The Iowa Caucus kicked off the 2020 presidential primaries this week, so we’re sharing a primer on the history and influence of presidential campaigns. Communications scholar Geoffrey Cowan and historian David Greenberg explain how our primary system originated in the midst of Teddy Roosevelt’s quest for a third term, how campaigning and “spin” has evolved since then, and more in this program held in the leadup. to the 2016 election. NCC President Jeffrey Rosen moderates. Jeff’s mic cuts out briefly around 15 minutes in (and, unfortunately, we couldn't fix this) but it just lasts a few minutes so please stick with us!
FULL PODCAST
PARTICIPANTS
Geoffrey Cowan is a lawyer, academic administrator, government official, best-selling author, distinguished professor, non-profit executive, and Emmy Award-winning producer. He is the author of the book Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary which was released in January 2016 and released in paperback in January 2017. He was the first president of the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. From 1996-2007, he served as dean of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he was named a University Professor (one of 21 at the university), the inaugural holder of the Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership and director of USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy. He holds a joint appointment in the USC Gould School of Law.
David Greenberg is a professor of History and of Journalism & Media Studies at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, and a frequent commentator in the national news media on contemporary politics and public affairs. His most recent book is Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency. Formerly a full-time journalist, Prof. Greenberg is now a contributing editor to Politico Magazine, where he writes a regular column. He previously served as managing editor and acting editor of The New Republic, where he was a contributing editor until 2014.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
This episode was engineered by Greg Scheckler and produced by Jackie McDermott and Tanaya Tauber.
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected].
Continue today’s conversation on Facebook and Twitter using @ConstitutionCtr.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.
Please subscribe to Live at America’s Town Hall and our companion podcast We the People on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app.
