Millennial Learning: April 16-17, 2009
Joseph A. Pika
Evening Session: The 2008 Election and the First 100 Days

Joseph Pika is the James R. Soles Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Delaware. He specializes in American Government with an emphasis on the presidency, political leadership, education policy and Delaware politics. He is currently conducting research on several aspects of federal and state education policy. He also has ongoing research interests in political leadership, White House staffing and Delaware politics. His most recent publication focuses on the presidency, “The politics of the presidency,” 7th ed. with John Maltese, 2008. From 1997 to 2005 Professor Pika served on the Delaware State Board of Education; he now serves as the Director of the Center for Secondary Teacher Education in the College of Arts and Sciences at UD.

The 2008 Election and the First 100 Days

Barack Obama’s election in November 2008 may have established a new coalition of forces to reshape the direction of American politics. Certainly, those who believe Obama is a “transformative” president believe this is the case. Or it may merely represent another step—or possibly a temporary interruption—of the direction in which the nation has been moving for several decades—intense partisan conflict over a stable agenda that seems frozen in time. Obama’s first 100 days in office may help answer this question or at least give us hints about the significance of the 2008 election. This talk and discussion will explore these issues.