Experts Matter. Find Yours.
Connect for media, speaking, professional opportunities & more.
Endorsements are in – but what will it mean for Joe Biden?
And suddenly, they’re all lining up behind Joe Biden. With the nomination in the bag, the former Vice President and now candidate for the presidency has been receiving ringing endorsements from former challengers like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders and even his former partner-in-chief, President Barack Obama. It’s been said that endorsements aren’t worth the paper they are printed on if no one reads them, so why are these suddenly so significant? Has the DNC finally learned that a divided party can’t beat Donald Trump? Are these done to curry favor for future Cabinet spots and potentially a VP nod? And what took Barack Obama so long to get on side with his former Vice President? There are a lot of questions to be asked – and if you are covering American politics – let our expert help. Dr. Stephen Farnsworth is a sought-after political commentator on subjects ranging from presidential politics to the local Virginia congressional races. He has been widely featured in national media, including The Washington Post, Reuters, The Chicago Tribune and MSNBC. He is author or co-author of six books on presidential communication. His latest work, "Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency" examines the role late night television has played in shaping the perception of presidential politics. Dr. Farnsworth is available to speak with media and help with your coverage – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
The race for the White House is still on – is anyone paying attention?
No matter what, this is an election year. In fact, despite a crisis of any proportion, according to the U.S. Constitution, the end of term for any sitting President happens this January. But as the Democrats try and figure out what is left of their primary and President Trump is embroiled in the COVID-19 pandemic, what remains of the campaigns on either side of the aisle is anyone's guess. Journalists and pollsters are still paying attention, and no doubt the campaigns are keeping close watch, but how the candidates move forward without rallies, the requisite handshaking and the whistle-stop events may force a new approach to engaging voters and getting messages across for November. How each candidate behaves, reacts and endures during this crisis may also be critical to swaying voters about competence and leadership. Biden, who does not currently hold office, has been struggling to stay in the public eye as the coronavirus forced millions of Americans inside their homes. While Trump has held daily televised briefings about the virus, Biden has had to shut down fundraisers and other campaign events, and election officials in many states have postponed their nominating contests. Still, the poll found that the number of people who approve of Trump in general, and also those who like the way he has handled the U.S. coronavirus response, has changed very little over the past few weeks. About 44% said they approved of Trump's overall performance, and 48% said they liked the way he had responded to the coronavirus outbreak. April 01 - Reuters The election is going to happen this November - but how it is done and which campaign masters the new normal of politics is still unknown. If you are a journalist looking to know more or cover this topic – then let our experts help. Dr. Stephen Farnsworth is a sought-after political commentator on subjects ranging from presidential politics to the local Virginia congressional races. He has been widely featured in national media, including The Washington Post, Reuters, The Chicago Tribune and MSNBC. He is author or co-author of six books on presidential communication. His latest work, "Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency" examines the role late night television has played in shaping the perception of presidential politics. Dr. Farnsworth is available to speak with media and help with your coverage – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
FAU Experts Available to Speak on Coronavirus and its Impact Worldwide
Coronavirus has now earned global attention and Florida Atlantic University experts are available to speak with media about the impact of coronavirus on areas related to this worldwide epidemic, including hospitality, tourism, employment sick leave, and politics. If you are a journalist covering the progress of this virus and how it is impacting various sectors and segments of society – then let us help with your stories, questions and ongoing coverage. LeaAnne DeRigne, Ph.D., MSW, associate professor in FAU’s Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work LeaAnne DeRigne is an expert on paid sick leave and its impact on the health and financial security of individuals, families and public health in general. Her recent research on the importance of paid sick leave benefits has received wide press coverage,and has been cited around the country by policy makers, lobbyists, and advocates pushing cities and states to mandate sick leave coverage. Key findings from the study, which are representative of the nation, showed that regardless of income, age, race, occupation, full-time or part-time work status, health status or health insurance coverage, workers without paid sick leave were three times more likely to delay medical care than were workers with paid sick leave. She also conducts research on other workplace benefits such as flexible work, vacation time and pensions. Peter Ricci, clinical associate professor and director of the Department of Marketing and Hospitality Management in FAU’s College of Business Peter Ricci is a hospitality industry veteran with more than 20 years of managerial experience in segments including food service, lodging, incentive travel, and destination marketing. While filling the role of hotel general manager for almost a decade, Ricci served as a part-time educator before entering academia full time as both a clinical associate professor and administrator. Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., professor and chair of FAU’s Department of Political Science in the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters Kevin Wagner’s research and teaching interests include presidential and judicial politics, political behavior and legislative behavior. He is also a research fellow of the FAU Business and Economics Polling Initiative (BEPI). Wagner has lectured extensively on American politics and has served as an expert in many leading newspapers including the New York Times, Boston Globe, New York Newsday, the Dallas Morning News, and the Miami Herald. He has been featured as the political analyst for CBS 12 in West Palm Beach and on national television including NBC’s “Today.” All of the experts listed above are ready and available to speak with media. To arrange an interview simply click on an expert’s profile or email Lisa Metcalf at lmetcalf@fau.edu.
