Ohio once again at center of presidential politics

Mo Elleithee

Ohio State Marion’s annual Warren G. Harding Symposium takes aim at presidential politics, offering a front row seat to this year’s political pandering and the “traveling circus” toward electing the next President of the United States

With the 2016 Republican National Convention set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio July 18-21, and a never ending barrage of sound bites from the presidential candidates flooding the news media, battleground state Ohio is once again at the cornerstone of decision and debate on who will be the next leader of the free world.

The Ohio State University at Marion has capitalized on this summer’s political discourse and will once again host a panel of nationally recognized political pundits, researchers, and scholars for the 2016 Warren G. Harding Symposium focusing on “The American Presidential Candidate:  Reality vs. Illusion.”

The annual symposium is slated to take place July 15-16, 2016 in Marion, Ohio, the home of former President Warren G. Harding.  Harding’s Front Porch Campaign in 1920 was considered the first “modern” media campaign. Some might argue it’s been downhill ever since.

Professor Alan Schroeder of Northeastern University’s School of Journalism, Dr. Daniel Shea of Colby College’s Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement, and Mo Elleithee, who heads the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown University, will each bring their insight into today’s modern presidential campaigns. “Where have we come and where are we going in the selection process for our next president?” This year’s symposium promises to be as relevant as today’s headlines.

The symposium’s featured speaker Mo Elleithee will offer his expert analysis on this year’s campaign at 4 p.m., Saturday afternoon with his discussion, “What the Heck is Going On? Campaign 2016:  Sideshow…or Have the Rules Changed?”

Elleithee spent nearly two decades as one of the top communications strategists in the Democratic Party, helping political leaders and organizations figure out how to tell their story. He served as the Communications Director of the Democratic National Committee, and is a veteran of four presidential campaigns, including having served as senior spokesman for Hillary Clinton’s 2008 campaign. Elleithee was also a founding partner of two of Washington’s leading political consulting firms, Hilltop Public Solutions and Three Point Media, and continues to be a frequent political commentator on CNN, MSNBC, FOX News and PBS News Hour.

He earned his undergraduate degree from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and a Master of Arts degree in political management from George Washington University. He currently serves as the founding Executive Director of the Institute of Politics and Public Service at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.  Elleithee lives in Washington with his wife and two children, and can often be found at the Verizon Center (or on Twitter during the off-season) cheering on his beloved Hoya basketball team.

In addition to Elleithee’s workshop talk, Dr. Daniel Shea, Director of the Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement from Colby College in Waterville, ME, will lead a discussion entitled, “Can We Talk? The Rise of Rude, Nasty, Stubborn Politics,” followed by a workshop session, “Presidential Debates: 50 Years of High Risk Television,” led by Alan Schroeder, Professor of Journalism at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Those wanting to learn more or register for the 2016 Warren G. Harding Symposium at Ohio State Marion are asked to visit http://go.osu.edu/harding or call Emily Creasap at Ohio State Marion, 740-725-6340.

The Warren G. Harding Symposium is an academic, social, and cultural exploration of the life and times of America’s 29th president. The Symposium presents in-depth analysis and research by authors, historians, researchers and experts on the Harding Era and related areas of interest.

The symposium is collaboration between The Ohio State University at Marion, the Harding Home Presidential Site, the Ohio History Connection, Marion Technical College, the Marion Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Marion Public Library.