The pioneering political scientist Richard Neustadt is best remembered for his insight that the unilateral powers of the presidency are much more limited than the expectations hung on the office by the American public and the ambitions of the people who occupy it, requiring presidents to engage in productive collaboration […] Read more »
Immigration and the Inevitability of Identity Politics in 2020
The 2016 campaign and the Trump presidency has focused on issues tied closely to Americans’ racial, ethnic, religious, and gender identities — and generated calls for both parties to reject “identity politics.” The challenge for both parties is that identity politics is increasingly baked into American politics. Even if Democratic […] Read more »
Why Impeachment Remains a Dangerous Road for Dems
… In a country that is already deeply divided, as we learned with the experiences of impeachment proceedings against Presidents Nixon and Clinton, the act of impeachment is the most serious and divisive action possible, to be used sparingly and when there is no alternative. Impeachment sucks all of the […] Read more »
Modest Changes in Views of Impeachment Proceedings Since Early September
Most Americans have not changed their views on whether the House should conduct impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump since early September, before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would conduct an impeachment inquiry of the president. But about one-in-ten adults (9%) who had opposed the House opening […] Read more »
What to expect when you are expecting impeachment
Anyone who thinks an impeachment inquiry is helpful to a sitting president has never worked in a White House where the boss is under the constant threat of removal from office. Fewer challenges are more unhelpful. It is easy to forget now but, nearly 20 years ago, President Bill Clinton […] Read more »
Congress Approval, Support for Impeaching Trump Both Up
As Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives work through an impeachment inquiry regarding alleged abuses of office by President Donald Trump, approval of Congress is now at 25%. That is up from 18% in September, prior to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announcing the impeachment inquiry following news of possible […] Read more »