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Past Events
Information about events hosted or sponsored by the Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies in 2019.
Barbara Sinclair Lecture
November 18 | 6 p.m.
Warren Building, Terrace Level, Room NT01
The American Political Science Association and the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies invite you to the second annual Barbara Sinclair Lecture. Awarded to a prominent congressional scholar, this lecture is given in honor of Dr. Sinclair’s signicant and lasting contributions to the study of Congress. Professor Frances Lee of Princeton University will deliver this year’s lecture. Reception to follow.
Impeachment: The Constitutional Remedy of Last Resort
November 6 | Lunch Served: 12 p.m. | Panel: 12:15 - 1:30 p.m.
Stephen S. Weinstein Courtroom, Washington College of Law
Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law Louis Caldera and two attorneys — Daniel Freeman and Alan Baron — who worked for the House Judiciary Committee on every impeachment inquiry in the past 40 years will discuss the impeachment process including the House’s role in an impeachment investigation and its adoption of articles of impeachment, as well as the Senate’s role in the subsequent trials. They will also discuss the philosophy behind the creation of the impeachment remedy contained in the constitution and how effective that philosophy has been. Panel hosted by David Barker.
Watch Video
What Will Determine the Democratic Presidential Nomination?
Mary Graydon Center, Rooms 3 & 4
Who will capture the Democratic nomination? What are the factors that will determine it? What will it mean for the Democrats’ chances in 2020, the future of the Democratic party, and the most important issues of the day? Join our panel of experts as they discuss/debate these questions.
Fact-checking in the 'fake news' era
October 22 | 10 - 11:30 a.m.
AEI, Auditorium | 1789 Massachusetts Avenue, NW | Washington, DC 20036
Rising political polarization and declining trust have created an American “marketplace of realities,” where politicians feel less constrained by verifiable facts. Media fact-checking has been a way to ensure accountability and provide factual information in this environment. However, increasing polarization and declining trust in news organizations have muddied the waters in which journalists present and verify factual information. Despite fact-checking’s growing ubiquity, many challenges remain: How can fact-checking efforts leverage new technology, respond to shifts in the political and cultural landscape, and prepare us to be well-informed citizens leading up to the 2020 election and beyond?
Please join AEI for a presentation by David Barker, author of “One Nation, Two Realities: Dueling Facts in American Democracy” (Oxford University Press, 2019), followed by a panel discussion on the current state of fact-checking and challenges faced by those working in this industry.
Georgia Governor's Race
Voter Suppression, Electoral Fraud, Voter Intimidation, or Malpractice?
Contested elections decided by narrow margins bring forth the fault lines of election administration and politics. Last November, the Georgia Governor’s race was decided by approximately 50,000 votes out of 3.9 million votes cast. A five-year voter registration report collided with the Georgia election administration political bureaucracy. There are lawsuits and congressional investigations underway to determine if all the citizens of Georgia were treated fairly and if all their votes counted. The campaigns of both Stacey Abrams and Brian Kemp turned a Governor’s race into the equivalent of a presidential election. SPA Distinguished Practitioner in Residence, Bill Sweeney walked us through the details of registering, voting and counting in Georgia.
The Christian Right in the Trump and Post-Trump Eras
Wednesday, May 1, 2019
10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
American Enterprise Institute (AEI), Auditorium
1789 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Donald Trump was not the first choice of many conservative Christian voters for the 2016 Republican nomination. However, they strongly backed Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and they remain among Trump’s most ardent supporters. Are conservative Christians, in backing Trump, wagering that his policies are worth the baggage? Or have their priorities fundamentally changed? More broadly, the percentage of Republicans who attend church regularly and who identify as Christian traditionalists is dropping, and the issues that animate Trump’s GOP appear different than those of the 1990s and 2000s. At a time of growing secularization, rising religious pluralism, and identity-based political polarization, has the role of Christianity in the Republican Party fundamentally changed?
Polarization and Political Discourse in the U.S.
March 21, 2019
4:00—6:00PM EST
Thomas Jefferson Building, Room LJ-119
David C. Barker, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Professor of Government at American University as well as the author of One Nation, Two Realities with Morgan Marietta (forthcoming 2019), and Lilliana Mason, Professor of Government at the University of Maryland and author of Uncivil Agreement (2018), are nationally recognized experts on the roots and manifestations of political polarization. They will take part in a discussion moderated by Kluge Center Director John Haskell on how political discourse has become so degraded, and what to look for in the future. A reception with refreshments will follow.
