When Barack Obama made his victory speech after last week’s US presidential election, he said: “Change has come to America”.
This theme, last week’s vote, what it says about the US now and possibly into the future, as well as the experience of previous presidencies, will be the subject of a talk in NUI, Galway by the man the Wall Street Journal has called the “wittiest political journalist in America”.
US political commentator and columnist Mark Shields will give a talk entitled The Politics of the 2008 Election: How America Has Changed to the NUIG Law Society on Thursday November 20 at 8pm in the university’s Cairnes Theatre,.
Mr Shields worked as a political analyst on News Hour with Jim Lehrer for nearly two decades and appeared frequently as a commentator on CNN. In 1979, he began writing his column on national politics for The Washington Post, a column which is now distributed nationally.
Mr Shields worked on a number of political campaigns including Robert Kennedy’s campaign in 1968 where he acted as Kennedy’s California State Director. He is also the author of On The Campaign Trail, a narrative account which documents the 1984 presidential race.
Peter Mannion, auditor of the NUIG Law Society, met Mr Shields when he spent the summer as an intern for Barack Obama. “Meeting Mark Shields was one of the highlights of my summer in Washington,” he said. “He offers a unique insight into American politics with his wealth of experience and hilarious wit.”
For further information on the event contact Louise Hamilton on 086 - 0734033 or email [email protected]
