10/3/96 DW Editors, news directors: James Carville will be available for interviews by media representatives from 4:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 8.) at Baker Center's Alumni Lounge. Please contact Dwight Woodward at 593-1886 if you plan to attend.
ATHENS, Ohio -- James Carville, a senior political adviser to President Clinton, and John Sununu, former chief of staff to President George Bush, open the 1996-97 Kennedy Lecture Series at 8 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 8) in Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium on the Athens campus with a debate titled "Electoral Politics and the Men Who Love It."
Dubbed the "Ragin' Cajun" because of his Louisiana roots and outspoken manner, Carville claims to have managed more campaigns than any other political consultant in America, including Clinton's successful run for the presidency in 1992. In 1993, Carville was named Campaign Manger of the Year by the American Association of Political Consultants for his leadership at Clinton's Little Rock campaign headquarters, known as the "War Room," also the title of an Academy Award-nominated movie that featured Carville.
Carville co-wrote All's Fair: Love, War and Running for President with his wife Mary Matalin, deputy campaign manager for Bush's re-election bid in 1992. Carville's 1996 book We're Right, They're Wrong, A Handbook For Spirited Progressives was on the New York Times best sellers list following its publication in March. Carville completed an undergraduate degree and a law degree at Louisiana State University.
As Bush's chief of staff, Sununu oversaw daily operations at the White House from January 1989 to March 1992. Beginning in 1983, he served three consecutive terms as governor of New Hampshire and was chairman of the National Governor's Association prior to joining the White House staff.
Currently the co-host of CNN's nightly "Crossfire" news and public affairs program, Sununu is also a partner in Trinity International Partners, a private financial firm. He completed his doctorate in engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. A question-and-answer session will follow the debate, moderated by Trustee Professor of English Sam Crowl. The debate is free and open to the public.
The Kennedy Lecture Series brings nationally recognized speakers to Ohio University who appeal to a cross-section of the community and stimulate thought on major public issues, cultural affairs and scholarly fields.