Following Israel’s third election in a year? Let our experts help with your coverage
It looks like the third time might be a charm for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite facing corruption charges and failure to form government two previous times, it appears he might have finally secured power to lead the Knesset. However, as results are slow to come in, what comes after winning might be a different matter. A Netanyahu victory would set the stage for a possible constitutional showdown between Israel’s political and judicial power centers over whether he is able to form a government while under indictment. Since Mr. Netanyahu is facing felony prosecution, it is unclear whether the president, Reuven Rivlin, can legally invite him to form a government. The situation has no precedent and the Supreme Court, perhaps hoping a third election would render the question moot, avoided ruling on the subject in January. But the court will almost certainly now be asked to intervene, forcing its unelected judges to choose between disqualifying an elected leader from taking power or allowing a leader who is accused of bribery, fraud and breach of trust to form a new government. At a minimum, Mr. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, could use the electoral result to bolster his hand in negotiating a plea bargain. A new term for Mr. Netanyahu would also clear away domestic political impediments to annexing territory in the occupied West Bank, a move endorsed by the Trump administration and considered illegal by most of the world. The New York TImes - March 02 So, what comes after the election could be as stress filled and unpredictable as the campaign itself and if you are a journalist covering this ongoing story – the let our experts help. Dr. Glen Duerr's research interests include comparative politics and international relations theory. Glen is an expert on this subject and is available to speak to media regarding this topic– simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
With South Carolina in the rear-view mirror, for most candidates seeking to represent the DNC this November – Tuesday is bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded. A home run means it is game over and the champion is crowned. A hit likely means you’ve survived to play another day. But for those who swing and miss … it’s a long walk to hang up the cleat and hit the political showers. There is a lot riding on Super Tuesday and odds are there will be a lot of people pontificating, pondering, and trying to predict what’s next for those left standing. And if you are a journalist covering the lead up and the aftermath to this high-stakes and heated race to lead the Democratic Party against President Donald Trump – let us help with your stories. Dr. Stephen Farnsworth is a sought-after political commentator on subjects ranging from presidential politics to the local Virginia congressional races. He has been widely featured in national media, including The Washington Post, Reuters, The Chicago Tribune and MSNBC. He is author or co-author of six books on presidential communication. His latest work, "Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump," examines how the last four U.S. presidents sell themselves and their policies in an ever-expanding and sometimes precarious media environment. Dr. Farnsworth is available to speak with media and help with your coverage – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.
Truce with the Taliban - will it hold and is it possible?
