In the two years since he assumed the pontificate, Pope Francis has made it clear he won’t abstain from politics. As pope, he has weighed in on a wide range of politically divisive topics, including climate change, immigration, and the globalized economy, often with a sharp tongue, referring to unrestrained capitalism as the “dung of … Read more
Brent Colburn has served as the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs and the Chief of Staff of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs. He was the National Communications Director for President Obama’s 2012 campaign. Colburn is currently a fellow at the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. Harvard Political Review: … Read more
Modern politics treats “Republicans” as interchangeable with “conservatives.” The conflation occurs from local levels to the national stage, such as when Jeb Bush declared that he will cut taxes and “apply conservative principles the right way [and], create an environment where everybody rises up.” While conservatism includes aspects of limited government intervention such as cutting … Read more
There is an old Chinese adage that has coerced centuries’ worth of petulant children into finishing their dinners: “Every grain of rice in your bowl is won by the sweat of the brow.” It may not be the most appetizing of associations, but it underscores a sentiment that has been long lost to urban culture: … Read more
Modern politics treats “Republicans” as interchangeable with “conservatives.” The conflation occurs from local levels to the national stage, such as when Jeb Bush declared that he will cut taxes and “apply conservative principles the right way [and], create an environment where everybody rises up.” While conservatism includes aspects of limited government intervention such as cutting … Read more
Last week’s Democratic debate hosted in Las Vegas was an entertaining mixture of political theater, quips between the candidates, and most importantly, proof that a debate without the personal combat exchanges seen in the Republican debates is a much smarter debate. The civility of the discourse allowed the moderators to lean into the candidates about … Read more
After watching the first Democratic presidential debate, I am sure of one thing: the race to succeed President Barack Obama and become the standard bearer of the Democratic Party has come down to two people. Assuming Vice President Biden does not throw his hat in the ring, the Democrats are left with the 67-year-old former … Read more
The Democratic frontrunners, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, expressed a variety of policy differences at the first Democratic debate. The biggest difference between the two presidential hopefuls, however, was a deeper ideological one. While Sanders championed his democratic socialist views, Clinton presented herself as a “progressive who wants to get things done.” This division is … Read more
On Tuesday, October 13, at 8:30 p.m., the first of several Democratic primary debates kicked off, quite appropriately, in Las Vegas—the perfect location for the event’s despairing losers to gamble and drink away their pain. Despite nearly two hours of unenlightening, repetitive, circumlocutory debate, minimal new information came to light and no poll standings changed substantively. In spite … Read more
On October 13, five Democratic hopefuls faced off in Las Vegas with the hopes of winning their party’s nomination. Now, six HPR writers weigh in with perspectives on the night’s winners and losers, and thoughts on the future of the Democratic field. Image Source: Flickr/freddthompson