Will Obama Ever Be Popular Again?

Barack Obama has had an unusual presidency, winning election twice with a majority of the vote, yet frequently saddled with a job approval rating below 50 percent. In fact, only during his “honeymoon” period in 2009 and around his reelection in 2012 has a majority of the population approved of […] Read more »

Environmental policy is partisan. It wasn’t always.

When the Clean Air Act first became law in 1970, the Senate passed it without a single nay vote. Only one representative had voted against the bill. … Republicans — and conservative Democrats — have been hesitant to take up the issues on environmentalists’ minds for years, thanks to an […] Read more »

The Politics of White House Firings

When presidential popularity sags, the predictable calls begin: Off with their heads! The heads, of course, belong to key administrators and Cabinet officials who are perceived to have contributed to whatever woes are besetting the president. … What effect do firings have on public opinion? Does it help a president’s […] Read more »