As Republicans prepare to capture the political spotlight during the Republican national convention set for Aug. 30 through Sept. 2 in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, DePaul University experts are poised to provide expert analysis and commentary on the events of the day.

Bruce Newman, marketing professor, DePaul’s College of Commerce, can explore a variety of topics including the debate surrounding a controversial commercial attacking the military service of Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate. “The convention will give Republicans a chance to respond to the fallout from the commercial,” said Newman. “Based on the timing of its release, it also begs the question of whether or not it was contrived as an advertising tool so that the Republicans can talk about Kerry at the convention without being accused of going negative.”

Newman, who is one of the world’s leading experts on political marketing, editor of the Journal of Political Marketing and author of “The Mass Marketing of Politics: Democracy in an Age of Manufactured Images,” can also can discuss such convention issues as the implications of presidential brother and Florida Governor Jeb Bush being a no-show at the convention and the selection by President Bush of convention keynote speaker Sen. Zell Miller, the Democrat turned Republican who served as the keynote speaker at the 1992 convention. Newman can be reached at 312/362-5186 or 847/987-6932.

Other DePaul experts include:

R. Craig Sautter, professor of philosophy and history, School for New Learning. Topics: Historical perspectives of American presidents and conventions. He is the author of the newly released book, “New York Presidential Conventions: The Pre-TV Era (1839-1924),” which provides a fascinating historical backdrop to the 2004 Republican convention. He can be reached at 773/262-5806 or 312/362-8001.

Donald H. J. Hermann, professor of law, College of Law. Topics: Gay marriage, domestic partnership. He is a nationally recognized authority on legal issues related to AIDS. He can be reached at 312/362-8383.

Jeremy Levitt, professor of law, College of Law. Topics: Foreign and domestic political issues; U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; African-American political leadership; Black conservatives, and Illinois senatorial candidates Barak Obama and Alan Keyes. He can be reached at 312/362-5354.

David J. Roberts, associate professor, accountancy and management, College of Commerce. Topics: tax cuts; the federal budget, including deficits; national sales tax and value-added tax proposals; social security, including privatization proposals, and Medicare, including new prescription drug laws. Roberts, who is a certified public accountant, also holds a Masters in Business Administration, a Masters of Science in Taxation and a Juris Doctor. He can be reached at 312/362-8388.

Laura S. Washington, Ida B. Wells-Barnett University professor, LA&S. Topics: African-American voters and political issues involving race; urban and social justice; and Illinois senatorial candidates Barak Obama and Alan Keyes. She can be reached at 773/325-4675.

Wayne Steger, associate professor of political science, LA&S. Topics: Presidential nominations; the history of conventions; and general election bounce. He is writing a book on the pre-primary presidential campaign trail, based upon extensive research on the subject. He can be reached at 773/325-4240.

Marlene Arnold Nicholson, professor of law, College of Law. Nicholson is a national authority on constitutional and empirical issues involved in campaign finance regulation. She can be reached at 312/362-8327.