Maxwell School News and Commentary

Brian Taylor, professor of political science, claims Russians live in a sort of "electoral authoritarianism," where the election looks democratic on the surface with multiple parties, but "enough is done through the manipulation of the rules and control of the media to make sure the favorite candidate always wins."

"One of the main lenses to look at political contributions is as investments. That often leads to big investors hedging their bets, which they often do," says Professor Grant Reeher. He was interviewed for the Modern Healthcare article, about healthcare executives and the political consequences of their campaign donations

"One of the things to bear in mind about the procedure in the Senate is that there’s very little in the way of a legal road map. The Constitution says simply that the Senate should have the sole power to trial an impeachment," says William C. Banks, professor emeritus of public administration and international affairs.

"Since Putin cannot remain as president after 2024 under the current rules, he needs to change the rules. This will potentially allow him to remain the dominant political actor even if he leaves the presidency," says Professor of Political Science Brian Taylor.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says that Senator Warren and Senator Sanders "are struggling for the same general bloc of Democratic voters, and Biden is offering an alternative to both of them—so it’s not like someone might abandon Sanders because of this conflict and then go to Biden." 

"Impeachment of a U.S. president is an unusual circumstance," says Tom Keck, Michael O. Sawyer Chair of Constitutional Law and Politics. "(The chief justice) is there to oversee a trial, which is something that should be well within his comfort zone. But it's a trial conducted by elected partisan officials. It's not a court, the U.S. Senate." 

Brian Taylor, professor and chair of political science, says "he's [Russian president Vladimir Putin] leaving the presidency, but he’s almost certainly going to take some other position and try and stay on."

"The most important threat, in my view, of another Trump presidency is the unpredictability and uncertainty," says Áron Tóbiás, assistant professor of economics. "You can never know what happens next: what appears on Twitter, or what kind of trade policy is made."