… The old rules of GOP politics held that any Republican who stepped out of line to seek compromise with Democrats risked immediate attack for ideological heresy, or worse, squishiness and weakness. But Trump’s call for a “much stronger coming together” with Democrats last week earned him little direct public […] Read more »
Lessons From an Ineffective President
If you wanted to offer a graduate-school class in how not to be an effective president of the United States, Donald Trump could write the textbook and teach the course. The first lesson would be to cater myopically to your base, alienating those in your party who are not in […] Read more »
New Polling on Voters’ Priorities for Healthcare After the Failure of Repeal and Replace
Our recent national survey of 1,017 voters, conducted August 18 to 21, 2017, confirms that the efforts of President Trump and Republicans in Congress to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act already have put them very far at odds with the public and are a major political vulnerability for […] Read more »
The Struggle Between Clinton and Sanders Is Not Over
The surge in Democratic enthusiasm and activism driven by animosity to President Trump is proving to be a mixed blessing. Renewed fervor improves Democratic prospects in 2018 House and Senate elections. At the same time, in a development reminiscent of the Tea Party Republican insurgency of 2010, moderate and centrist […] Read more »
Why Trump’s Immigration Gambit Will Likely Backfire
President Trump may have hoped to increase pressure on congressional Democrats to accept other hardline elements of his immigration agenda this week by rescinding the program that has protected from deportation about 800,000 “Dreamers,” young people brought to the country illegally by their parents. But it’s more likely Trump has […] Read more »
New poll: Obama-Trump voters are starting to sour on Trump
Just over seven months into his presidency, Donald Trump continues to face important challenges. These include the investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia, a struggling legislative agenda and Trump’s own controversial statements, especially regarding the violence perpetrated by white supremacists in Charlottesville. Meanwhile, Trump’s approval numbers have […] Read more »