Politics in Question

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Jonathan Bydlak joins James to talk about the federal budget. Bydlak is director of the Governance Program at the R Street Institute, where he also oversees the Fiscal and Budget Policy project and the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group.Why does the federal government budget like it doesn’t care about the future? How will events like the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and inflation impact the United States’ fiscal health. And what will it take to change the federal government’s fiscal trajectory? These are some of the questions Jonathan and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James consider what could have been if things happened differently at key moments in American political history. What would politics look like today if Richard Nixon defeated John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election? Would Barack Obama’s defeat in the 2012 presidential election alter the trajectory of American politics over the last ten years? What impact do individuals have on politics? Do events matter? Or is politics determined by forces beyond our control? These are some of the questions that Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James ask about Donald Trump’s ongoing influence on the Republican Party. Will the former president be the GOP nominee in 2024? Can anyone defeat Trump if he seeks the nomination? What is the present state of Trumpism in the Republican Party? Is Trumpism changing? Is it in decline? And what do we mean by “Trumpism” in the first place? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode.Julia Azari, “How Republicans Are Thinking About Trumpism Without Trump,” FiveThirtyEight (March 15, 2022). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Sophia Jordán Wallace joins Lee and James to discuss public opinion on immigration policy. Wallace is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington. She specializes in Latino Politics, representation, and immigration politics and policy. Wallace is the author of Walls, Cages, and Family Separation: Race and Immigration Policy in the Trump Era (Cambridge University Press 2020). And she has published articles in the American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics, International Migration Review, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies,  Political Research Quarterly, Politics, Groups, & Identities, American Politics Research, Social Science Quarterly, Political Science Quarterly, and Urban Affairs Review. What do Americans think about immigration policy? How does the rhetoric on immigration policy impact American elections? And why can’t Congress pass legislation reforming immigration policy and securing the border? These are some of the questions Sophia, Lee, and James discuss in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Heather Hurlburt joins Julia and James to talk about what’s happening in Ukraine. Hurlburt is the director of the New Models of Policy Change project at New America’s Political Reform program. She is a contributor to New York Magazine and she has published articles in numerous publications, including Politico, Foreign Affairs, The National Interest, Fortune, Vox, and Time. Hurlburt also co-hosts the Drezburt podcast and frequently appears in print and broadcast media. Previously, she ran the National Security Network, a premier source for internationalist foreign policy messaging and advocacy, held senior positions in the White House and State Department under President Bill Clinton, and worked on Capitol Hill and for the International Crisis Group.What can the United States do to help Ukrainians repel Russia’s invasion of their nation? What are the diplomatic, economic, and military tools at the federal government’s disposal? Why did Russia invade Ukraine in the first place? And are America’s political institutions capable of crafting a Ukraine strategy that isn’t counterproductive in the long run? These are some of the questions that Heather, Julia, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Leah Stokes joins Lee and James to discuss energy policy in the United States. Stokes is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science and affiliated with the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and the Environmental Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She is the author of Short Circuiting Policy (Oxford University Press, 2020). Her articles have appeared in the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, Nature Energy, Energy Policy, and Environmental Science & Technology, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and CNN.What is the current state of the nation’s energy policy? How does the U.S. compare to other industrialized nations in this area? Are things as stagnant as many people think? Or is the federal government making progress? And what is stopping the government from moving more quickly? These are some of the questions Leah, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James talk Republican Party politics. What’s happening inside the GOP? Has the party become more authoritarian in recent years? Are there any Republicans who will push back against former President Trump and his allies? Can they succeed? Or is this the wrong way to think about Republican Party politics altogether? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Amanda Hollis-Brusky joins Julia and Lee to discuss the conservative legal movement’s effort to transform the Supreme Court. Hollis-Brusky is associate professor and chair of the Department of Politics at Ponoma College. She is the author of two books on the conservative legal movement and the Supreme Court’s transformation. Has Chief Justice John Roberts lost control of the court? How have the recent appointments of Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh transformed the Court? What’s up with President Biden’s effort to fill the seat vacated by Stephen Breyer’s recent retirement? And what should court reform look like? These are some of the questions that Amanda, Julia and Lee discuss in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James discuss the impending debate over President Biden’s pick to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by Stephen Breyer’s retirement. Whom will Biden nominate to fill Breyer’s seat? Will the president pick a black woman as promised during the 2020 presidential campaign? How will the nominee’s confirmation process unfold in the Senate? Will all Democrats support the nominee? Is there anything Republicans can do to block - or at least slowdown - the process in this instance? And why do we even have a Supreme Court in the first place? What is its role in the federal government? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this week’s episode of Politics In Question, Julia, Lee, and James consider Senate Democrats’ failure to pass voting rights legislation. Why did Democrats bring up a bill when they didn’t have the votes to pass it? Did Democrats really think that they could pass the voting-rights bill by blowing up the Senate rules? And what is the filibuster’s future? These are some of the questions Julia, Lee, and James ask in this week’s episode. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.