2011-2012

• 4/17/12 "It gives you a start, but it's not a finish," says John Geer, commenting on the electoral benefits of name recognition for candidates with famous political relatives, such as JFK, George W., and Mitt Romney. Read more on TheHill.com.
• 4/13/2012 The concept of presidential elections likened to a game of musical chairs is a bit odd considering the magnitude of the office. In today's New York Times, Campaign Stops Blog, Larry Bartels weighs in on the notion and how it applies to economics and timing during election cycles. Read more.
• 4/12/2012 "The Impact of Candidate Traits in American Presidential Elections", a study published by Larry Bartels a decade ago, is cited in the New York Times, today, by John Sides's post in FiveThirtyEight Blog. Sides suggests that Mitt Romney is experiencing an empathy gap with voter perceptions, using Bartel's study as a basis for comparison. Read more.
• 4/5/2012 Mitt Romney's lack of campaign operations in key battleground states is unlikely to influence the presidential election in November, according to John Geer, quoted in The Guardian.
• 4/4/12 For President Barack Obama to win the election in November, Americans' income needs to grow by more than one percent between now and then, according to CSDI Co-Director Larry Bartels, who is quoted in a Politico.com story today. Read more.
• 3/27/12 Larry Bartels featured in recent article "Most Voters aren't Stupid." Read more.
• 3/26/12 "This nomination would be in the bag if it weren't for the Mormon factor," says John Geer in a recent New York Times article. Read more.
• 3/15/12 CSDI graduate fellow Jen Selin's co-authored paper "The House as a Stepping Stone to the Senate:  Why Do So Few African-American House Members Run?" is the subject of a recent article "The Other Glass Ceiling" in The American Prospect.
• 3/12/12 Professor Larry Bartels's research on inequality buttresses a recent blog post by Daren Acemoglu and James A. Robertson. Read more.
• 3/12/12 Professor Geer reflects on the role of negative campaigns:  "A large amount of negative advertising is a proxy for a high-stakes race." Read more.
• 3/9/12 "Given what Romney spent in Ohio in the last week, at least we have one hypothesis about why he closed the gap," says John Geer in a recent interview. Listen to the full story at All Things Considered.
• 2/27/12 National Journal: The NJ Take 2012 Decoded posts Ronald Brownstein's views on Tennessee Poll @ http://bit.ly/AgR2ZY
• 2/26/12 "Santorum has big lead in Tennessee," but the field "remains fluid." Read more coverage of the Vanderbilt Poll in USA Today.
• 2/26/12 "Cratered" is how John Geer described Newt Gingrich's campaign during a broadcast interview with ABC News Affiliate, WKRN. Geer's comments were made in response to the release of results from the fourth Tennessee Poll, which found Rick Santorum leading the GOP contest in Tennessee. Read more.
• 2/23/12 Separation between campaigns and super PACs "more myth than reality," says Prof. John Geer. Read more.
• 2/16/12 Rick Santorum is trying to inoculate himself by exposing the negativity of Mitt Romney's campaign, says John Geer on NPR's All Things Considered.
• 2/16/12 Is the white working class trending more Republican? Prof. Bartels doesn't think so. Read more about this current debate.
• 2/8/12 Santorum's primary election wins "get [Romney] ready for November," says VU Prof. John Geer. Read more.
• 2/7/12 Prof. John Geer describes "unprecedented amounts of attacks" in the Presidential Primary campaign. Listen to Prof. Geer's interview with NPR's Audie Cornish, or read the transcript.
• 2/7/12 Super PAC ads "can just say things that are wrong," says Professor John Geer in The Tennessean. Read more about super PAC activity and how it is unfolding in Tennessee.
• 1/27/12 "For GOP, Dislike for Obama Trumps All." Read why VU Profs. John Geer and Brett Benson, along with Jennifer Merolla, believe Romney will be able to rally the Republican base.
• 1/23/12 Prof. Geer guest lectured at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt University, a non-credit program for older adults. Watch the video of his lecture "Politics in a Polarized Polity" on President Obama, the economy, and the 2012 Presidential Election.
• 1/20/12 Professor Geer appeared on FoxNews.com to discuss the positive impacts of negative campaigns. According to Prof. Geer, negative ads are "absolutely critical for an informed decision" at the voting booth.
• 1/16/12 Washington Post quotes Prof. Bartels in the recent article "Who will get the 'Recovery Presidency'?" According to Bartels, "In every case, the party that happened to be in power when the Depression eased dominated politics for a decade or more thereafter."
• 12/1/12 Prof. Geer reflects on Republican presidential campaign: "The field is sufficiently fluid that you don't want to let Gingrich get out of control and become the 800-pound gorilla," Read more.
• CSDI Research Affiliate John Hudak weighs in on federally funded enhancement grants in The Tennessean. Read more.
• CSDI Postdoctoral Fellow Nicole Asmussen's article "Female and Minority Judicial Nominees: President's Delight and Senators' Dismay?"  is forthcoming in Legislative Studies Quarterly, November, 2011.
• Congratulations to Prof. Christopher Loss (faculty affiliate of CSDI). His new book Between Citizens and the State: The Politics of American Higher Education in the 20th Century  (Princeton University Press) has recently been published.
• CSDI posts new positions for next year, including up to two postdoctoral fellowships and openings for Senior Visiting Professors. Read more.
• The Third Vanderbilt Poll has just been completed by CSDI. Under the direction of Professors Josh Clinton and John Geer, the opinions of 1,500 random Tennesseans on politics, education, and the direction of the state and country were collected via a landline telephone to assess their opinion. Read more.
• Congratulations to CSDI Graduate Fellow John Hudak! John has recently accepted a position as a Fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, beginning July 1, 2012. Read more about John's research interests.
• The Third Vanderbilt Poll has just been completed by CSDI. Under the direction of Professors Josh Clinton and John Geer, the opinions of 1,500 random Tennesseans on politics, education, and the direction of the state and country were collected via a landline telephone to assess their opinion. Read more.
• Larry Bartels has recently become a contributor to The Monkey Cage, a blog dedicated to publicizing political science research. Read Professor Bartels's post "The President's Fate May Hinge on 2009."
• CSDI, the Political Science Department, and the Vanderbilt Law School hosted a conference on "Government Expertise: Information and Political Institutions" that took place at Vanderbilt University on Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2011.
• CSDI Co-Director Larry Bartels quoted in Washington Post article "How Europe could steer the 2012 election."
• CSDI Co-Director Larry Bartels reflects on President Obama's chance for re-election amid the slow economy.
• CSDI Co-Director Larry Bartels describes political consequences of growing income inequality in CBS News article "Left Behind in America."
• CSDI relocates to The Martha Rivers Ingram Commons Center.
• CSDI welcomes new Fellows, Co-Director and Program Coordinator beginning Fall 2011.

