When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis delivered his initial speech as a declared presidential candidate in Iowa last week, his first 15 minutes succinctly previewed how Republicans might defeat President Joe Biden next year. The next 30 minutes of DeSantis’ speech then demonstrated how Biden might survive despite all the doubts […] Read more »
How to Make Trump Go Away
After more than three decades in and around politics, I now spend most of my time grappling with political questions in the classroom and in focus groups. There is one conundrum that fascinates me above others: Why does Donald Trump still generate such loyalty and devotion? And unlike 2016, can […] Read more »
Trump’s latest personal attacks on judges could further weaken people’s declining trust in American rule of law
Former President Donald Trump arrives at the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on April 4, 2023, before his arraignment. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images Paul M. Collins Jr., UMass Amherst and Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, University of North Texas When former President Donald Trump was arraigned in a Manhattan criminal court on April 4, […] Read more »
How Biden Is Shaping the 2024 Battlefield
President Joe Biden is following a strategy of asymmetrical warfare as the 2024 presidential race takes shape. Through the early maneuvering, the leading Republican candidates, particularly former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are trying to ignite a procession of culture-war firefights against what DeSantis calls “the woke […] Read more »
For 2024 GOP field, it’s time for Reagan’s ‘Eleventh Commandment’
It seems like a lifetime ago when remembering Ronald Reagan’s embrace in the 1960s of what came to be known as the “Eleventh Commandment.” Meant to limit intraparty fire, the maxim went like this: “Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican.” … Today, Reagan’s commandment seems much like a […] Read more »
The State of the State of the Union
President Biden relayed a largely upbeat and optimistic report for his State of the Union address to Congress this week. His message focused on jobs and the economy directing energy towards infrastructure in his speech and flexing some rhetorical muscle at China. While trying to paint a rosy picture, he […] Read more »