The Inside Story of Election 2012: Fast Politics and Faster Media Meet a Rapidly Changing Electorate

The 2012 election lacked the high drama of 2008, when Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama made history, Sarah Palin went meteoric, and the economy was in freefall. In contrast, the 2012 campaigns may be remembered as a succession of mini-gaffes and hourly skirmishes fueled by over-caffeinated operatives and reporters on Twitter. Was it all just "sound and fury… signifying nothing?" Or did the trivia obscure real changes in politics—and the way politics are covered? For instance, how have regional demographic shifts changed the electoral map for the President and Congress? How has technology transformed campaign coverage for better and worse? And how has all of this affected Washington’s ability to grapple with issues that matter?

Peter Hamby, political reporter, CNN Ben Smith, editor-in-chief, BuzzFeed Molly Ball, staff writer, The Atlantic Sayu Bhojwani, founding executive director, The New American Leaders Project David Catanese, reporter, Politico

Moderated by: Jeff Smith, assistant professor of politics and advocacy, Milano School of International Affairs, Management, and Urban Policy, The New School

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Supported by the Milano Foundation.