An American Melodrama
The Presidential campaign in 2012
Hosted by: Australian Institute of International Affairs, Sydney
The event will start on: Tuesday, 28 February 2012 6:00 PM
And will end on: Tuesday, 28 February 2012 7:30 PM
At The Glover Cottages, Sydney
Posted by: nsw
The AIIA NSW is holding this important event precisely one week ahead of Super Tuesday, normally the date when the largest number of primaries take place, providing a clear indication of which Republican presidential candidate is likely to be nominated at the party convention later in the year.
This year’s presidential election in November promises to be tight, and the campaign brutal. Barack Obama will have to spend as much time defending his record as making promises for the future. ‘Yes we can’ will not work as a campaign slogan second time round, and there is no certainty yet as to who will be Obama’s running mate.
The question is, who will challenge him? Just a week ago it was hard to see the Republicans picking anyone other than Mitt Romney, but a firm challenge is now being mounted by Newt Gingrich. Whoever wins the GOP nomination, their campaign task will be to unite the party after five years of squabbling and many distractions.
Will Americans, particularly those from the Bible belt, elect a wealthy Mormon former investment banker, or a wealthy campaigner who has been married three times?
The AIIA has assembled a formidable panel to discuss the US election prospects in a year where the outlook for the US economy, while better than Europe, is mixed. Each member of our panel has a different perspective, but all share a passion for US politics. We welcome:
Tom Switzer, editor of the Australian Spectator, and a research associate at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, where where he also teaches undergraduate courses in American politics and Australian political and diplomatic history. He is also books editor of American Review, and host of American Talk. In his earlier career, for seven years from 2001 he was opinion page editor of The Australian, and earlier spent three years as an assistant editor at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. Profile and articles
Dr David Smith, who is is jointly appointed between the United States Studies Centre and the School of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Sydney. His recent research examines political relations between governments and religious communities in the US and other countries with a focus on Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Recently he has explored how the religious identity of presidential candidates affects support for them, looking especially at Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Profile and articles.
Jonathan Tasini has been writing, lecturing and blogging about the American political and economic landscape for more than 25 years. He has worked in electoral and legislative campaigns and is himself a two-time candidate for Congress (the U.S. Senate in 2006 and the U.S. House in 2010). He has written extensively on economic, political and labor affairs for a wide variety of publications and organizations, including The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Washington Post, The New York Times, and Playboy. Profile.
The discussion will be chaired by AIIA NSW president, Colin Chapman, who has covered or closely followed US presidential campaigns since the election of President Richard Nixon in 1968.
Refreshments served from 6pm
Entry Fee: Members: $15.00 Senior/Student members $10.00 Guests $20.00
Advance Registration essential