Interview with Sandy Maisel by Mike Hastings

Biographical NoteLouis Sandy Maisel was born on October 25, 1945, in Buffalo, New York. He attended Harvard, where he became involved with various campus and political organizations, and Columbia University, where he earned his Ph.D. in political science. In 1971 he settled in Maine, working on Bill Hathaway’s campaign for Senate, teaching at Colby College, and volunteering for Maine Democrats, including George Mitchell. In 1977, Maisel was the research director for the House Commission on Administrative Review. In 1978, he ran unsuccessfully in the congressional primary in Maine. At the time of this interview he was professor of government at Colby College and director of its Goldfarb Center for Public Affairs and Civic Engagement. SummaryInterview includes discussion of: family background and education and political upbringing; an anecdote about his father getting a telegram to have dinner with President Truman; Buffalo, New York; Harvard as compared to Yale and small liberal arts colleges like Colby; Louise Day Hicks; protests when Maisel was at Columbia in the late 1960s; his doctoral dissertation on housing policy in Congress; the political scene at Colby College; Waterville, Maine in 1971 and today; mill town politics in Waterville; working on Bill Hathaway’s campaign in 1972; George Heffernan; monitoring moving votes precinct by precinct; doing publicity for Max McCarthy in New York; organizing Colby students to volunteer for Mitchell; Mitchell and Joe Brennan; Mitchell’s 1974 campaign; Maisel’s 1978 run for Congress; the Obey Commission; Emery’s appeal in a general election; Maine politics; writing From Obscurity to Oblivion; politics in northern Maine versus southern Maine, and the congressional districts; Maisel’s view on the candidates in 2010 Maine state elections; campaign financing in Maine and the Clean Election law; the press’s impact in statewide politics; Mitchell’s joke about Colby and Bowdoin; Mitchell’s role in Middle East affairs; Mitchell and his brother “Swisher’; and Mitchell’s image at Colby

Forging a legislative agenda: The role of political parties, interest groups, consultants and media

The Social Development Research Center and the Yuchengco Center for East Asia sponsored a lecture on Forging a Legislative Agenda: The Role of Political Parties, Interest Groups, Consultants and Media by Dr. L. Sandy Maisel, Chair of the Department of Government, Colby College and 1998 Distinguished Fulbright Philippine Centennial Lecturer

Research trends in American political science

Dr. L. Sandy Maisel, Chair of the Department of Government, Colby College gave a lecture on Research Trends in American Political Science

Another in a series of guest columns examining President Clinton\u27s performance b

Another in a series of guest columns examining President Clinton\u27s performance based on his campaign agenda. L. Sandy Maisel, Dana Professor of American Democratic Institutions at Colby College, maintains that Clinton is being scrutinized by the media like no president before him