In our work focusing on issues of national importance to the governance of the United States, the Miller Center and its scholars have played an important role in the national conversation about the 2008 elections.

Below is an index of materials – news clips, panels, Forums, and tapes and transcripts – featuring Miller Center programs, scholars' quotes, and other efforts – looking at this historic contest.

BACKSTORY, with the American History Guys

THIS WEEK: (week of Oct. 27-Nov. 2): Early and Often: Voting in America (Preview)

Produced by the Virginia Foundation For the Humanities, this public radio call-in show stars "the American History Guys":

• Brian Balogh, Chair of the Governing America in a Global Era program (GAGE) at the Miller Center and Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia (20th Century Guy);
• Ed Ayers, President of the University of Richmond and former Professor of History and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at U.Va. (19th Century Guy); and
• Peter Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Memorial Foundation Professor of History at U.Va. (18th Century Guy)

About the Show | When and Where to Listen | Archive

Oct. 27, 2008 TIME magazine cover package: Does Temperament Matter?

COVER STORY: The Temperament Factor: Who's Best Suited to the Job? By Nancy Gibbs
ROUNDTABLE: What Kind of Temperament is Best? | Podcast
On a panel of historians, Russell Riley, Chair of the Presidential Oral History Program, and David Coleman, Chair of the Presidential Recordings Program, explore how temperament can make an effective President.

More news clips featuring Miller Center scholars and programs follow.

FORUMS

The Forum Program has hosted speakers examining many aspects of this groundbreaking election:

Red and Blue Nation: Partisanship and the 2008 Election
Oct. 15, 2008
Brookings senior fellows Pietro Nivola and William Galston consider the extent to which polarized views among political leaders and activists are reflected in the electorate at large, and assess systemic reforms that might depolarize much of the political and policy process.

Race and Gender in American Politics Roundtable Event
Sept. 25, 2008
Vesla Weaver, Faculty Associate in the GAGE program, discusses her research on race and voters in this roundtable discussion, featuring U.Va. scholars.

The 2008 Elections: A Preview
Dec. 12, 2007
Todd Purdum, national editor and political correspondent for Vanity Fair, reveals what voters can expect during the race to the presidency.

Politics: 2007-2008
Sept. 5, 2007
NBC News Political Director Chuck Todd forecasts the major developments of the 2008 election.

The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008
Dec. 11, 2006
Politico Editor-in-Chief John Harris looks into the long-term future.

GOVERNING AMERICA IN A GLOBAL ERA (GAGE) PROGRAM

The GAGE Program has hosted two panels on partisanship:

Now What?: Can the new president rise above partisan polarization to govern effectively?
Oct. 24, 2008
This panel, moderated by Assistant Director for Academic Programs Sidney Milkis, examined the campaigns of both candidates to determine whether they have successfully laid the groundwork for true bipartisan cooperation in the next administration.

Partisan Rancor and American Democracy
Oct. 26, 2007
This conference featured two special panel discussions, at which leading scholars and practitioners, featuring Assistant Director for Academic Programs Sidney Milkis and 2001 Miller Center Fellow Nicole Mellow, looked at the impact of party politics and polarization on the American democratic process. GAGE Program Chair Brian Balogh moderated.

THE MILLER CENTER IN THE NEWS

News coverage about the 2008 election featuring Miller Center scholars and programs. The Center's scholars are experts on a wide array of topics in American public affairs.

Should We Pay Attention to Election Polls?
Forbes Trailwatch Blog, Nov. 4, 2008
On Election Day, Forbes' Jon Bruner finds great insight and perspective about public opinion polling and its effect on democracy in GAGE's Has Polling Killed Democracy? conference in April.

When There's Nothing Left to Do but Wait | Video and Audio Slideshow
Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2008
Transcript excerpts and audio from the Presidential Recordings Program and the Presidential Oral History Program offer some insight on what it's like to be part of the last hours of a presidential campaign.

5th District race gets national attention
WVTF Public Radio (audio), Oct. 30, 2008
Assistant Professor Paul Martin, also of the Battten School of Leadership and Public Policy, comments on how the race for Virginia's 5th Congressional District is playing with the public.