For More Information contact Andrew Breiner(202) 707-9219
Request ADA accommodations 5 days in advance at 202-707-6362 or ADA@loc.gov.
EPAAI Information Session
March 7, 2019
5PM EST
Kerwin 237
Are you interested in Lobbying & the EU? The European Public Affairs and Advocacy Institute (EPAAI) invites you to learn more!
EPAAI is a week-long course abroad focusing on the strategies & tactics of policy advocacy within the EU. Scholarships available!
Lessons from Judicial Impeachments in the 1980s
February 25, 2019
A lecture by the American University Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies presented by the U.S. Capitol Historical Society in partnership with the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
Presenter: Daniel M. Freeman, J.D.
The impeachments of three federal judges in the 1980s were the first in fifty years. They were initiated under the then new “Judicial Disabilities and Tenure Act” which created a process for removal of problematic federal judges. These cases sought answers to important questions: What constitutes an impeachable offense? Should Congress be bound by the findings of other branches? Should double jeopardy apply? What constitutes a “trial” in the Senate? Are the Senate’s actions reviewable in the courts?
Getting Congress Beyond Gridlock
With David Barker, Professor of Government and Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Sunday, January 27
6 PM EST
The Bier Baron Tavern
1523 22nd Street NW, Washington DC
2018 Events
Barbara Sinclair Lecture
November 27, 2018
6:00pm EST
Constitution Hall
The American Political Science Association and the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studieshosted the first annual Barbara Sinclair Lecture. Awarded to a prominent congressional scholar, this lecture was given in honor of Dr. Sinclair’s significant and lasting contributions to the study of Congress. Professor Sarah Binder of George Washington University and the Brookings Institution delivered this inaugural lecture.
Trade Relations with the European Union
November 20, 2018
6:30pm - 8:30pm EST
2175 K Street NW, Washington DC
Join YPFP and the EU delegation to the US for a discussion about trade relations between the EU and the US. Given the President's announcement of a potential trade deal, come hear European Union experts talk about their perspective of trade relations as they stand and what might be in the future.
Congress and the Separation of Powers
Noontime Lecture
Join Us Monday, November 19, 2018
noon - 1 p.m., Congressional Meeting Room North
Calling It Quits! Voluntary Departures from the U.S. Senate, 1919-2018
Marvin Overby, fellow at the Library of Congress' Kluge Center, explores the rise of the voluntary departures as the primary source of Senate turnover. This talk, which compliments the exhibit, Congress and the Separtaion of Powers, is presented in partnership with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
President Carter: The White House Years\
Friday, November 16, 2018
Presented by Stuart E. Eizenstat
The definitive history of the Carter Administration from the man who participated in its surprising number of accomplishments—drawing on his extensive and never-before-seen notes. Join Stuart Eizenstat as he discusses his book and reflects on his long career in public service, including his time as chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter (1977-1981). His book has won wide praise from publications from The New York Times and Washington Post to The National Review, National Interest, and Moment Magazine. Lunch included!
C-SPAN Q and A
David Barker and Molly Reynolds on President Trump and a Divided Congress
American University’s David Barker and Brookings' Molly Reynolds talked about how President Trump might work with a divided Congress. They also spoke about the history of presidents who have worked with Congresses of the opposition party.
Post-Midterm Election Panel Discussion
Thursday, November 8th
12:00PM Lunch
12:30PM Panel Discussion
Kerwin Hall, Room 301
Find out What Just Happened? Breaking Down the 2018 Midterm Elections with our panelists Dr. David Barker of the Center for Congressional & Presidential Studies, Amna Mawaz of PBS Newshour , Dr. Jan Leighley of the School of Public Affiars, and Jonathan Martin of The New York Times. Panel discussion moderated by Betsy Fischer Martin of WPI.
The Dynamics of the 2018 Midterm Elections
October 11, 2018
A discussion with leading political and government experts as they discuss the dynamics and repercussions of the 2018 elections.
Webcast
Congress and the Separation of Powers
September 25, 2018
Join us for a discussion at the Capitol Visitor Center that will bring together an ideologically diverse group of academics and experts to take a closer look at the relationship between the three branches of government, and especially Congress’s role in shaping the Executive and Judicial branches over time.
