Date: Tuesday, April 1st, 2008
Time: 16.00-18.00
Venue: U.S. Embassy, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 31, Stockholm

For registration click here.     - The event is free of charge.

Important message from the U.S. Embassy: Upon you arrival to the American Embassy you will be subject to an airport security type check, please refrain from bringing electronic equipment - including personal organizers, mobiles with camera functions, laptops, palmtops - large parcels/bags, sharp objects, flammable items or unrecognizable liquids. Should you bring such items, they will safeguarded by our security crew until you leave the Embassy. Please dress appropriately for the season as you may encounter a wait before being admitted into the Embassy.

Elections commentator Rick Dunham has covered every presidential race since 1980 - in high profile publications, and Americans turn to him each election for trustworthy commentary on the presidential race. He also happens to be related to Senator Barack Obama. This is an exclusive opportunity for AmCham members to gain insight into the developments of the US 2008 presidential elections. 

Interview with Richard Dunham, regarding 2008 U.S. presidential election

1. How long have you followed the US presidential politics professionally?
I have covered every presidential race since 1980, three for the Dallas Times Herald, four for Business Week and this one for the Houston Chronicle.

2. Which race does this one remind you of?
It's like 1968 in that the United States was in the midst of an unpopular war and tumultuous times at home. It's also like 1968 because Hillary Clinton (like Richard Nixon that year) is a polarizing political figure who has a large number of political enemies and voters who will never support her. So Hillary, like Nixon, has to run an exceptionally good race to win. Nixon did just that. Can Hillary? It also has some resemblance to 1952 when a very unpopular president, Harry Truman, was not running and both parties had wide-open primaries. After a tough Republican primary, the party chose the charismatic Dwight Eisenhower (the parallel today is Barack Obama) over the favorite of party regulars, Bob Taft (today's parallel is Hillary Clinton). The Democrats (like today's Republicans) distanced themselves from the most unpopular president of modern times but still lost the election.

3. What do you find unique about this year's race?
It's an election of firsts: the first serious female candidate, the first strong black candidate, a Mormon candidate, the first Mexican-American candidate (now out of the race). It's also the first election since 1928 where there is not an incumbent president or vice president seeking the presidency.

4. Do you think the US world of politics is breaking away from the WASP male-dominated mold?
Yes -- and no. The Democratic Party is a diverse party and is more liberal in its thinking, so it would be more accepting of a candidate who is not a white Protestant male. All of the Republicans are white men, though a Mormon and an Italian Catholic are among the candidates. I think there still is an undercurrent of racial prejudice in America that would make it harder for a black candidate to win, but I don't think it is impossible any longer. There are some men who will not vote for a woman for president, but I think that number is very small. A strong woman like Margaret Thatcher or Hillary Clinton could win, regardless of gender. And the U.S. will become more open to diverse candidates when WASPs become a minority of the population sometime over the next two decades.

5. What do you think we at AmCham Denmark would be wise watching closely and why?
(1) I'd monitor the state of the American economy, which is very shaky right now, and consumer confidence in the U.S., which could affect purchases of global products. (2) I'd look at the politics of economic recession: Does the U.S. become more protectionist? Does it raise or cut taxes on business? Does it shut down immigration? (3) I'd look for a rise in populism in both parties, where politicians condemn corporate greed and create an "us-against-them" mentality.

6. Barack Obama's late mother's last name was Dunham. Is there a story here?
Indeed. The first time I met Barack Obama, in 2005, when he was a new senator and I was the new president of the National Press Club, he nicknamed me "Cousin Rick." He challenged me to find out if we are related. I have since discovered that he is descended from a Jonathan Singletary, alias Dunham, from Plymouth, Massachusetts. I am descended from a John Goodman, alias Dunham, who came to Plymouth, Massachusetts on the Mayflower, the first ship to bring permanent English settlers to America. If Jonathan Dunham and John Dunham are the same, we are cousins. And there probably weren't too many Dunhams in the small settlement of Plymouth in 1640. Dick Cheney is Barack Obama's cousin. I may be, too. But I am NOT related to Dick Cheney.