It’s been nearly two decades of war that has taken thousands of lives and cost American taxpayers trillions of dollars. And late last week, a temporary truce with the Taliban was finally reached after 18 years of fighting and if that holds, a more permanent resolution is expected to be signed on February 29. If successfully implemented, the weeklong “reduction in violence” agreement, which came into force at midnight Friday local time (1930 GMT, 2:30 p.m. EST), will be followed by the signing of the peace accord on Feb. 29, wrapping up America's longest-running conflict and fulfilling one of President Donald Trump's main campaign promises. Friday's announcement of an agreement on terms for a peace deal follows months of negotiations between the two sides that have broken down before. Yet both parties have signaled a desire to halt the fighting that began with the U.S. invasion after the September 11, 2001, attacks by Osama bin Laden's Afghanistan-based al-Qaida network. Should the truce stand, the U.S.-Taliban deal would be followed within 10 days by the start of all-Afghan peace talks that could result in the formation of a new government in Kabul, a pledge from the Taliban not to allow terrorist groups to operate in the country, and the phased withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops over 18 months. February 21 – US News and World Report It’s a historic moment for all involved, but there’s a lot of questions to be asked. Does an agreement like this have a chance of succeeding? What will happen to the area once all U.S. and other troops finally withdraw? Is this potentially the first sign of peace in the region? What protection does Afghanistan’s fragile government have if left to stand on its own? There are a lot of scenarios to consider, and if you are a journalist covering this vent, that’s where our experts can help with your questions, stories and ongoing coverage. Dr. Craig Albert is a leading expert on war, terrorism and American politics and has testified to the U.S. Congress on Islamic Extremism. He is also the Director of the Master of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies at Augusta University. He has experience with all forms of local and national news organizations and is available to speak to media regarding this latest development between America and the Talban. Simply click on Dr. Albert’s icon to arrange an interview or to learn more about his expertise.
Unprecedented levels of partisanship vitriol threatens the health of democracy in U.S., globally
Voter-based political parties have played an integral role in American politics since their formation in the 1790s, yet it is difficult to remember any other time in history — other than perhaps the 1850s — when the level of divisiveness was this high and the polarity this profound between Republicans and Democrats. To add more fuel to the fire, the anti-democratic actions against the rule of law by President Donald Trump have become a primary threat to democracy in the U.S., said David Lynch, Ph.D., a professor of History and Social Sciences and Political Science program coordinator at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. The same action are also threatening how the government works and delegitimizing and undermining institutions that make and enforce laws,Lynch added. Those institutions include formal ones such as Congress and the political parties themselves, as well as less formal entities, such as the traditional news media. “You have to have free, fair, open media in order to have a democracy. If you do not have a free press, you do not have a democracy,” Dr. Lynch said. “And similarly, you need to have the rule of law where laws are carried out not for political ends, but based on the laws.” The recent impeachment proceedings were an attempt to curtail these actions, but the partisan response to the Senate’s impeachment trial allowed the violation of democratic norms to be rewarded, said Dr. Lynch. Furthermore, politicians who react strongly to anti-democratic actions threaten to further delegitimize the government, such as Trump’s refusal to shake the hand of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, at his most recent State of the Union address and her subsequent action of tearing up his speech. “That helps both sides reinforce their own position that the other side is less legitimate and that we shouldn't cooperate with somebody like that,” Dr. Lynch said. Dr. Lynch pointed to how the indices that measure the health of democracy both in the U.S. and abroad have all gone down since Trump won the 2016 election. In addition, the most recent Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index reflected the worst registered global democracy score since its inception in 2006. In that report, the U.S. received a score of “flawed democracy.” Traditionally, the U.S. democratic system has been able to regulate such extreme partisanship before election day by not nominating candidates that violate democratic norms or are far from the ideological center. On election day, overly partisan candidates are vulnerable in swing districts and swing states. That ability for the public to express its collective voice, though, has eroded over the years as the number of swing districts has dwindled. "When people view through a partisan lens, it changes the incentives that elected officials have because they may be rewarded for partisan but anti-democratic actions,” Dr. Lynch said. “It also changes how average people view this whole debate.” To demonstrate the current political scene in the U.S., Dr. Lynch alluded to a 2017 study conducted by a group of political scientists at Yale University in which experimental surveys were sent to Venezuelans to see to what degree they would be willing to accept a less democratic candidate if he or she was a member of the political party they affiliated themselves with. The answer was quite a large degree. “The big message here is you can't necessarily rely on the public just to vote out an anti-democratic candidate because they might get a partisan advantage from that anti-democrat,” Dr. Lynch said. Are you a journalist covering this topic and interested in an interview? That’s where we can help. David Lynch, Ph.D., professor of History and Social Sciences and Political Science program coordinator, has taught political science at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota since 1996. Dr. Lynch has also written over a dozen chapters on international relations, international political economy, and American foreign policy, including the chapter on trade in the United Nations Association of the USA’s “A Global Agenda” from 1996 to 2005. Dr. Lynch is an expert in political science, political economies, and international relations. He is available to speak with the media. To arrange an interview with him, simply click on his photo below to access his contact information.
