US President Joe Biden has announced his campaign for a second term, 18 months before the 2004 election. His announcement follows that of former President Donald Trump in mid-November. This puts us on track for a predictable train wreck as both candidates are viewed by many in the voting public and in their own parties … Continue reading A Democratic Train Wreck – Biden versus Trump 2024
Trump
Trump’s Flight to New York City: No Media Event
Donald Trump's flight to NYC on 3 April 2023 from Mar-a-Lago, Florida, seemed initially to have all the making of an extraordinary media event. The press was out in force. UK's Sky covered it continuously, with ‘breaking news’ announcements, such as "Trump Force One has just entered the airspace over North Carolina"! Truly extraordinary coverage, … Continue reading Trump’s Flight to New York City: No Media Event
Why President Trump’s trade tariffs might not work, a post by J. Dedrick, G. Linden, and K. L. Kraemer
We estimate China only makes $8.46 from an iPhone – and that's why Trump's trade war is futile Jason Dedrick, Syracuse University; Greg Linden, University of California, Berkeley, and Kenneth L. Kraemer, University of California, Irvine The Trump administration’s tariffs on China have so far targeted mostly industrial goods like aircraft engines and gas compressors. … Continue reading Why President Trump’s trade tariffs might not work, a post by J. Dedrick, G. Linden, and K. L. Kraemer
Notes to Pundits of the Trump-Russia Stories: If you were my students …
Sorry if this sounds patronizing, as you are stellar journalists and politicians, but if you were my students, writing a paper for a college class, what would I say? I would definitely give you points for effort, and creativity, but would mark your work down on its analytical precision. Happy for you to come in … Continue reading Notes to Pundits of the Trump-Russia Stories: If you were my students …
Big Questions and Big Issues for the US and Britain: A Discussion with Voices from Oxford’s Denis Noble and Sung Hee Kim
When visiting Oxford in early February for a conference, I was invited to speak with my two colleagues who, with my help, founded Voices from Oxford (VOX) in 2009. The discussion was held in Rhodes House, one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in Oxford. As befitting the venue, my colleagues asked big, challenging … Continue reading Big Questions and Big Issues for the US and Britain: A Discussion with Voices from Oxford’s Denis Noble and Sung Hee Kim
This is the United STATES of America: The Primaries are the Problem!
In the aftermath of the 2016 Presidential elections, the shock of Donald Trump’s surprising win has generated a flurry of initiatives to turn back the clock and rerun or overturn the election, such as Jill Stein’s failed attempt to recount the ballots in a number of key states. The most worrisome efforts – to me … Continue reading This is the United STATES of America: The Primaries are the Problem!
The Real Parallel to Donald Trump is not Bernie Sanders: Its Hillary
Time and again, pundits draw parallels between Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders as the non-establishment, populist candidates. It is a very weak analogy - actually wrong. Senator Sanders has been in office for over thirty years. Both are popular among a segment of the general electorate, including independents, but popularity does not make them ‘populist’ … Continue reading The Real Parallel to Donald Trump is not Bernie Sanders: Its Hillary
No More Tweedledum and Tweedledee
Remember when everyone was complaining about voters having no real substantive choice among candidates for office? We were faced with a problem of deciding between Tweedledum and Tweedledee, two characters from Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass (1871). I’ll post John Tenniel’s illustration. No one could tell them apart and they became a common refrain … Continue reading No More Tweedledum and Tweedledee