Under Discussion

Real-time results Election provides teaching moments for Griffi n Chair The nation is moving forward with the 2012 race for president and Maxine Berman is looking at the election from a perspective diff erent that most other people. While she shares an interest in whether Barack Obama is re- elected or Republican Mitt Romney unseats the incumbent Democratic president, as the CMU Griffi n Chair Berman is keeping a close eye on the invaluable lessons students and the university community can learn from the political events. "It's always fun to do a course on campaigns as the campaign is going on because it's all happening in real time," says Berman, whose term as Griffi n Chair recently was extended to a fourth year. "There's nothing like a presidential election. The course shifts and changes with the issues as they surface." As the Griffi n Chair, Berman teaches two political science seminars and organizes two forums each year addressing public policy and political issues throughout Michigan. Berman, the fourth individual to hold the Griffi n chair, was the director of special projects for former Gov. Jennifer Granholm from 2003 to 2010. Prior to that, she served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1983 to 1996. Monitoring and analyzing the daily developments in the presidential campaign, Berman says she agrees with people who are voicing concerns about an apparent increase in the amount of negative campaign tactics and an unwillingness among the political parties to fi nd middle ground on major issues. "We didn't always agree on everything, but at the end of the day we had to work together to get things done," she says. "More and more, the ugliness and unwillingness to bridge between the two political parties has become standard operating procedure. I keep telling my students it doesn't have to be like this." Under Discussion | Fall 2012 3 Such a sentiment was echoed among the panelists at the spring Griffi n Policy Forum that delved into "Predictions for the November Elections." The panel of political experts featured were Jill Alper, democratic strategist and media consultant at Dewey Square Group; Rick Wiener, founder of Wiener Associates; Rusty Hills, director of public aff airs for Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette; and John Truscott, president and principal of Truscott Rossman. Rick Pluta, managing editor and state capitol bureau chief from Michigan Public Radio Network, served as moderator. For the record, the panelists were evenly split on predicting who will win the election this fall. The Griffi n Endowment was created in 1999 through private donations as a tribute to distinguished CMU alumni Robert and Marjorie Griffi n. • Maxine Berman Spring 2012 Griffi n Policy Forum

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