Battleground Virginia
Reuters TV (video), Oct. 29, 2008
Guian McKee of the Presidential Recordings Program talks about Virginia's voting history and its role as a battleground state in the 2008 presidential electon.

For McCain, father's error holds lesson
Boston Globe, Oct. 22, 2008
An audio clip featuring President Richard M. Nixon from the Presidential Recordings Program sheds light on the role that Admiral John S. McCain, Sr., the father of GOP presidential nominee Senator John McCain, played in the Vietnam War.

Third presidential debate: Was there a winner?
Minnesota Public Radio, Oct. 16, 2008
Presidential Oral History Program Chair Russell Riley comments on the third McCain-Obama debate.

Historic US Presidential Election Countdown Continues
Voice of America, Oct. 14, 2008
GAGE Faculty Associate Vesla Weaver discusses the role of race in the voting booth.

How Vice Presidential Debates Came to Be
The Chronicle Review, Oct. 1, 2008
Non-Resident Senior Fellow Michael Nelson puts the vice presidential debate into historical perspective.

What Barack Obama and John McCain need to do tonight
London Telegraph blog, Sept. 26, 2008
Presidential Oral History Program Chair Russell Riley assesses what John McCain and Barack Obama needed to accomplish in the first of three presidential debates.

McCain, Obama Spar Over Crisis at First Debate May Be Casualty
Bloomberg News, Sept. 25, 2008
Assistant Director for Academic Programs Sidney Milkis analyzes where McCain stands going into the first presidential debate.

New Software to Drive Discussion Post Obama-McCain Debate
AppScout by PC Magazine, Sept. 25, 2008
GAGE Program Chair Brian Balogh evaluates the effectiveness of an online discussion tool for post-event analysis.

Rescue Plan Makes Campaign Promises Less Doable
Fox Business News, Sept. 24, 2008
GAGE Faculty Associate David Leblang discusses how Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama should respond to the financial crisis.

Hey, What Could Go Wrong?
Washington Post, Sept. 21, 2008
Interview excerpts from the Presidential Oral History Program show how debates can make or break a candidate.

What if Obama Loses?
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Aug. 27, 2008
Non-Resident Senior Fellow Michael Nelson explores the ramifications of an Obama loss at the polls.

Tech-Savvy Presidential Candidates
Business Week, Aug. 25, 2008
GAGE Program Chair Brian Balogh walks through a slideshow of the candidates' use of technology.

African-American Voters Say They Support Obama
Voice of America, Aug. 1, 2008
GAGE Faculty Associate Vesla Weaver comments on Obama's appeal to voters of all races.

Is the US Ready For a Black President?
Voice of America, July 29, 2008
GAGE Faculty Associate Vesla Weaver summarizes her research on voter response to white and black candidates.

What Obama Can Learn From Bubba
Huffington Post, July 2, 2008
Assistant Director for Academic Programs Sidney Milkis discusses the course of action for Senator Obama's presidential campaign.

Historians see little chance for McCain
Politico, June 15, 2008
Sidney Milkis talks about the uphill battle the McCain campaign faces.

5 lessons for picking a running mate
USA Today, June 11, 2008
Transcript excerpts from and tapes from the Presidential Recordings Program and Presidential Oral History Program illustrate the complex issues involved in choosing a running mate.

They're No. 2! And Here's How They Got There.
Washington Post, June 1, 2008
Transcript excerpts from Presidential Oral History Program interviews offer insight into how past presidential candidates have chosen their vice presidents.

Hamilton Jordan's Message to Obama
Washington Post, May 29, 2008
Columnist David Broder looks at the transcripts from the Presidential Oral History Program interview with Hamilton Jordan, President Carter's White House Chief of Staff, and finds a message for Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Dems: Let the race continue
USA Today, May 13, 2008
Transcript excerpts from Presidential Oral History Program look at past intraparty battles for the presidential nomination.

McCain's Age and Past Health Problems Could Be An Issue in the Presidential Race
U.S. News & World Report, May 9, 2008
GAGE Program Chair Brian Balogh looks at how John McCain's health could affect his campaign.