The Obama Administration's First 100 Days:
An Evaluation and Prognosis

Few presidents have entered office with the magnitude of domestic and international economic problems as Barack Obama faced when he took the Oath of Office on January 20, 2009: two on-going wars; the continuing threat of international terrorism; the spread of nuclear technology and weapons; and an economic environment characterized by massive job layoffs, mortgage foreclosure, and investment losses.

How has the new administration done at the end of its first 100 days? Has the president turned the corner or at least moderated the economic recession? Has he revitalized America's image within the international community, begun to implement new policy goals, and improved relations with nations critical of America's Iraq and Middle East policy? Has the administration begun to deal effectively with the country's energy dependency? Is it on the right track on health care reform and improving America's infrastructure? This workshop will evaluate these and other critical issues the administration will continue to face in its first years in office.

The program will begin by describing the changing public perceptions and expectations of the president and his aides, executive and legislative actions they have initiated or taken, and the impact these actions have had to date. It will also look beyond the first 100 days to the problems that remain and the policy issues that are likely to be addressed in 2009. Finally, the workshop will examine how the news media is covering President Obama and how that coverage has affected agenda-setting, and policy outcomes.

SPEAKERS & TOPICS*

• 

  The Style and Structure of the Obama White House
  Stephen J. Wayne, Professor of Government, Georgetown University; Author of Presidential Leadership; The Legislative Presidency; and The Road to the White House 2008

  President and Congress: Has Bipartisanship Worked?
  Kenneth Duberstein, Chief of Staff under President Reagan; Chairman and CEO, The Duberstein Group

  The President’s 09 Budget and its Implications
  Richard Rahn, Chairman, Institute for Global Economic Growth; Former Vice-President and Chief Economist, Chamber of Commerce of the United States

  American Public Opinion: Perceptions of the New Administration and Contemporary Concerns
  Karlyn Bowman, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute

  The Legal Challenges of Fighting Terrorism
  Jeffrey Rosen, Legal Affairs Editor, The New Republic; Author of The Most Democratic Branch:  How the Courts Serve America

  New Media Coverage of the Obama Administration: Fair or Unfair?
  Steven Roberts, Syndicated Columnist; Television and Radio Analyst; Professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University

  The White House Press Operation: What is the Same and What is Different
  Martha Joynt Kumar, Director, White House Transition Project, The Presidency Research Group; Professor of Political Science, Towson University

  Can Further Corporate Abuses be Prevented?  If So, How?  If Not, Why Not?
  Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate and 2008 Presidential Candidate

  The Health Policy Initiatives of the New Administration and Its Likely Impact
  Julie Rovner, Free-Lance Health Journalist covering Capitol Hill; Special Correspondent, Congress Daily; Commentator, The Lehrer News Hour, CNN and C-Span; Author of Health Politics and Policy, A – Z

  Energy and the Environment: Can We Improve Both Simultaneously?
  Llewellyn King, Executive Producer and Host, White House Chronicle (PBS); Former Publisher, Energy Daily and Defense Week

  Obama’s Middle East Initiative: Will It Work?
  Hisham Melhem, Washington Bureau Chief, Al-Arabiya News Channel; Senior Correspondent, Annahar, Lebanon’s leading daily

  The Korean Issues
  Victor Cha, Former Director for Asian Affairs, National Security Council; Korea Foundation Chair, Asian Studies and Government, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University

  The Afghanistan-Pakistan Initiative
  James Dobbins, Director, International Security and Defense Policy Center, RAND; Former Member, Bush Administration’s First Special Envoy for Afghanistan

  Dealing with Putin’s Russia
  Yuri Maltsev, Soviet Defector and Economic Historian; Former Senior Researcher, Institute of Economics, Academy of Sciences of the USSR; Professor, Carthage College, Wisconsin

  Obama and the Military:  Continuity or Change?
  Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Reagan

  NOTE: Listed speakers have been invited or have presented at previous Alan L. Freed Associates Public Policy Seminars. Topics may change to address events of interest at the time of the program.

 

PROGRAM MODERATORS

A highly qualified Program Moderator will facilitate dialogue between the speakers and participants over the course of the three-day seminar. View moderator biographies.

 

FEE

$1,445 per person

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Seminars will be held at the Capitol Hill Club, 300 First Street, SE, Washington, DC. Continental breakfast and registration will start at 8:00 a.m. The seminar will begin at 8:30a.m. and conclude at approximately 4:00p.m. each day. A luncheon workshop with speaker is included each day. An on-site coordinator will be provided to attend to workshop logistics.

No video, power point or audio-visual aids are utilized in the presentations. These programs are informal and strictly "off-the-record."

 

Register Today