The past five years have featured some of the most interesting periods of United States Federal Reserve policy in the institution’s 100 year-plus history, and the next five should prove to be a more than worthy following act. As the recovery lumbers on, the elephant that has been lingering in the room is the interest … Read more
In the last presidential election, Democrats and Republicans each spent nearly a billion dollars in campaigning. The National Rifle Association, AIPAC, the AARP, and other political action committees also pour billions of dollars into Washington to influence legislation. In 2013 alone, lobbyist groups spent $3.24 billion dollars. Many former politicians also eventually become lobbyists for … Read more
Before taping the second-ever episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, host John Oliver implored members of the audience not to internalize their laughter like they do when watching comedy programs at home. The studio audience must laugh hard and externally, he explained, or the show will not work. He began with a quick recap of … Read more
Shocking electoral defeats. Meeting walkouts. Accusations. Litigation. Reconciliation. Is this Netflix’s hot new political thriller, or the fight over Indiana education? For the past three years, the state has been embroiled in a political struggle plucked straight from a television writer’s draft table. Although other states have faced issues similar to those plaguing Indiana, it seems … Read more
Bret Stephens is a foreign affairs columnist for The Wall Street Journal and serves as a member of the paper’s editorial board. He won the Pulitzer Prize for commentary in 2013. Harvard Political Review: You’ve written extensively in defense of Israel. When you write your column, is it with a mind toward persuading your audience or to … Read more
The Harvard Public Opinion Project’s Fall 2014 survey demonstrates that, though a large portion of young adults (Americans ages 18-29) cited the government’s policies—the economy, foreign policy, immigration, race relations, and healthcare—as important determinants for their choice of candidate in the upcoming midterm election, they do not conclusively trust one political party over the other … Read more
The Harvard Public Opinion Project’s Fall 2014 survey demonstrates that, though a large portion of young adults (Americans ages 18-29) cited the government’s policies—the economy, foreign policy, immigration, race relations, and healthcare—as important determinants for their choice of candidate in the upcoming midterm election, they do not conclusively trust one political party over the other … Read more
News outlets and political blogs across the country declared the 2008 and 2012 elections—especially Barack Obama’s appeals to youth—a revolution in voter turnout. They predicted a new trend for elections moving forward. However, the change in turnout accomplished during the general election failed to carry over to the midterm elections. In 2010, the absence of … Read more
In affecting the United States’ ability to respond to events abroad, polarization may prevent swift action, which is crucial in developing a strategy to handle the militant group ISIS. However, results from the Harvard Public Opinion Project’s fall poll indicates that while young Americans are far from a consensus on how to deal with ISIS, … Read more
In November’s upcoming midterm election, there doesn’t appear to be any single issue dominating voter’s attention. The economy has recovered somewhat and isn’t as pressing an issue to voters as it was in 2010, and foreign policy, though a focal point with the rise of ISIS and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, isn’t nearly as … Read more