Politics

In his first-ever visit to George Mason University, famed academic and activist Cornel West makes an appearance in the Schar School’s Race, Politics, and Policy Center’s first-ever in-person event on April 14.

The media strategists behind the most expensive gubernatorial race in Virginia’s history met on stage to talk about what went right—and what went wrong.

Since returning to George Mason University earlier this year, Schar School Professor Michael Fauntroy has been ready to hit the ground running. He founded the new Race, Politics, and Policy Center that will officially launch on Nov. 1st—and said there’s a lot to be on the lookout for.

When a candidate chooses to run for public office, they are agreeing to place not only their policies, but also their character up for critique. 

People want to know who they are really voting for and the media will do its best to dig up all they can on what may lurk in their past. For that reason, the job of an “opposition media consultant” is imperative to have on the campaign team.

What is the job of a political reporter in an age of widely spread “fake news”? “It is our job to tell the truth,” said Amy Gardner, who covers national politics for the Washington Post. Easy, right?

Sharing and consuming news has come a long way over the course of the past few political campaigns, where bias competes with accuracy for the spotlight, and every week seems to come with a new headline scandal that had been covered up by officials in public office. As Gardner detailed in her conversation with Mason Robinson Professor of Public Policy Steven Pearlstein in the First Tuesday series of webinars, many depend on newspapers to stay up-to-date with crucial information in a time where “all norms have been shattered.”

Rebecca Pearcey describes the role of a political director in a major campaign.

On September 22nd, Rebecca Pearcey joined Mason Professor Steven Pearlstein for what would the third conversation in his First Tuesday series of conversations with special guests who bring first-hand experiences in the world of politics. Pearcey shares her political insight drawn from her role as political director of the Elizabeth Warren campaign.

Political campaigns are complex—even for political scientists. For students studying the field, understanding what is happening behind the scenes of a campaign can be difficult. For the average citizen, the confusion can be even greater.

That’s why Steven Pearlstein created the First Tuesday speaker series. The Robinson Professor of Public Affairs at George Mason University hopes it can help broaden perspectives on politics and challenge misconceptions that lead to political cynicism.

On Tuesday night, former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (D) was on CNN until well after 1 a.m., helping the panel of popular political pundits analyze the New Hampshire Democratic primary results.