Political Scientist in the News

Associate Professor Brandon Rottinghaus analyzes the race for U.S. presidency

As the U.S. presidential election race enters the final stretch, journalists are turning for analysis to Brandon Rottinghaus, associate professor of political science and the Senator Don Henderson Scholar. Here’s a sampling of Dr. Rottinghaus’ commentary that’s appeared recently in news articles and opinion pieces:

All the President's Mystery Men (and Women)
By Nancy Scola
The Atlantic Magazine website
August 14, 2012

"Romney talks about what he'll do on 'Day One.’ But candidates can talk until they're blue in the face about their economic policies; if they say, here's the person that I would choose to be the next Fed chair, or here's the person I would choose to be the next Treasury Secretary, those kinds of signals matter."

Texplainer: Could Canadian-Born Ted Cruz Be President?
By John Wayne Ferguson
Texas Tribune
August 13, 2012

“Natural born citizenship is not defined in the Constitution. The reason they didn’t is not totally clear.”

What 'No Compromise' Politics Does To Governing
By David Pittman
KUHF – 88.7 FM
August 27, 2012

"In governing, you have to come together, and you have to be able to share the burden. Staking out such positions does create an environment where no one's willing to cross the aisle, and to shake a hand and say 'let's think about this in a bi-partisan fashion.' And that can create a fair amount of gridlock."

Convention Speeches Too Vague on Policy to Help Romney
By Brandon Rottinghaus
Debate Club blog on usnews.com, the website of U.S.News and World Report
August 31, 2012

"The Republican National Convention was too vague and impersonal to be helpful to Governor Romney. Not only did we not learn enough about Mitt Romney as a person but we also didn't learn much about what the Republican Party's objectives are or what specifically a Romney administration would do on the most pressing issues of the day."