Holy Cross Experts Available for Analysis of Inauguration, Issues Facing New Administration

WORCESTER, Mass. – Faculty experts in a wide range of disciplines from the College of the Holy Cross are available to offer distinctive perspectives on topics related to the presidential inauguration on Jan. 20, 2009 and the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency.  For more information, or for assistance scheduling an interview, please call Kristine Maloney or Cristal Perriello at 508-793-2419. Experts listed below may also be contacted directly for comment. Inaugural Address/Sociological Implications of Obama’s Presidency David Schaefer, professor, political science 508-793-2252 (office) dschaefe@holycross.edu Schaefer, whose scholarly research focuses on political philosophy and American political thought, can provide expertise on a multitude of issues related to the inauguration, including Obama’s inaugural address and the sociological implications of his presidency.  He has published essays on such issues as race relations, economic inequality, judicial activism, church-state relations, and labor policy in The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, and The American Enterprise. First 100 Days/Comparisons to Previous Inaugurations Donald Brand, associate professor, political science 508-793-3402 (office) dbrand@holycross.edu Brand specializes in the study of the presidency and American politics.  He can provide insight into the challenges Obama will face in his first 100 days in office and how this inauguration compares with others.  Brand provided expert commentary to the media on a host of issues throughout the 2008 election.  He is the author of Corporatism and the Rule of Law: A Study of the National Recovery Administration (Cornell University Press, 1988), and numerous articles in journals such as Political Science Quarterly and Political Science Reviewer.

Inaugural Address/Obama’s Chief Speechwriter, Jon Favreau ‘03 Caren Dubnoff, associate professor of political science 617-965-0395 cdubnoff@holycross.edu Dubnoff specializes in American government, the presidency, constitutional law, and politics. She is available to comment on a wide range of issues related to the inauguration, including the inaugural address and her former student, Jon Favreau, College of the Holy Cross Class of 2003 and chief speechwriter for Obama.

Historical Inaugural Addresses/Challenges Facing Obama/Racial Politics Daniel Klinghard, assistant professor, political science 508-793-2361 (office) dklingha@holycross.edu Klinghard can comment on historical inaugural addresses, the kinds of broad challenges Obama faces, the inauguration in the context of racial politics, and the state of the political parties.

Role of Religion Rev. Thomas Worcester, S.J., associate professor of history 508-793-2784 (office) tworcest@holycross.edu Fr. Worcester can comment on the role that religion will play at the inauguration, including the invocation by Rev. Rick Warren, benediction by Rev. Joseph Lowry, and controversy surrounding them.

Obama’s “New Deal”/War in Afghanistan Jerry Lembcke, associate professor of sociology 508-793-3050 (office) jlembcke@holycross.edu Lembcke can provide insight on Obama’s “New Deal.”  Since the 1980s, he has written about Roosevelt’s New Deal and the need for a for a new New Deal.  A nationally recognized expert on the Vietnam War and veterans, Lembcke can also comment on the comparisons between the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan.  Lembcke has wide-ranging media experience. He has been interviewed by USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek.com, and many other newspapers, radio and television stations.

Foreign Policy Ward Thomas, associate professor of political science 508-793-3445 (office) wthomas@holycross.edu Thomas can provide insight on U.S. foreign policy, especially involving military or security issues; international law as it pertains to war; international ethics, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; and terrorism.  He is the author of The Ethics of Destruction: Norms and Force in International Relations (Cornell University Press, 2001), and his articles have appeared in International Security, Security Studies, Armed Forces & Society, Sciences Humaines (Paris), The Boston Globe, and other publications. He is currently working on a book about normative change and the use of force by nonstate actors, particularly Private Military Companies (PMCs).

Economic Stimulus Package Nicolas Sanchez 508-793-2687 (office) nsanchez@holycross.edu Sanchez can talk about Obama’s economic plan, including his proposed economic stimulus package and the likelihood of its success.  He has published in numerous economics journals in the U.S. and abroad, including The Review of Economics and Statistics and Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Economic Impact of Inauguration Tourism in D.C. Victor Matheson, associate professor, economics 508-793-2649 (office) vmatheso@holycross.edu

Robert Baumann, assistant professor, economics 508-793-3879 (office) rbaumann@holycross.edu

Bryan Engelhardt, assistant professor of economics 508-793-3669 (office) bengelha@holycross.edu

While presidential inaugurations routinely attract hundreds of thousands or more visitors to Washington, D.C., recent research by Baumann, Engelhardt and Matheson suggests that the economic benefits generated by related tourism does not translate into increased economic activity.  Instead, they argue, it may end up costing the city significantly.  They are available to talk about their recently released paper titled “Hail to the Chief: Assessing the Economic Impact of Presidential Inaugurations on the Washington, D.C. Local Economy,” available at http://www.holycross.edu/departments/economics/RePEc/Matheson-Baumann-Engelhardt_Inauguration.pdf.