After all the tumult and twists and turns of 2020, it seems a bit risky, if not downright ridiculous, to speculate about the things that will drive our politics in the upcoming year. But, there are some issues that I think are going to play important, if not staring roles […] Read more »
Lowering the bar for the Biden administration
Less than two years from now, during Joe Biden’s first midterm election — and assuredly four years from now, during the next presidential contest — one of the two parties is likely to raise an inevitable question: “Are you better off now than you were two — or four — […] Read more »
Death threats and intimidation of public officials signal Trump’s autocratic legacy
Rioters storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, seeking to intimidate politicians into overturning the presidential election. AP Photo/John Minchillo Shelley Inglis, University of Dayton As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump approaches, federal officials are investigating threats to attack or kill members of Congress. This comes […] Read more »
Democrats, Republicans Support Alliances, Disagree on International Organizations
Upon entering office, one of Joe Biden’s first orders of foreign policy business will be to start the long process of repairing America’s standing abroad. Such an effort will begin with mending fences with allies and partners around the world. The good news for the Biden administration is that Americans […] Read more »
Why Biden’s bipartisanship hope is probably already lost
If there was one big message from President Joe Biden’s inaugural address, it was bipartisanship and unity. This theme wasn’t surprising given that inaugurations are often about coming together and Biden’s 2020 campaign emphasized unity over division. Still, the underlying political disagreements that have led to nastiness will almost certainly […] Read more »
The Trump approach to politics may have captured the GOP permanently
… Recent work by political scientists characterizes the struggles within conservative parties as key for democracy. Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson’s book “Let Them Eat Tweets” addresses what they call “the conservative dilemma.” The core of this dilemma is that in modern democracies, the conservative party tends to be more […] Read more »