2010-2011

• CSDI Professors Geer, Lewis and Wiseman held four lectures for the Nashville Community as part of the Saturday University program of Vanderbilt University. For information and registration information, visit the web site.
• CSDI faculty on Obama after 16 Months
• Our Presidential Employment Office: People rarely give large sums of money, volunteer their time or support or drop out of a Senate primary to help a vulnerable incumbent without an expectation of getting something in return. (June 8, 2010, politico.com)Shot at unthinkable: an end to cronyism. Like other presidents before him, President-elect Barack Obama will be under immense pressure to reward campaign workers, state and local party officials, interest groups and key donors with positions in the new administration. (Vanderbilt University op-ed by David Lewis)
• CEO Obama. With all the focus on the president-elect's views about the Burris appointment and the economic stimulus, we forget that Barack Obama is about to assume responsibility as chief executive of an organization that employs close to 2 million civilian employees. Obama's fortunes as president will depend in large part on his success at taking charge of the machinery of government. (Vanderbilt University op-ed by David Lewis)
• CSDI launched the inaugural Vanderbilt Poll to investigate the opinions of Tennesseans. Results revealed the economy, education and health care are Tennesseans' top priorities. Read press release here.
• Anne E. Kornblut, White House correspondent for the Washington Post, spoke at the First Amendment Center on February 24th at 5pm at an event cosponsored by CSDI. Her talk, "Is America Ready to Elect a Woman President? Sarah Palin and the 2012 Presidential Election," was followed by a book signing and reception.
• Thomas E. Mann headlined the official launch of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions on October 28 with his talk, "The 2010 Midterm Elections: Driving Forces, Likely Outcomes, Possible Consequences."
•  CSDI Welcomes new Fellows and a new Co-Director to Vanderbilt for 2010-2011.

2009-2010

• Recapping a busy inaugural year of activity at CSDI during 2009-2010.
• Renowned journalists offer behind-the-scenes perspective on 2008 presidential election: Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson, two of the nation’s most experienced political reporters, will engage in an evening of political discussion April 1 at the John Seigenthaler Center at Vanderbilt University. 
• 2008 presidential election signals transition: A smooth presidential transition with an emphasis on advance preparation and avoidance of past pitfalls is crucial to a strong start for the next administration, says political scientist David E. Lewis. (Vanderbilt University press release) 
• New Faculty: David Lewis (Vanderbilt University press release) 
• Vanderbilt View features new faculty member Josh Clinton 
• Experts: Obama will move quickly to show he’s ready to govern. Political pundits have time to reflect in the days ahead on the reasons behind Barack Obama’s historic election as the first African American president, but the president-elect must focus immediately on his transition and the challenges ahead, according to several Vanderbilt professors. David Lewis is quoted. (Vanderbilt University press release) 
• New Vanderbilt scientific poll reveals intense bias against Mormons (release) 
• Vanderbilt and First Amendment Center to host presidential election panel: Political scholars, journalists and pundits will offer their informed perspective on where the 2008 presidential election is headed during an Oct. 7 forum for students that is sponsored by Vanderbilt University and the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt. 
• View more quotes and editorials on all things politics from John Geer and David Lewis.

---