From Beth Garrett:

The USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics and the Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC have organized a conference on October 8 called “The 2004 Election: What Does it Mean for Campaigns and Governance?” Held at the USC Law School on the eve of the election, the conference will bring leading scholars in law, political science, economics, and public communication together with people working in politics and campaigns to discuss major trends that are evident in the November election and that will shape politics into the next decades. The conference will include a keynote address delivered by Senator Bob Graham of Florida during lunch. The day-long conference will consist of four panels on the following topics: Campaigns under BCRA; Political Communication, the Media, and the Internet; the Role of Initiatives and Referendums in the Election; and Polarized Voters and Politics. Each panel will be a mix of scholars and political commentators (including Vice-Chair Ellen Weintraub of the Federal Election Commission), and we anticipate a lively discussion among the panelists and the audience. I have included the list of participants in this email and you can see the schedule of the conference at our webpage http://lawweb.usc.edu/cslp/conferences/Election_04/election_04.html. If you would like to attend or have any questions, feel free to contact me.
The 2004 Election: What Does it Mean for Campaigns and Governance?
Friday, October 8; USC Law School
Room 1
Keynote Address: Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), to be given at lunch
Panels
The First Campaign under BCRA’s Rules
Ellen Weintraub, Vice-Chair of the Federal Election Commission
D. Bruce La Pierre, Professor of Law, Washington University — St. Louis; Counsel for Respondents in Nixon v. Shrink Missouri Government PAC
David Magleby, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, BYU; Director, Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy
Spencer Overton, Associate Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
Moderator: Elizabeth Garrett, Professor of Law, USC; Director, USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics
The Initiative and Referendum Process
Garry South, political consultant; former Senior Political Advisor to Governor Gray Davis (D-CA) and the presidential campaign of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT)
Tracy Gordon, Research Fellow, Public Policy Institute of California
John Matsusaka, Professor of Business and Law, USC; President, Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC
Daniel Smith, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Florida
Moderator: M. Dane Waters, Founder and Chairman of the Board, Initiative and Referendum Institute at USC
Polarized Voters and Politics
Mickey Edwards, Lecturer of Public and International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University; former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-OK)
R. Michael Alvarez, Professor of Political Science, Caltech; Associate Director, USC-Caltech Center for the Study of Law and Politics
Gary Jacobson, Professor of Political Science, University of California — San Diego
Janelle Wong, Assistant Professor of Political Science, USC
Moderator: Ann Crigler, Professor of Political Science, USC; Director, Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics
Political Communications, the Media and the Internet
David Brock, President and CEO, Media Matters for America
John Fund, Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal
Thomas Hollihan, Professor and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Annenberg School for Communication, USC
Vincent Price, Steven H. Chaffee Professor of Communication and Political Science, University of Pennsylvania
Moderator: D. Roderick Kiewiet, Professor of Political Science, Caltech
Concluding Cocktail Party and Watch Party for the First Presidential Debate