.

Mormonism/Mitt Romney Mathew Schmalz, associate professor, religious studies 508-793-2557 (office) mschmalz@holycross.edu Schmalz specializes in politics and religion, particularly new religious movements like Mormonism.  The author of a recent Commonweal cover story on Mormonism in mainstream culture (http://www.commonwealmagazine.org/article.php3?id_article=2055), he is available to comment on the role of Mormonism in Mitt Romney's campaign.  Schmalz has published op-eds in national media outlets and has provided expert commentary to USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, U.S. News & World Report, and NPR, among others.

Foreign Policy/International Security/Terrorism/Private Security Companies - Blackwater Ward Thomas, associate professor of political science 508-793-3445 (office) wthomas@holycross.edu Thomas can provide insight on U.S. foreign policy, especially involving military or security issues; international law as it pertains to war; international ethics, the use of private security companies (Blackwater-type issues), and terrorism.  He is the author of The Ethics of Destruction: Norms and Force in International Relations (Cornell University Press, 2001), and his articles have appeared in International Security, Security Studies, Armed Forces & Society, Sciences Humaines (Paris), The Boston Globe, and other publications. He is currently working on a book about normative change and the use of force by nonstate actors, particularly Private Military Companies (PMCs).

American Political Thought/Terrorism David Schaefer, professor, political science 508-793-2252 (office) dschaefe@holycross.edu Schaefer, whose scholarly research focuses on political philosophy and American political thought, can provide expert analysis on a multitude of issues related to the current presidential campaign.  He has published essays on such issues as judicial activism, church-state relations, economic inequality, campaign finance regulation, race relations, and labor policy in The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, and The American Enterprise. As a 2007-08 fellow of the Institute for the Defense of Democracies, he has studied the problem of world terrorism and has provided commentary for several radio talk shows.

Climate/Environmental Policy Loren Cass, associate professor, political science 508-793-3683 (office) lcass@holycross.edu Cass is an expert on U.S. climate policy, candidate positions on climate change, and international climate negotiations.  He is the author of The Failures of American and European Climate Policy: International Norms, Domestic Politics, and Unachievable Commitments (SUNY Press, 2006), a book that address the politics of climate change, international climate policy and American environmental foreign policy.

Inequalities in American Education Ericka Fisher, assistant professor, education 508-793-3732 (office) efisher@holycross.edu Fisher, whose areas of expertise include racial and economic inequality in American education, can provide special commentary on the role these issues will play in the upcoming election. The Presidency Donald Brand, associate professor, political science 508-793-3402 (office/preferred) dbrand@holycross.edu Brand specializes in the study of the presidency and American politics.  He has provided expert commentary to the media on a number of politically controversial issues, including the war in Iraq and civil liberties and the Patriot Act.  Brand is the author of Corporatism and the Rule of Law: A Study of the National Recovery Administration (Cornell University Press, 1988), and numerous articles in journals such as Political Science Quarterly and Political Science Reviewer.  He serves as the faculty advisor to the Holy Cross College Republicans. History of Democracy Thomas Martin, professor/chair, classics 508-793-2550 (office) tmartin@holycross.edu (preferred) Martin specializes in the ancient history of democracy, its roots in Athens, and how it compares with modern American democracy. Author of Ancient Greece from Prehistoric to Hellenistic Times (Yale University Press, 2002), he has served as an expert commentator in several publications and as a consultant to numerous television programs. Most recently, he appeared on "The Dark Ages," a History Channel special exploring the period spanning the fall of the Roman empire and the Renaissance.