140995 Hvd.Indd
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HARVARD UNIVERSITY John F. MAY 2004 Kennedy New Poll Released School of INSTITUTE Government JFK Jr. Forum Dedicated Candidates Come to Harvard New Frontier Awards Created OF POLITICS Richard Neustadt Remembered Campaign ’04 Comes to Harvard Senator John Kerry takes questions during a taping of “Hardball” at the Forum Bush/Cheney ’04 Campaign Manager Ken Mehlman speaks at the Forum Welcome to the Institute of Politics at Harvard University Dan Glickman, Director As the 2004 election heats up, the Institute of Politics continues to be a national hub of political activity, discussion, and debate. • In September, we rededicated the Forum to recognize John F. Kennedy, Jr. We were honored to hear from Senator Edward Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, and other dignitaries and IOP friends on this special occasion. • Students participated in the campaigns of all major presidential candidates. • We hosted eight of the leading Democratic Presidential contenders for live question-and-answer sessions hosted by MSNBC’s Chris Matthews. • Our Resident Fellows this semester are a diverse group – the former four- term Republican mayor of Knoxville, an executive at DreamWorks and an expert on the youth perspective on policy issues, the Vice President of Programs at the Reverend Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, a Democratic political strategist with 25 years’ experience teaching, writ- ing, and working in American politics, the Washington Bureau Chief of the Chicago Sun-Times, and the former Governor of Minnesota. Interest and participation in their study groups has been unprecedented. • Our most recent national poll on the political personality of America’s college students finds they are frustrated about the war and the job market and leaning in favor of Senator Kerry. Many know little about the Democratic nominee, however, so his support is soft. Sixty-two percent are following the campaign and are “definitely” planning to vote, an indication that the youth vote, centrist and highly independent, could be a significant factor in the 2004 election. • Bringing together more than a dozen other institutions of higher edu- cation from across America, we are leading a major national effort to encourage participation and engagement in politics by America’s college students, under the banner of the National Campaign for Political and To subscribe to the Civic Engagement. IOP’s email list: • The IOP joined with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation to Send an email message to: announce the creation of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Awards to [email protected] recognize young Americans who have changed their communities and In the body of the message, type: their country through their commitment to public service. • We are planning an ambitious slate of events during the Democratic and subscribe iop <your email Republican National Conventions. address> (without arrows) This is certainly a very exciting time to be interested and involved in American politics. I encourage you to check our web site – www.iop.harvard.edu – to learn more about our programs and events. I hope to see you soon! 2 INSTITUTE OF POLITICS Forum Rededication Forum renamed to honor John F. Kennedy, Jr. Marking its 25th anniversary as host to some of the world’s most prominent Caroline Kennedy, with (L-R) political speakers, the Forum was renamed in September in honor of John F. IOP Director Dan Glickman, Senator Edward Kennedy, Kennedy, Jr. John F. Kennedy, Jr. was an active member of the Institute of Kennedy School Dean Joseph Politics’ Senior Advisory Committee for 15 years and a regular participant in Nye, and Harvard President Forum events. The rededication was attended by members of the Kennedy Larry Summers, at the family, the Harvard community, and other dignitaries. rededication ceremony. Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy, addressing the ceremony, said, “The School of Government and that very special part of it called The Institute of Politics is the memorial that would have meant the most to my brother. From the beginning a generation ago, the IOP had a powerful hold on our family, and especially as it gradually came to be the place where Jack’s son John found he could almost hear his father’s voice, calling us all to serve our country. It is fitting that this special place, where he felt that the vital effort to make democracy better was being made so well, will now be named in his honor.” “John loved nothing more than discussing ideas and the issues of the day. “John loved nothing He was inspired by the conversations that took place in this Forum, and this more than discussing is a wonderful tribute to him,” said Caroline Kennedy. The John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum is Harvard’s premier venue for political ideas and the issues speech, discussion