I have long argued that on the most fundamental level, all elections are choices between continuity and change. The “in” party needs voters to believe that things are going well — or at least improving — while the “out” party needs to sell its message of change. On rare occasions, when things are obviously not […]
The gun debate has shifted dramatically. Suddenly, it looks as if the issue will benefit Democrats in November, not Republicans. The reason for the shift doesn’t rest primarily on the intelligence and commitment of the students of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, although many of them have been articulate and persuasive. Nor […]
Even if you think Republican leaders in Congress have shown no spine in responding to President Donald Trump’s more outrageous and inappropriate comments, you ought to be willing to acknowledge that GOP legislators are caught in a no-win situation. It’s always tempting to tell incumbents of an unpopular president’s party to criticize their own party […]
While most people seem fascinated by shifts in presidential job approval and national ballot tests, I’ve always thought that the “role of government” question asked in the NBC News/Wall Street Journal survey doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The responses to that question offer interesting insights into how voters see government, which, in turn, affects […]
Over the past few weeks, members of Congress, journalists and television hosts agreed on one thing: The looming government shutdown was a huge deal. Then, after the shutdown ended, those same people pontificated about who won and who lost, as well as about liberal dissatisfaction with the deal to open the government. Here is my […]
One year ago, as Donald Trump was preparing to take the oath of office, Democrats were in disarray. Supporters of 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were pointing fingers at each other, the Democratic National Committee was in disgrace, and Democratic voters were demoralized. Now, Trump has succeeded in doing something extraordinary, […]
Call me crazy, but I'm not sure we won't see a government shutdodwn, even though Congress managed to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 22. Why? Because no one in Washington is particularly afraid of a government shutdown. Democrats aren’t afraid of a government shutdown because Republicans are in control […]
Nine months into their respective terms, President Donald Trump’s job approval rating is substantially worse than Barack Obama’s was among both partisan groups and Independents, according to Gallup polls. Trump’s average job approval numbers for the week of October 9 stood at 79 percent among Republicans, 8 percent among Democrats and 33 percent among Independents. […]
The calls from Democrats and many in the media for a bipartisan health care bill are understandable. But a bipartisan plan is a very heavy lift for Congress – probably even heavier than a partisan one. Almost everyone likes the sound of a “bipartisan approach.” It comes with connotations of compromise, reasonableness, moderation and sensitivity […]