TheVanderbilt Political Review AMERICA’S CROSSROADS Obama’s second term Fiscal crisis Education policy New Republicanism The Future of the Exclusive Interview with Interview with Republican Party Senator Mitch McConnell David Maraniss Pages 8-9 Pages 14-17 Pages 3-5 PAGE 2 VPR / WINTER 2013 TheVanderbilt VPR|winter 2013 Political Review Editorial Staff Table of Contents President Libby Marden 3 David Maraniss Talks Politics with VPR Director of Content Nicholas Vance Interview conducted by Online Director Sid Sapru PR Director Austin Brown Sufei Wu and Kevin Schoelzel Managing Editor Ryan Higgins 6 Modernizing the Campaign Katie Miller Senior Editors Natalie Pate 8 The Future of the GOP Michael Zoorob KristinVargas Editorial Board Alak Mehta 10 Passport to Success: The Complexities Alex Torres of School Voucher Programs Alison Shanahan Ryan Higgins Allia Calkins 12 America’s 51st State? Brooks Cain Alex Torres Christopher Jerrolds Hannah Godfrey 14 Senator McConnell Molds History Hannah Jarmolowski with Henry Clay Harrison Ebeling Julie Babbage Julie Babbage 18 Marijuana Legal Battle: Headed to Kate Harsh Washington? Katie Miller Alak Mehta Kevin Schoelzel Kristin Vargas 20 China’s 18th Party Congress Liesel Burks Sufei Wu Noah Fram 22 Affordable Care Act: The Future of Ryan Higgins American Healthcare Sarah Staples Harrison Ebeling Sufei Wu Violet Martin 24 The Predatory Justice of America’s Sex Offender Senior Designer Allia Calkins Michael Zoorob 26 From VPR Online: Africa Rising Layout Team Kate Harsh Ryan Higgins Minhee Jo 27 From VPR Online: Roe Revisited Faculty Advisor Joshua Clinton Katie Miller 28 Inauguration 2013 Photo Essay Vanderbilt‘s first and only non-partisan political jour- nal, the Vanderbilt Political Want more exclusive content from VPR? Make Review is a proud founding sure to check out member of the Alliance of Collegiate Editors. VPR ONLINE PAGE 3 VPR / WINTER 2013 DAVID MARANISS TALKS POLITICS WITH VPR INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY KEVIN SCHOELZEL AND SUFEI WU This month, VPR had the opportunity to sit down with David Maraniss, an associate editor at The Washington Post. In addition to Barack Obama: The Story, Maraniss is the author of five critically acclaimed and bestselling books. Maraniss is a three-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and won the Pulitzer for national reporting in 1993 for his newspaper coverage of then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton. He also was part of The Washington Post team that won a 2008 Pulitzer for the newspaper’s coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting. He has won several other notable awards for achievements in journalism, including the George Polk Award, the Dirksen Prize for Congressional Reporting, the ASNE Laventhol Prize for Deadline Writing, the Hancock Prize for Financial Writing, the An- thony Lukas Book Prize, the Frankfort Book Prize, the Eagleton Book Prize, the Ambassador Book Prize, and Latino Book Prize. Maraniss is currently the writer- in-residence at the Martha River Ingram Commons and the College of Arts and Science. He is co-teaching Political Biographies in the Department of Political Science. What brings you to Vanderbilt? Several things. I am teaching two courses. One a seminar in political biog- raphy and another a seminar on Sports and Society, two broad themes that I am deeply interested in, [and that] I’ve have written several books about. And Vanderbilt invited me to come. I also by happenstance have a son and family here, including a two year-old granddaughter, so it was very nice to relocate for a while closer to them. Your writing tends to focus on sports and political figures. What simi- larities do you see between these two arenas? You know people often think that I move from the seriousness of sports to the triviality of politics. Like going from what’s important to the toy store. I don’t look at it that way at all. I think that some politics can be trivial and some sports can be sociologically important and vice-versa. So when I’m looking at whatever I’m writing about, there are sort of cultural themes that move through American life in sociology. And you can see many par- allels between politics and sports. On a superficial level, they’re two aspects of life were there are clear winners and losers: you win a game, you win an election. People who go into those two professions tend to have an uncom- mon will to succeed. You often find among the leaders of both sports and politics imbalances in their lives because of that uncommon will. And you see in both of those arenas, as I said earlier, really fascinating ways to PAGE 4 VPR / WINTER 2013 explore the transformations of alcoholic. Along with Richard dealing with that conflict with different eras in American life, Nixon, who had a strong mother, conflict between idealism and and the sort of forces that shape a weak father. Newt Gingrich the ambition. people and this country. same way. You find that it has nothing to do with ideology; it Do you think part of that dif- You have written biographies has to do with sort an impulse to ficulty arises from being more on Presidents, both Clinton, achieve. I think the other com- in the public eye and all of their Obama, Vice President Al monalities in these politicians actions are scrutinized? Gore, and house speaker Newt include, as we said earlier, has Gingrich along with countless to do with a certain imbalance. Part of it is that you see it all other heavy hitters in American A will to prevail that can create more rawly. I have said of Bill Democracy. You have gotten some other imbalances in their Clinton that he exhibits all char- VPR:to Could see a lotyou of explain leaders the up Vander close,- telllives. about Whether what the it’s public in their is thinkingfam- acteristicsVPR: Do youof humanity think that just SuperPACs in an biltget YouGov to understand project? them, What andily life,whether or in their the wayreaction they is treat one way incrediblyhave had exaggerateda significant influencesense, for on common traits do you see orother another. people. Often you’ll find betterad-making, and worse. or to someI think extent that’s on the JG: amongThe Vanderbilt these politicians? YouGov ad rat As- with politicians, and this is not trueparties’ for a messages? lot of politicians you ingyou project said is likean effort in sports to provide there are VPR:to be Does completely negative critical advertisement of them, see it more clearly. And also, systematica lot of dataimbalances and evidence but areof what their betterbut you inform will oftenthe public? find they are theyJG Ihave don’t; more I think on they’vethe line wasted than a the anypublic other thinks traits about you political see a lot ads. much better at creating a sense thehuge average amount person of money. and they They have qual - There’sin that a big top effort echelon to evaluate of national these JG:of communityIf you look at out the of content millions of aof toity make of the more ads isof surprisingly those difficult bad. The ads— [whether] they [are] misleading typical negative ad versus the content messages don’t seem all that different or true—ifpoliticians? these fact checks go on. ofstrangers a typical thanpositive they ad, are there out are of thecer- choicesfrom what the candidates are run- And basically most assessments of the taincohorts things that that should negative be adsclosest do better. ning [in their ads]. It’s almost as if adsI are find kind two of ansort elite archetypes game where of Negativewith them. ads Youare morewill find likely that to be a FocusingSuperPACs—because on Obama, wein hisdon’t think journalistspoliticians. or academics Generally or speak pundits- aboutlot of issuesthem athave the whatpresidential they might level. secondof them term as SuperPACs, he laid out we his call vi them- makeing, an they assessment go into ofpolitics them. withAnd a They’resay are moreten thousand likely to beacquain specifically- sionRomney’s in his inauguralSuperPAC oraddress. 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