By now, the main political focus was clear: in 1968, thirty thousand Americans had been killed in action in the Vietnam War and television had brought the war into almost every American home. Due to social conditions and the war, Republican policy was heavily favored, and unlike the Democrats, the...
President Carter was challenged for the Democratic nomination by Sen. Ted Kennedy. The farther left, liberal voters tended to favor Kennedy and his access to financial support and family prestige only boosted his advantage. However, after the seizure of American hostages in Iran, the nation was rallied around the president,...
The Democrats strengthened their majority in the 1974 midterm election due to the Watergate scandal and President Ford's pardon of Nixon. This new Congress reorganized and undermined the seniority system that had directed Congress for years. This created a committee system that was more influenced by interest group politics than...
With 15 competitors for the nomination, the Democrats had a marathon of primaries in the 1972 election. The early favorite was the former senator and vice-presidential nominee in 1968, Edmund Muskie from Maine. However, after reformations of party politics after the unsuccessful circus of the 1968 convention, the road to...
On Friday, October 19, 2007 the Center for Politics hosted the National Constitutional Convention at the Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. With nearly 500 registered participants, the day-long event featured discussion and analysis of constitutional reform from some of the top government officials, academics, politicians, legal scholars and members of...
Following up on last week's preview, the Crystal Ball is happy to share more content from The Sixth Year Itch, a new book containing original chapters by political scholar and commentator Larry J. Sabato, as well as contributed chapters by prominent journalists and scholars who are on the political frontlines....
The Sixth Year Itch contains original chapters by political scholar and commentator Larry J. Sabato, as well as contributed chapters by prominent journalists and scholars who are on the political frontlines. Each essay offers trenchant commentary and unique insights into the campaigns, the issues and the strategies of parties and...
The Crystal Ball will not publish this week in honor of our friends and colleagues at Virginia Tech, and in memory of the student and faculty victims and their families. The insanity of senseless death is no stranger to any sector of society, here or abroad. But all of us...
Last week, tongue firmly planted in cheek, the Crystal Ball endeavored to quash all of the much-too-early talk of potential vice presidential candidates with our own extensive list of the top candidates for the number two spot on each party's presidential ticket in 2008 (read more). Because we are still...
Elections are the seminal event in the life of our democracy. Not only do they set the direction of our republic, campaigns and elections help to shed light on America's state of political health. It is altogether fitting then, that an examination of our democracy and its current state take...
I hope that this Thanksgiving finds you in the best of spirits. As this thrilling election season winds down, I would like to take a moment to tell you more about the University of Virginia Center for Politics. I hope that our mission and activities might inspire you to include...
The tradition in American politics has been for campaign season to unofficially kick off on Labor day, as candidates, campaigns, voters and journalists return from August vacations and focus their attention on the remaining nine weeks before Election Day. However--just as the presidential nomination process starts earlier and earlier--Congressional and...
If you know high school students who are bright and civically engaged, they need to participate in the International Youth Democracy Summit. From August 7-12, 2006, the University of Virginia through the coordination of the Center for Politics will host the International Youth Democracy Summit. This once-in-a-lifetime event will gather...
The Crystal Ball will return soon with updated commentary and analysis for next year's 2006 midterm elections, as well as another look to the 2008 presidential contest. In the meantime, quench your thirst for perspicacious political ponderings and predictions by attending the 8th Annual American Democracy Conference, presented by the...
With his failed bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, Senator Bob Graham of Florida announced his retirement from the United States Senate. The political juggernaut of Florida who won his last two races for the Senate with at least 62 percent of the vote is now gone; the...
