The German Political Theorist Who Explains What’s Happening in Washington
Carl Schmitt, a Third Reich jurist and philosopher, saw politics as a life-and-death battle against enemies and democracy as dispensable. By Robert J. Shapiro Americans are, of course, deeply divided today over race, gender, immigration, religion, and other differences that define us as a people and political culture. These cleavages have existed throughout American history, but in their current iterations,… Continue reading
How the economy can shape a president’s impeachment
Reprinted from The Hill - October 25, 2019 President Trump’s two biggest headaches – the impeachment inquiry and a weakening economy – may soon intersect. No one supports impeachment because economic growth and business investment have slowed down. But waning growth deprives Trump of the argument President Clinton used so skillfully during his impeachment ordeal — namely, while his congressional…Continue reading
Trump’s Economic Program Leaves Most Americans Worse Off
This is a reprint from the Washington Monthly, September 24, 2019 issue President Trump’s tax and tariff policies form the heart of an economic program that he’s promised will help average Americans. The hard data, however, show that he’s actually imposed substantial costs on about 70 percent of Americans. That’s because of both the growing burdens imposed by both…Continue reading
The Surprising Public Policy Case for Electronic Cigarettes
Read the report: The Impact of Electronic Cigarettes on Cigarette Smoking By Americans and Its Health and Economic Implications For more than a half-century, federal, state and local governments have adopted a variety of strategies to discourage Americans from smoking cigarettes – from health warnings on cigarette packaging, advertising restrictions and anti-smoking public education campaigns, to multiple taxes and bans…Continue reading
Trump Acts Like a Populist. His Regulatory Record Suggests Otherwise
The administration has consistently favored big businesses over average people. by Robert J. Shapiro At some point, every president has had to grapple with the fact that he is not a king. The unhappy realization usually comes after they’ve been unable to pass one of their biggest priorities through Congress. Recall Bill Clinton with health care, George W. Bush with social…Continue reading
What Your Data Is Really Worth to Facebook
Americans who use the internet—85.5 percent of us—have made a tacit bargain with Facebook, Google, MasterCard, Verizon, and most other sites and products we use regularly. We get access to these companies’ services, and they get to scoop up, analyze, and sell our personal information. Few people question this setup, perhaps because most of us assume that our data isn’t…Continue reading
How much credit does Donald Trump deserve on the economy?…
Presidents deserve credit on the economy when their policy changes leave most people better off by creating conditions that stimulate employment, growth, investment, or consumer spending. Donald Trump’s tax and spending program approved by the GOP Congress in late 2017 has changed certain economic conditions. While it’s still early for a final judgment on Trump’s economic record, the results so…Continue reading
Why Americans Distrust and Fear Immigrants
Donald Trump demonstrated the power and broad appeal of attacking immigrants in 2016, with special emphasis on non-white immigrants. He did it again in last year’s midterm elections, when his passionate followers seemingly were unmoved by the cruelty of separating young children from their mothers at the border, or by Trump’s audacious claim of presidential powers to nullify the constitutional…Continue reading
The Economic Tea Leaves Point to a Downturn in 2020
Do the latest economic data signal a recession is coming? The best answer is, yes, but not quite yet: The economic tea leaves point to a recession beginning over the next 12 to 15 months – so, just in time for the 2020 presidential campaign. The jobs numbers for February were released last Friday, and they were awful – gains…Continue reading