President News & Analysis

So Much for Deal Making

by Stuart Rothenberg April 5, 2017 · 9:20 AM EDT

It seemed logical. But so far it hasn’t happened.

Last year, many political observers were suggesting that new political leadership in the nation’s capital could well usher in a wave of political negotiation and compromise. No, the legislative process wouldn’t suddenly become easy, but the unadulterated partisanship that had paralyzed…

Everything is Great. Just Great.

by Stuart Rothenberg March 9, 2017 · 9:00 AM EST

To listen to White House spokesman Sean Spicer, everything is going great.  Because of President Donald Trump, new jobs are being created, restrictive and burdensome regulations are being eliminated, and the U.S. military will get the additional money it needs to keep the country safe. There will be tax cuts,…

Jason Kander May Have Made a Big Mistake

by Nathan L. Gonzales February 22, 2017 · 9:16 AM EST

Missouri Democrat Jason Kander came close to getting elected to the Senate after he burst onto the scene last year with a memorable campaign ad and a strong challenge to GOP incumbent Roy Blunt. Now Kander is widely viewed as a rising star in the Democratic Party, but his postelection…

Congressional Republicans Should Be Afraid of Steve Bannon

by Nathan L. Gonzales February 14, 2017 · 2:47 PM EST

It’s no secret that Steve Bannon wants to oversee the demise of the mainstream media, but President Donald Trump’s senior adviser probably wouldn’t mind incapacitating the Republican Party in order to remake it into his own image as well. 

Bannon (and Trump, for that matter) referred to the media, as…

The Voters Were Right About Donald Trump

by Stuart Rothenberg February 2, 2017 · 10:43 AM EST

Americans who liked Donald Trump’s swagger during the campaign are pleased with his first two weeks in office. Really pleased. 

A veteran Republican campaign strategist told me he just saw a poll of GOP primary voters in a Southern state that found the president’s image as 93 percent favorable/3 percent…

Women’s March: A Moment or a Movement?

by Nathan L. Gonzales January 27, 2017 · 4:18 PM EST

Less than 24 hours after Donald Trump took the oath of office, hundreds of thousands of women descended onto the streets of Washington, D.C. in protest of the new president. 

There were immediate comparisons to the Tea Party movement that began in 2009 with rallies against new President Barack Obama,…

How President Trump Can Avoid President Obama’s Biggest Mistake

by Nathan L. Gonzales January 25, 2017 · 11:23 AM EST

Donald Trump’s critics believe the new president is clueless (or worse), but he might be on track to avoid repeating former President Barack Obama’s biggest political mistake. 

Trump’s pre-inaugural press conference was widely panned, but his comments on the future of health care legislation were instructive.

“The easiest thing would…

Does the NRSC Have the Right Message for 2018?

by Stuart Rothenberg January 24, 2017 · 10:40 AM EST

The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s assault on Democratic senators up for re-election in 2018 has already begun.

That committee has sent out more than half a dozen press releases since the beginning of the year attacking Democratic senators facing re-election from states carried by Donald Trump in November or generally…

The Certainty of Death, Taxes, and White Evangelicals

by Nathan L. Gonzales January 19, 2017 · 8:30 AM EST

As the electorate evolves with each election cycle because of changing demographics, there is one constant: white evangelicals. Once again, they made up one-quarter of the electorate and voted heavily for the Republican presidential nominee.

White voters, as a share of the electorate, have been on a steady descent from…

The First Time I Met Illinois Senate Candidate Barack Obama

by Stuart Rothenberg January 17, 2017 · 8:30 AM EST

With the end of the Obama Administration approaching, I recently looked back at the notes from my two meetings with Barack Obama during his run for the United States Senate.  Obama was not well known then, and he was regarded as nothing more than a long-shot for the Democratic nomination.