UB Faculty Experts

EXPERT CONTACT : Jonathan Katz, PhD Director of Doctoral Program Department of Visual Studies University at Buffalo 646-241-5241 jonathandavidkatz@gmail.com

Consistently, polls have shown an ever increasing percentage of Americans, especially younger Americans, are in favor of marriage equality for gay men and women.

That North Carolina elected to be on the wrong side of history once again is, sadly, a habit it needs to break.  North Carolinians opposed civil rights for African Americans; they elected Jess Helms and kept putting him in office despite his hateful rhetoric against blacks and gays.

A governor of North Carolina will, in the not too distant future, have to hold a press conference to apologize for this vote.  The habit to disenfranchise others runs deep there and has for centuries, and despite constitutional guarantees of equality, the state's voters continue to pick and choose who will be made "equal."

The President's statement in favor of marriage equality is a game changer.  Active support for him among the left was at best lukewarm and this statement will revitalize the progressive movement at large;  it's import goes far beyond the queer community, because he's finally shown some of that fighting spirit and principled commitment that made him a favorite during his campaign.

Obama's statement, then, is an olive branch to the left.  And he needs us to win again, not just our votes, but our fervor, our door-to-door politicking, our grassroots savvy. We always knew he believed in marriage equality, but we weren't sure on which side his politicalcalculus would come down.  It's great to see he's come out in favor of full equality.

EXPERT CONTACT : Joshua Dyck, PhD Associate Professor of Political Science University at Buffalo (716) 645-8435 jdyck@buffalo.edu

 President Barack Obama's "evolving" position on gay marriage should be understood as a shrewd political move that carries a considerable, but calculated, risk.

The proceeding months will unveil how it pans out, but right now, President Obama and the Democrats are entering uncharted campaign territory.

Over the last 30 years, Republicans have used their positions on social issues to galvanize the electorate and mobilize their base.  Obama's support for marriage equality signals that the President intends to make the 2012 campaign about more than the economy --  he intends to take the fight to the Republican party on the social issue front. 

So far we have seen the Obama campaign characterize Romney and the Republicans as anti-immigrant and anti-woman and his affirmation of his support for gay marriage demonstrates that the President plans to hold Republicans accountable for positions on this issue as well. 

With modest economic growth and some warning signals from the economy, the political environment in 2012 is, and will continue to be, extremely competitive.

In a close election, mobilization of core supporters becomes critical. While the President's evolving position on gay marriage has the potential to help conservatives mobilize voters, this move is clearly aimed at mobilizing many on the left who may feel less excited by Obama's promises of hope and change in 2012 than they were in 2008.

James Campbell, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science at the University at Buffalo, and Joshua Dyck, PhD, assistant professor of political science at UB are both experts in electoral politics.

Here they comment on why President Obama has begun fundraising for the 2012 campaign so early, predictions that his efforts will break all records, why he will HAVE to raise so much money, the broken public financing system, Republican eletoral disarray, the recent rebuke of the Democrats and what all this tells us about the upcoming presidential election.

EXPERT CONTACT : James E. Campbell, PhD Professor and Chair Department of Political Science 716-645-8452  jcampbel@buffalo.edu

EXPERT CONTACT : Joshua Dyck, PhD Assistant Professor Department of Political Science  716-645-8435 jdyck@buffalo.edu

"In 2008, President Obama changed the way campaigns were run when he raised enough money from small donors over the internet to smash all previous fundraising records," Dyck recalls. 

"Based on his grassroots support and presence as an incumbent, I expect that he will once again raise an incredible amount of money, making it a formidable task for his Republican opponent to unseat him. 

"However, as Donald Trump will prove this year if he decides to run for President, money will only take you so far.  While the official campaign was announced today, it's far too early to start talking about re-election prospects," he says.