Panel Videos
Three Branches and Separation of Powers
Separation of Powers and Civil Rights
The President, Congress, and Party Polarization
Learn more
The Politics of Truth Conference
Wednesday, March 28, 2018
Perceptions of factual reality now come in partisan shades of red and blue, rendering large swaths of the American citizenry stubbornly misinformed and ever more disdainful of inter-partisan cooperation. What are the factors, specifically, that drive such dueling fact perceptions? What are the ensuing consequences? And how effective are the correctives to misinformation that reformers have proposed?
March 28, 2018
American University's Constitution Hall
8:00 am to 7:00 pm
Moderated by
David C. Barker, Director of SPA's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Liz Suhay, American University
Betsy Fischer Martin, American University
Arthur Lupia, University of Michigan
Diana C. Mutz, University of Pennsylvania
Ron Elving, National Public Radio and American University
Progressives, Conservatives, and Bipartisan Cooperation?
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Please join us for a conversation with U.S. Rep. David Brat (R-VA) and U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) about their respective political philosophies and opportunities for finding common ground.
February 13, 2018, at American University
AU Constitution Hall
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Featured Speakers
David Brat (R-VA)
Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Moderated by
Professor Jan Leighley, Department of Government
Foreign Lobbying in Congress
Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Please join SPA's Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies to celebrate and discuss the publication of Congress and Diaspora Politics: The Influence of Ethnic and Foreign Lobbying by SUNY Press.
January 30, 2018, at American University
SIS Founders Room
12:00 pm to 1:45 pm
Lunch will be provided
Featured Speakers
Colton C. Campbell, National War College
David A. Dulio, Oakland University
Gregory C. McCarthy, Former Congressional Staffer
Eric Lipton, New York Times
Moderated by
James Thurber, American University
2017 Events
David Barker, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies invites you to:
Trump is (Un)Doing More Than You Think
A Conversation About the Short and Long Term Impacts the Trump Presidency is Having
Wednesday, November 29 at American University
Mary Graydon Center Room 3
12:00 pm to 1:45 pm
(Lunch served at noon. Program starts at 12:15 pm)
Panel Included:
Eric Lipton, The New York Times
Chris Edelson, American University
Moderated by David Barker, American University
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
Why The Senate Is Broken
Monday, October 30 at American University
Mary Graydon Center Room 2
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
(Lunch served at noon. Program starts at 12:15 pm)
Panel Included:
Molly Reynolds, The Brookings Institution
Jennifer Victor, George Mason University
Donald Wolfensberger, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Bipartisan Policy Center
James A. Thurber, American University
Moderated by David Barker, American University
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
Rivals for Power
Rivals for Power: Presidential Congressional Relations
An Assessment of President Trump's Relationship with Congress
Monday, September 18
American University
Mary Graydon Center
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Room 203-205
Upon the publication of Rivals for Power: Presidential Congressional Relations and President Trump's nine months in office, this forum assessed his accomplishments and failures working with Congress
Panel Included:
Professor James A. Thurber, American University*
Professor Jordan Tama, American University *
Professor Patrick Griffin, American University*
Professor David Karol, University of Maryland
*Contributors to Rivals for Power
The Speeches of President Kennedy
CCPS and the Kennedy Political Union invite you to:
The Speeches of President Kennedy
Wednesday, March 8
6:30-8:30 PM
Ward Circle Building, Room 1
Join author Anders Agner and actor Caspar Phillipson (Jackie) as they share stories of JFK and presents speeches given by the 35th President.
Co-sponsored by Kongressen.com, The Embassy of Denmark, and Real Clear Politics.
Limits on Presidential Power
The Challenge of Setting Limits on Presidential Power Under the Trump Administration
Please join CCPS on February 1 at 12:30 in Mary Graydon Center Room 245.
