USC Forum To Focus on Campaign Issues
September 16, 2004
Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) will join some of the nation's leading judicial, political and media experts at a USC Law School conference exploring how the November presidential race will shape future politics.
“The 2004 Election: What Does It Mean for Campaigns and Governance?” will look at several topics — from the role of the media to the new campaign finance rules — Oct 8.
The conference will also examine the impact of political trends on upcoming elections, the future of voting technology and the growing use of voter referendums and initiatives.
“Our goal is to focus on the major issues in this campaign that will affect campaigns and elections in years to come,” said Elizabeth Garrett, USC Law School professor and the conference's organizer. “We're interested in providing a unique perspective on the election by providing insight from people who are active in politics and the media as well as from leading academics.”
In addition to keynote speaker Graham, panelists will include David Brock, president of Media Matters for America; John Fund, editorial board member of the Wall Street Journal; Garry South, senior political adviser to former Gov. Gray Davis; and Larry Norton, general counsel of the Federal Election Commission.
Scholars in law, political science, economics and communication — from USC, Caltech, Princeton, University of Pennsylvania, George Washington University and University of Florida — will serve on panels with individuals from politics, campaigns and the media.
“I believe there are synergies among these topics — for example, the Internet plays an important role in ballot campaigns, media coverage, voter mobilization and campaign finance. And the polarization of the parties and politics is affecting direct democracy and campaign finance,” Garrett said.
In addition to Garrett, several USC professors are participating on panels or as moderators, including John Matsusaka of the USC Marshall School of Business; Thomas Hollihan of the Annenberg School for Communication; and Janelle Wong and Ann Crigler, professors of political science in the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
The free conference is sponsored by the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics and the Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC Law School — two entities that combine law and the study of politics while providing a scholarly perspective on democratic institutions.
“With such powerful research centers as the Initiative and Referendum Institute and the USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics, USC has become a national leader in the study of elections and direct democracy,” USC Law School Dean Matthew L. Spitzer said.
“We're pleased to be able to bring so many of the nation's leading scholars, journalists and politicians together to analyze these issues in depth, particularly as we near the critical national election this November,” he said.
After his luncheon talk, Sen. Graham will sign his new book, Intelligence Matters: The CIA, The FBI, Saudi Arabia and the Failure of America's War on Terror (Random House, 2004) at 2 p.m. at Town and Gown.
On Oct. 7 at the USC Bookstore, Fund will sign Stealing Elections: How Voter Fraud Threatens Our Democracy (Encounter, 2004) and Brock will sign Misstating the State of the Union and The Republican Noise Machine: Right-Wing Media and How It Corrupts Democracy (Crown, 2004).
The conference will cap off with a presidential debate “viewing party” at 6 p.m., in the USC Law School's Faculty Lounge. Students, faculty and conference participants will watch the debate and be available to provide reactions and opinions.
Reservations, which must be received by Sept. 30, are required for Graham's keynote talk at Davidson Conference Center. Lunch is $30 for the general public and $5 for students. To make a reservation online, go to http://www.usc.edu/esvp and enter code 1008.