University of Southern California

Election 2008

Stories in Campaign Management

Obama vs. McCain

May 16, 2008

An analyst and a onetime McCain insider weigh the last chances for a Clinton victory, and look ahead to an Obama-McCain face-off.

Saturday Night Live and the Election Cycle

May 9, 2008

The veteran comedy show has always taken aim at presidents and presidential wannabes. But in the 2008 race, campaign satire began to bleed into the campaign itself, so that Saturday night’s sketch became Monday morning’s talking point. USC communication professor Joe Saltzman looks at the intersection of politics and comedy, and young voters for whom news and infotainment are beginning to blur.

Infidelity and the Political Wife

May 2, 2008

Stand by your man, for the good of the office? Sociologist Karen Sternheimer probes
the role of political wives, from Spitzer to Clinton.

Clinton and Obama

April 25, 2008

On the heels of Clinton’s nine-point Pennsylvania win, USC Gould School professors offer expertise on the still-battling Democratic contenders.

Free Trade: Blowing Campaign Smoke

April 25, 2008

Responding to nervous U.S. workers and unions, candidates have talked tough on foreign trade. But what will a Clinton, Obama or McCain presidency really mean for NAFTA and other free trade agreements? According to USC’s Abraham Lowenthal, the outlook is rosier than campaign trail bluster suggests.

An Olympic Question

April 18, 2008

All three candidates advocate boycotting the opening ceremony in Beijing. Once in office, the president’s tune on China will change, says a USC prof.

Eye on the Pennsylvania Primaries

April 18, 2008

Clinton may be favored to win in the Keystone State, but the margin of victory could determine whether her campaign ends, USC professors say. If the outcome is close, Obama will frame the result as expected. But his statements about the bitterness of working-class voters might prove damaging in the states that follow.

Borrowing Against the Country’s Future

April 11, 2008

No candidate’s tax math works, says Thomas Griffith, a professor in the USC Gould School of Law. A recent history of mistakes in tax policy.

Snapshot: Asian American Voters

April 4, 2008

Though it votes at disproportionately low rates, this demographic group could provide critical support in a close race, according to a USC professor.

Oil Prices: Going Up...

March 14, 2008

Record high gas prices may boost the Democrats’ chances, and force candidates
to make oil a major campaign issue, USC professors say.

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