by Mike Purdy | Aug 11, 2019 | Donald Trump, Elections, James Monroe
When the vice-presidential candidates squared off against each other in the 1988 debate, Lloyd Bentsen delivered one of the sharpest political blows ever landed on an opponent. Republican Dan Quayle was proudly touting his years of experience and equating them with...
by Mike Purdy | Jul 21, 2019 | Elections, Franklin Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover, Inaugurations, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Uncategorized
One of the hallmarks of our democracy is the peaceful transfer of power from one president to another, reaching back to March 4, 1797 when George Washington turned over the reigns of power to John Adams. And while the inauguration of a new president has always been...
by Mike Purdy | Jul 16, 2019 | Barack Obama, Campaigns, Donald Trump, Elections, Harry Truman, Lyndon B. Johnson
The first Democratic debates raise the question of what voters should be looking for in evaluating candidates. Rather than merely supporting a candidate because of their promises (often unrealistic) and how closely their policy positions pass the litmus test of party...
by Mike Purdy | Jan 7, 2018 | Assassinations, Books, Campaigns, Chester Arthur, Elections, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry Truman, Jimmy Carter, John Adams, John F. Kennedy, Presidential Sites, Richard Nixon, Thomas Jefferson
There was definitely not enough time in 2017 to read. So many books, so little time! One of my New Year’s resolutions is to read more books. The following is a list of the books about the presidents that I read in 2017 (the titles below are linked to Amazon or...
by Mike Purdy | Nov 28, 2016 | Campaigns, Elections, Electoral College
The 2016 presidential campaign and election was unlike any in our nation’s history. In so many ways, it broke all the rules and expectations. It was unprecedented. In a lecture on November 14, 2016 at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, Dr....
by Mike Purdy | Nov 6, 2016 | Campaigns, Elections
On November 2, 2016, an op-ed article I wrote was published online at TheHill.com. The topic they assigned to me (with less less than a day to prepare!) was “Are Negative Campaign Ads Helpful to Voters?” The 2016 presidential campaign has been the most...
