US Elections 2012 Audio: Obama's Victory and What Happens Next --- A Conversation with Ideas Lab

I spoke with the University of Birmingham's Ideas Lab on Thursday about the US elections, President Obama's victory, and the political challenges that lay ahead both for him and for the Republican Party. Topics ranged from the debate over the economy and Government budget to the new social dynamics revealed by the vote to American foreign policy.

The full SoundCloud discussion:

The shorter version featured on Ideas Lab:

Podcast Special: Scott Lucas on "US Politics and the Future of Obama"

The University of Birmingham's Ideas Lab is pursuing an excellent initiative to bring the voices of academics to a general audience. I had the chance to speak with them this week about the work of EA WorldView and, specifically, about the current state of play in US politics.

Questions include: How serious is the setback for President Obama from the 2010 Congressional elections? What are the prospects for the Republican Party? Is Sarah Palin --- and beyond Palin, the Tea Party --- an asset or an albatross for those Republicans? How does an often-polarised US media affect politics? And what is likely to occur in the 2012 campaign?

Have a listen: it may be the only chat on US politics this month to bring in the significance of Dancing with the Stars.

Listen to the interview....