Panel to include:
Amanda Terkel, Politics Managing Editor/Senior Political Reporter-The Huffington Post
Joe Gaeta, Senior Advisor and Director of Oversight for U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ian Millhiser, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress & Justice Editor, ThinkProgress
Moderated by Chris Edelson, Assistant Professor of Government in American University's School of Public Affairs
Lunch will be served
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
The Transition and the First 100 Days of the Trump Presidency
Join CCPS on Tuesday, January 24th
American University
Mary Graydon Center Room 5
Noon- 1:45pm
Panel to include:
Daniel J. Fiorino, Distinguished Executive in Residence and Director of the Center for Environmental Policy in the School of Public Affairs at American University
Neil Kerwin, President of American University
Martha Joynt Kumar, Director of the White House Transition Project
Janice Lachance, President-elect of ASPA - American Society for Public Administration
Howard McCurdy, Professor of Public Affairs in the Public Administration and Policy Department at American University
Moderated by James A. Thurber, Distinguished Professor, Department of Government and Founding Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Lunch will be served
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
2016 Events
What Happened and Why? AU Experts Analyze the 2016 Election
Thursday, November 10th
American University
Mary Graydon Center, Rooms 3 and 4
12:00pm-2:00pm
Panel to include:
Sam Garrett, Specialist in American National Government, Congressional Research Service, Adjunct Professorial Lecturer, Department of Government
Eric Hershberg, Professor, Department of Government, Director, Center for Latin American and Latino Studies
Jennifer Lawless, Professor, Department of Government , Director, Women & Politics Institute
Jan Leighley, Professor, Department of Government
Betsy Fischer Martin, Executive in Residence, School of Public Affairs
Molly O'Rourke,Executive in Residence, School of Communication
Moderated by Candice Nelson, Professor, Department of Government and Interim Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Lunch will be served
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
Tales from the Trail: AU Alumni Share Their Experiences in the 2016 Elections
Tuesday, November 15th
American University
Mary Graydon Center, Room 5
10:00am-Noon
Panel to include:
Anne Caprara, Executive Director, Priorities USA Action
Rick Davis, CNN Executive Vice President of News Standards and Practices
Scott Goodstein, Founder and CEO of Revolution Messaging, the digital firm of the Sanders for President Campaign
Noah Gray, CNN Producer embedded with the Trump Campaign
Polson Kanneth, Senior Editorial Producer, CNN's State of the Union with Jake Tapper
Ed O'Keefe, Political Reporter, The Washington Post
Moderated by Candice Nelson, Professor, Department of Governmen> And Interim Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studie>
Refreshments will be served
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
SPA Latino Scholars Speakers Series
Professor Francisco Pedraza, University of California, Riverside
"Latinos, Elections, and the Making of Cautious Citizenship"
Friday, November 18
11am-12:45pm
Mary Graydon Center, Room 2
Professor Aileen Cardona-Arroyo, Southern Methodist University
"Persuasive News Coverage: Examining the Role of Media in Shaping Policy Opinions on Immigration"
Monday, November 28
12:00-2:00pm
Mary Graydon Center, Room 5
Moderated by Candice Nelson, Professor, Department of Government and Interim Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
Lunch will be served
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
Join WPI and CCPS at our upcoming election forum
Wednesday, September 28th
5:30 PM
Kreeger Lobby
Katzen Arts Center
"Can the 2016 elections get any crazier, more exciting, or more unpredictable?"
Find out from out experts:
Anna Greenberg, Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner
Jim Hobart, Public Opinion Strategies
Hans Noel, Georgetown University
Panel discussion moderated by Jennifer Lawless
Light refreshments will be served.
RSVP by September 22nd to Lauren Reeves at wpi@american.edu or 202.885.2903
What Gridlock and Polarization Mean for American Democracy
WHEN: Friday, May 6, 2016 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET
WHERE: Bipartisan Policy Center, 1225 Eye St. NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC, 20005
Partisan polarization has deep roots in and a large impact on our political system. As polarization has worsened, Congress and the administration have been less willing and able to confront some of the largest public policy questions facing the country. Is the status quo sustainable?
Join us, along with the National Capital-Area Political Science Association, on May 6 as a panel of contributors to the new book American Gridlock: The Sources, Character, and Impact of Political Polarization weigh in on polarization in the public, national institutions, states, and media and the implications for the future of functioning American democracy.
Join the discussion on Twitter: @BPC_Bipartisan #BPClive
Featuring:
David Karol, Associate Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland
Jennifer L. Lawless, Professor of Government, American University
James A. Thurber, Director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University
Moderated by: John Fortier, Director of the Democracy Project, BPC
Barack Obama and Executive Power: Has the President Exceeded His Bounds?
The Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies (CCPS) and the National Capital-Area Political Science Association (NCAPSA) invite you to this lunchtime panel:
Wednesday, April 6
American University
Kay Spiritual Life Center Lounge
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Panel to Include:
Louis Fisher, Scholar in Residence at The Constitution Project
Shirley Anne Warshaw, Professor of Political Science at Gettysburg College
Jeffrey Crouch, Assistant Professor at American University
Moderated by Professor James A. Thurber: Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Distinguished University Professor
Assessing the Bush and Obama Post 9/11 Presidencies: Continuity, Change and the Future of National Security Power
Thursday, March 3rd
American University
Mary Graydon Center Room 200
12:30pm-2:00pm
Panel to Include:
Chris Edelson, Assistant Professor of Government, School of Public Affairs at American University
Mary B. DeRosa, Distinguished Visitor from Practice Co-Director, Global Law Scholars Program at Georgetown Law School
Scott Roehm, Vice President of Programs and Policy at The Constitution Project
Jordan Tama, Assistant Professor in the School of International Service at American University
Moderated by Professor James A. Thurber, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Distinguished University Professor
Annual Latino Public Affairs Forum
Latinos represent the fastest growing population in the United States, increasing 43% between 2000 and 2010, and they are the leading edge of a demographic change transforming the U.S. into a "majority minority" country. As of 2012, 17% of the U.S. population, or 53 million people, identified as Latino. Their influence upon the direction of national politics, culture, economic trends, and a broad range of other issues, will only increase.
Recognizing the dynamic role of Latinos in U.S. public life, American University's Annual Latino Public Affairs Forum (ALPAF) seeks to convene academics, community advocates, policy experts, journalists, students, and other stakeholders, to address key questions and topics of concern for Latinos. Each year the Forum will focus on a significant public policy domain that is both impacted by and important to Latino communities in the U.S. ALPAF is also intended to better connect the findings of academic research with the efforts of different stakeholders and important policy and political debates around these topics.
CLALS and the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies will jointly sponsor the second Annual Latino Public Affairs Forum, to take place on Monday, February 29, 2016, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the SIS Abramson Family Founders Room. This forum will consider the impact of the Latino vote on the current presidential election cycle.
AU Experts Forecast the 2016 Election
Panel to Include:
Glen Bolger, Partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies and CCPS Research Fellow
Anna Greenberg, Senior Vice President of Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner and CCPS Research Fellow
Jennifer L. Lawless, Professor of Government and Director of the Women & Politics Institute
Allan Lichtman, Distinguished Professor of History and author of The Keys to the White House, (forthcoming early 2016, Rowman & Littlefield)
David N. Wasserman, U.S. House Editor, Cook Political Report
Moderated by James A. Thurber, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Distinguished University Professor at American University
CCPS Sponsored the Election Assistance Commission conference on August 12 and 13 held at the School of Public Affairs at American University.
2015 Events
AU Experts Forecast the 2016 Election
Tuesday, November 17th
11:30 AM Lunch
12:00 PM Discussion begins
SIS Founders Room, American University
Panel to include:
Glen Bolger, Partner and co-founder of Public Opinion Strategies and CCPS Research Fellow
Anna Greenberg, Senior Vice President of Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner and CCPS Research Fellow
Jennifer L. Lawless, Professor of Government and Director of the Women & Politics Institute
Allan Lichtman, Distinguished Professor of History and author of The Keys to the White House, (forthcoming early 2016, Rowman & Littlefield)
David N. Wasserman, U.S. House Editor, Cook Political Report
Moderated by James A. Thurber, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Distinguished University Professor at American University
Lunch will be provided
Please RSVP to wpi@american.edu or 202-885-2901
CCPS Alumni Reception: Your Success is Our Success!
October 8, 2015
6:00 PM
Mary Graydon Center 2-5
You are invited to join the Campaign Management, Public Affairs & Advocacy, and European Public Affairs & Advocacy Institutes in celebration of three decades of success! Mingle with former classmates and hear from CCPS faculty and AU notables. RSVP to ccps@american.edu.
Please click here for parking information, maps, and directions to the University.
The Obama Administration: Legal Issues Involving the Use of Military Force
Thursday, April 23
American University
Kay Spiritual Life Center Lounge
12:00pm-2:00pm
Panel to Include:
Chris Edelson, Assistant Professor of Government, School of Public Affairs at American University
Lou Fisher, Scholar in Residence, The Constitution Project
Shoon Murray, Associate Professor, School of International Service at American University
Moderated by Professor James A. Thurber, Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies and Distinguished University Professor.
Please RSVP to ccps@american.edu or 202-885-3491
Keynote Address by Gary King to Honor Distinguished Alumnus Jeff Gill
Professor Gary King, Albert J. Weatherhead III University Professor, Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences at Harvard University presented his research on the Chinese censorship apparatus, at a keynote given on January 30th.