Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Question Day
It's been a while since I had one of these, so let's give it a go. You have questions, I have answers, or at least I'll try. Leave 'em here, or email them, or tweet them (here). Any topic: budgets, nominations, presidential elections, obscure clauses of the Constitution, how the All Star Game should work, whatever. I ask y'all questions every Sunday; turnabout is fair play, as they say.
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If the Obama administratione attempts to nullify the debt ceiling by citing the 14th amendment, do you think House Republicans will begin impeachment proceedings?
ReplyDeleteI once saw a chart that mapped the partisan lean of a age demographic over the perceived success of the President that was in office when that demographic came of voting age and I can't find it anywhere. It was really interesting and pretty consistent. FDR is generally considered a very successful president, and the people who came of age while he was president are overwhelmingly democratic, Jimmy Carter was considered a sub par president, and 18 year olds during his administration lean republican, George W. Bush is generally considered a colossal failure, and people that turned 18 while he was president (like me) are overwhelmingly democratic. Do you know the specific chart I'm talking about or anything I could read that corroborates what I'm saying? I'd love to read up on this further. I hate to think I imagined it.
ReplyDeleteHow do you see the politics of global warming evolving as its effects increasingly effect average people? Will conservatives be hit for supporting bunk denier science? Or do you think Republicans will simply revise their stance and maintain similar levels of public trust and support? I know I'm asking a big question that hinges on future circumstances we can't exactly predict, but I'm curious to know your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteShould NH and VT switch from a two year election cycle to a four year election cycle for their governors? Is the two year cycle better in any way?
ReplyDeleteI want an amendment to end lifetime tenure for Supreme Court judges.
ReplyDeleteWhat should I and people like me do to get such an amendment ratified? Who are the first people we need to convince?
Why are Republican county chairman during major campaigns so much older than the Democratic ones?
ReplyDeleteDo you see any possible shift away, in the near-term, from our current era of highly partisan politics? What would it take to get Democrats and Republicans to actually start working together again in Congress, as they did so successfully for much of the 20th Century? My personal view is that our current era of partisanship is primarily due to problems within the Republican party; in particular, the takeover of radical hard right-wing elements and the destruction of the "RINO" wing of the party. If you agree, then maybe a better question is, what will it take for the GOP to moderate itself?
ReplyDeleteSome people (for example, Paul Krugman) think that the jobs numbers released on Friday are evidence of the serious harm slashing government spending could do. You wrote that day about the state and local austerity measures costing jobs. So why do you think Obama didn't make the argument that we're having the wrong discussion and that jobs are still what's most important? That any deal on the debt ceiling absolutely cannot come at the cost of more American jobs.
ReplyDeleteI would think this would be a chance to move the window of the debate. Your thoughts?
-David Gill
Why have recent Democratic Presidents been so bad at (playing hard ball) politics compared to Republican ones? (Clinton was ok, but Carter was bad and, in my opinion, Obama is even worse) As a corollary: Why do Democratic Presidents fight with their own party more than the Republicans?
ReplyDeleteIs Obama actually The Manchurian Candidate but brainwashed by the Republicans?
ReplyDeleteLeon Panetta recently said that the US would be open to leaving troops in Iraq after this year. Given the increased levels for violence against our troops this past month, would Obama face any political fallout by choosing to not withdraw our forces?
ReplyDeleteWhat could Obama have done differently in 2009/2010 instead of focusing on health care. Climate or Financial reform - more stringent and faster implementation or more economic stimulus - housing and state aid?
ReplyDeleteI think you've discussed before but I wonder if your thoughts have changed at all as things have progressed.
How does Gavin Newsom fit into your Iron Law of Politics (big city mayor).
ReplyDeleteAs a budding academic who can't imagine writing for (and certainly hasn't been trained to write for) an audience of the size and variety that you now have, I'm curious how you feel about the relationship between blogging and teaching, or blogging and your scholarly work. Do you see blogging as similar to teaching a mid-level course? a seminar? As rehearsal for academic papers? a safe space for speculating? As a way to bring your and others' "real" work to more people? As a way to make your "real" work more relevant? Etc. ........
ReplyDeleteP.S. @Anon 2:27: Grover Cleveland was mayor of Buffalo when it was the 13th-largest city in the US (http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0027/tab11.txt), which was just San Francisco's rank in the 2000 census (http://www.census.gov/statab/ccdb/cit1020r.txt), so by "big city" JB mist mean top ten or even top five. Whether it's worthwhile or meaningful to have an Iron Law ranging over such a small group of people, I don't know, but Newsom is precedented.