Well it’s obvious now – the gloves are off. The Nevada debate on NBC was the closest thing to a prize fight the network has aired in decades. No punches were pulled, it got personal quick for newcomer Michael Bloomberg. In fact, if anyone thought that the contest to lead the Democrats against Donald Trump in November was going to be a polite conversation abut ideas and policy, was proven dead wrong. Here are just a few of the memorable moments captured by media: Warren labeled Bloomberg “a billionaire who calls people fat broads and horse-faced lesbians.” Sanders lashed out at Bloomberg’s policing policies as New York City mayor that he said targeted “African-American and Latinos in an outrageous way.” And former Vice President Joe Biden charged that Bloomberg’s “stop-and-frisk” policy ended up “throwing 5 million black men up against the wall.” Watching from afar, Trump joined the Bloomberg pile on. “I hear he’s getting pounded tonight, you know he’s in a debate,” Trump said at a rally in Phoenix. “I don’t think there’s any chance of the senator beating Donald Trump,” Bloomberg declared before noting Sanders’ rising wealth. “The best-known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses!” And ongoing animosity flared between Buttigieg and Klobuchar when the former Indiana mayor slammed the three-term Minnesota senator for failing to answer questions in a recent interview about Mexican policy and forgetting the name of the Mexican president. Buttigieg noted that she’s on a committee that oversees trade issues in Mexico and she “was not able to speak to literally the first thing about the politics of the country.” She shot back: “Are you trying to say I’m dumb? Are you mocking me here?”Later in the night she lashed out at Buttigieg again: “I wish everyone else was as perfect as you, Pete.” February 19 – Associated Press There’s a long way to go, but the next couple of weeks could be crucial as Super Tuesday approaches. And if you are a journalist looking for a media-ready expert who can provide insight, perspective and objective opinions about who will win, who needs to drop out and who is the best possible challenger for the Whitehouse – let us help. Mark Caleb Smith is the Director of the Center for Political Studies at Cedarville University. Mark is available to speak with media regarding the DNC Primary and the upcoming election. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.
Does the height of a person really matter? In America, if you are running for office, it might. Augusta’s Dr. Gregg Murray was on CNN this weekend discussing how height can play an advantage in American politics. Murray does confirm how a candidate’s height (or perception of) does make a difference in the minds of voters. "Yes, there does seem to be some sort of relationship between an elected leader's height and how her or she is perceived, "says Murray. Here’s the segment: As the long road to November winds and weaves along the campaign trail, there are going to be many, many different factors that candidates look to capitalize on to gobble up every available vote. And if you are a journalist covering the election – that’s where our media-ready experts can help. Dr. Gregg R. Murray, professor of political science at Augusta University, is available to talk about the upcoming election and all aspects surrounding each campaign. Murray’s research focuses on political behavior and psychology with specific interests in voter mobilization and turnout. He is also executive director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences.
After New Hampshire - What’s next for Bernie and is it time for Biden to bail?
As we all know, you can’t win a presidential primary with only two states, but you sure can lose one. And after a long summer and fall of campaigning, the results from Iowa and New Hampshire are revealing the frontrunners of who will most likely lead the Democrats in the quest to unseat President Donald Trump. Coming into the New Hampshire primary, Augusta’s Dr. Gregg Murray offered this insight, “It looks like Sanders is comfortably in the lead, which is not surprising given he comes from a neighboring state. Mayor Pete is surprisingly staying strong and Klobuchar is hanging in there. Other than Sanders, this is not the leader board that most people would have expected before the start of the primary season. Biden and Warren, who many people not too long ago would have thought would be making strong showings, are surprisingly a good distance back in the pack.” But now that the first crucial two states have been heard and the primaries shift focus toward South Carolina and Nevada – what’s next? Joe Biden is ‘all in’ on South Carolina, but after two abysmal showings, is it enough? Amy Klobuchar seems to be surging – can she capitalize on that momentum? And, Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders are neck and neck – what will it take for one to emerge as the frontrunner? As the next phase of primaries approach – there’s a lot to cover, and that’s where our experts can help. Dr. Gregg R. Murray, professor of political science at Augusta University, is available to talk about the current race to lead the DNC. Murray’s research focuses on political behavior and psychology with specific interests in voter mobilization and turnout. He is also executive director of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences.