Political strategist and UB Professor James Campbell addressed the Political Science Student Association Monday, discussing his research on presidential campaigns as well as his role in the current Bush administration.
Campbell serves on President George W. Bush's academic advisory panel, a group of 12 political scientists with backgrounds in education who advise the Bush administration on various issues. The academic advisory panel has met with White House Chief Advisor Karl Rove three times since Bush was inaugurated, most recently in December.
When describing his role in the administration, Campbell said, "People working very close to politics are so close to the nuts and bolts that sometimes they need a different perspective."
Campbell, a UB faculty member since 1998, also does a large amount of research in the field of presidential campaigns and elections. Campbell said he believes research in the field of political science should be more than just opinion - it should be supported by rigorous empirical research.
"I thought (Campbell) seemed very knowledgeable about practical politics and actually did academic research on things that can be applied to everyday life," said Jim Youngs, a sophomore political science major.
Campbell recently wrote a paper on the 2000 presidential election and how the muddled outcome may have shaped the Bush presidency.
"It was really an extension of my work on political campaigns and (election) forecasting," he said.
The paper, presented at a conference on Bush's early presidency, reached several conclusions as to why he won the election.
"The key finding of that research was that Bush won the presidency because Gore was not able to claim full responsibility for the state of the economy," Campbell said. "Vice presidents usually only get partial credit for a good economy."
Campbell recalled what occurred at his meetings with the Bush administration. The December meeting was important because it came after the 2002 elections, when Republicans gained control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, he said.
"The audience was a mix of RNC (Republican National Committee) members and White House staff," Campbell said. "I discussed why the 2002 election turned out the way it did and some others discussed where the Democrats might go from here."
Campbell said most presidents in recent history have had academic advisory panels similar to the one on which he serves today. Clinton's panel consisted mainly of professors and researchers with Democratic philosophies, while Bush's panel is made up of conservative scholars.
Yet most of the political scientists in the country are Democrats, Campbell said. "They had to scour the country to find Republican political scientists," he laughed.
In fact, Campbell said he is the only faculty member at UB who is a conservative political scientist. "If diversity is an important value, I think you should have diversity of political viewpoints among the faculty while maintaining a rigorous review of credentials," he said.
"I'd say it's always good to have somebody from the other side of the political spectrum teaching," said Josh Sanders, a sophomore political science major. "Even though professors should try to be non-partisan in class."
"It's definitely refreshing to hear some conservative ideas coming from the political science department," Youngs said. "But as a rule, I most appreciate professors that can put aside their political leanings while teaching their classes."
Campbell said it is too early to forecast what may happen in the 2004 presidential election, but he believes the Republicans have an early advantage. He pointed to statistics showing how first term incumbents rarely lose the election.
According to Campbell, another disadvantage in store for the Democratic Party in 2004 elections is lack of a clear opponent to Bush.
"There are six Democratic candidates right now and probably a couple more to come," he said. "There is certainly no front runner right now, and I think that works to the Republicans' advantage. But a lot can happen."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