and debate, and the Kennedy School of Government’s of the day. He was primary site for hosting distinguished public speakers. Since its inception in inspired by the con- 1978, the Forum has hosted more than 2,000 events, seen live by audiences totaling over 600,000 people and millions more via the Internet. versations that took To mark its 25th anniversary and renaming, the Forum has recently place in this Forum, undergone a major renovation, integrating updated technology and lighting and this is a wonder- with new staging, interiors and carpeting. “The Forum is one of the most prestigious centers for the exchange of ful tribute to him.” ideas in the world,” said Dan Glickman, Director of the Institute of Politics. -Caroline Kennedy “Now we have modernized it with state-of-the-art technology to reflect John F. Kennedy Jr.’s vision for this very special place.” From George H.W. Bush to Bill Clinton; Yitzak Rabin to Yasser Arafat; comedian Jon Stewart to Nobel Laureate and economist Amartya Sen, the Forum hosts heads of state; leaders in politics, government, business and the media; academics; community organizers; and artists. Panel discussions address the most newsworthy topics of the day. Following their address, all speakers are required to participate in a ques- tion-and-answer session with members of the audience, a highly interactive and insightful way for students, faculty, and the public to take part in the provocative Forum process. INSTITUTE OF POLITICS 3 College Students’ Views of President Bush Grow More Mixed The IOP’s spring 2004 national survey of college students finds that Democrat John Kerry holds a 10-point lead over President Bush, though Senator John Kerry Kerry’s support is soft. Support for Senator Kerry seems to reflect growing dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, a continued weak job market, and the leads President President’s stance on gay marriage. This represents a turnaround from our George Bush among fall poll, which found college students more supportive of the President than college students, was the general public. The poll also includes a new method for assessing the political ideology of 48% to 38%. America’s college students. The 11-question “IOP Political Personality Test” finds that the old “liberal” and “conservative” labels do not fit a majority of today’s college students, who are mostly centrists and highly independent. The test is available online at www.iop.harvard.edu for those who would like to determine how their views compare to those of America’s college students. “Concern over the war in Iraq and weakness in the job market has caught up with President Bush,” said IOP Director Dan Glickman during a press “Concern over the conference at the National Press Club in Washington. “College students now war in Iraq and share the general public’s more mixed view of the President, and Senator weakness in the job Kerry is benefiting from that shift. Still, these are highly independent voters market has caught up who are open to persuasion and it would be in the interests of both parties to court them aggressively.” with President Bush. The survey of 1205 college students, drawn randomly from a national College students now database of nearly 5.1 million students, finds – share the general • They favor Kerry over Bush, but Kerry’s support is soft. Sen. Kerry public’s more mixed leads President Bush by 48 to 38 percent. Ralph Nader draws five percent of the vote. But Kerry’s support is soft. Thirty-seven percent of view of the President, those surveyed say they do not know enough about Sen. Kerry to have and Senator Kerry is formed an opinion about him or do not recognize his name. It appears benefiting from that that many of those who say they are planning to vote for Sen. Kerry shift.” are simply looking for an alternative to President Bush. -Dan Glickman, • Support for the President has declined as concerns about Iraq grow. Support for the war in Iraq dropped from 58 percent six months ago to IOP Director 49 percent. At the same time, Bush’s job approval rating fell 14 points, from 61 percent to 47 percent. • They continue to view the job market as weak. Two-thirds believe it will be difficult to find a job after graduation, nearly identical to the October 2003 poll, when the economy was considered weaker. 4 INSTITUTE OF POLITICS • They support legalizing gay marriage. Fifty-seven percent support marriage between homosexuals, which is opposed by 61 percent of the general population. • The old “liberal” and “conservative” labels do not fit most of today’s college students. The poll provides a new system for grouping college 57% of college students by four political ideologies. Most students are in the center students support gay and clearly up for grabs. The four groupings are – marriage, while 61% • Traditional Liberals (32% of college students) – This group strongly of the population believes the country is on the wrong track.