1. Washington Monthly has an excellent issue out about what will happen should the Republicans win in 2012. I kick it off with a piece about how presidents tend to do exactly what they said they would do while campaigning. Which is another reason to watch the nomination process carefully. Even if you believe that Mitt Romney has had it won from the beginning, it matters a lot what he has to do while campaigning, because the promises he makes in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina and the rest really will constrain him in office.
Anyway, I was happy to write the piece, but when I saw who else they had enlisted for the issue, I couldn't wait to read through it. Ready? Dave Weigel on Tea Party influence. Tom Mann and Norm Ornstein on Congress. Dahlia Lithwick on the Courts. James Traub on foreign policy. David Roberts on the environment. Mike Konczal on financial regulation. And Harold Pollack on health care. As I said, I haven't read any of these yet, but that's a terrific lineup, no?
2. Nothing about me in this one, but there's a new issue of The Forum focusing on the Senate. Again, a terrific lineup. I'm not going to link to all of it (just click over and explore), but there's a lot of terrific people: Sarah Binder, Greg Koger, Eric Schickler and Gregory Wawro, Frances E. Lee, Charles O. Jones, and much more. As always, free after some annoying pass-through stuff. Again, I haven't read any of it yet, but most articles over at The Forum are pretty accessible to non-academics. Looks very good, and I highly recommend.
3. I don't think I've actually mentioned this here: the book is out! That's The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2012, edited by William G. Mayer and Jonathan Bernstein (hey, that's me!). Bill's been doing this for several cycles now, and he added me as co-editor this time around; it is the premier edited volume about the presidential nomination process. This one, I have read! And it's terrific. Wayne Steger, Andrew Dowdle, and Randall Adkins on predicting nomination races; Antonhy Corrado on campaign finance; Andrew Busch on the Tea Party; Michael Cornfield on "the Densification of Presidential Campaign Discourse"; Stephen Farnsworth and Robert Lichter on TV coverage; and William Mayer on presidential selection...in 1788-89. Actually, I haven't read Bill's chapter yet, and I'm very much looking forward to it. Oh, and there's also one contribution from someone who isn't a political scientist, although he does know a little bit about running for president: Michael Dukakis, on "The Experience of Running for President." All that, plus an appendix with facts and figures from presidential nomination history. All great stuff, if I do say so myself. Check it out! Assign it in your campaigns & elections class! Also probably makes a terrific birthday or anniversary gift -- looks highly impressive on your bookshelf (and yes, there's an e-version).
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yep, i remember Obama pushing for a single payer, no mandate health plan, closing Gitmo, and not massively increasing troops in Afghanistan. Oh, and not detaining US citizens, cleaning up the NSA tapping all our phones and what.
ReplyDeleteAnd I clearly remember him promising to fold over to the Republicans in every manuever, and not increase federal workers pay.
Come on Charlie, at least give Obama credit for crossing the aisle and ushering in an era of post-partisanship, where there are no more Republican and Democrat attacks on one another and we all simply work to make America better.
ReplyDeleteHe came through on that promise, right- the promise to change our political environment for the better and be a leader for moderation and smart and sensible decisions that we can all embrace?
There may be an e-version of your book, but thus far, no Kindle version. They do have a book called Hottie, also by Jonathan Bernstein ... apparently, you've been moonlighting!
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