Note: This project is originally described on the Research Project Home page.
As noted in our meeting with the Kettering Foundation on March 27-28, the goal is to build relationships with presidential libraries and refine the current research questions for next year.

An e-mail from Bob Kingston on May 17, 2007 further clarified the research question we are to answer with our report and in our meeting in D.C. on June 7-8 with the other Public Voice Watch Parties - Carter, Ford libraries and Saddleback Community College:

on what occasions, under what circumstances, and to what degree do political professionals (i.e. the people in the circle at the Press Club) respond with a shared understanding to the concerns express by deliberative citizens (i.e. forum participants in the roll-in segments of “A Public Voice”)?

This is important for us to keep in mind, particularly since the Austin audience was appalled by the program's format and their perceived lack of deliberation, thoughtful discussion, fruitful analysis, or willingness to engage with each other much less the audience members seated in the periphery. As Kingston also notes in his e-mail:

Phil’s (Stewart who is a Kettering consultant working on this project) careful questions open avenues towards this over-arching research interest—compared to which, immediate critiques of the politicians, or the citizens, or KF, or the “program” are much easier (and less expensive!) to come by!

In other words, we should steer away from critiques of the program or format and focus on when and how political professions respond to the citizens.