In a 2016 poll entitled “What Voters Want in a President Today,” Pew Research reported that “more than a year before the first primaries, more voters valued a hypothetical candidate with ‘experience and a proven record’ (50%) than one who had ‘new ideas and a different approach’ (43%). Six months later, those numbers had flipped – 55% said it was...

The Presidential Greatness Project, led by Professors Brandon Rottinghaus and Justin Vaughn, is a research effort that evaluates U.S. presidents through the lens of expert scholars in the field of presidential politics. Every few years, these scholars weigh in on which presidents exemplify greatness based on their leadership, historical significance, and legacy. In 2024, not surprisingly, Abraham Lincoln still holds...

In America’s deeply polarized political landscape, we’ve become engulfed by lies, hateful rhetoric, and now, escalating violence. The most recent example is an assassination attempt on the former president. Stoked by fear, this toxic combination has infiltrated every aspect of our society—from public discourse to personal relationships—fostering a climate where truth feels optional and outrage thrives. When hateful rhetoric drives...

This is Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia addressing his Senate colleagues regarding the proposed Senate Border Security Bill.  » Read more about: This is Why I Have Lost All Faith in the Ability of Republicans to Govern  »...

In the midst of relentless hyper-partisanship and division, I wondered what Abraham Lincoln’s take would be. Here’s what he might have said. “America can be likened to a magnificent tapestry,” he said, “with each individual thread contributing to the overall fabric of our nation. No single thread holds more power than another. If our citizens come together with unwavering faith...

Last Tuesday, I informed readers that I used an AI program to create a commentary celebrating the 4th of July. The program is ChatGPT, a generative AI program developed by OpenAI and publicly released in 2022. The program is remarkable in its vast knowledge and ability to generate written text in various formats and lengths, and it does so in...

Last week’s poetic verse, “Freedom’s Speech,” was authored by an AI program. With the 4th of July approaching, I wanted something special, something resonant enough to revive a nation’s faith in itself. At the same time, I’ve been crafting a piece on AI. I decided to merge both themes to showcase how far AI has come and to highlight the...

Last week left us gasping after the first presidential debate and apprehensive about what to expect from the Supreme Court this morning about Trump’s total immunity case. (Now we know the answer to the second issue.) Let’s begin with the obvious. Joe Biden did not have a good debate night. He had a disastrous debate night. Despite the rah, rah...

If you are a Trump supporter, you need to seriously consider the observations of the people who worked closely with him during his 4 years in office: “His understanding of global events . . . of US history was really limited. It’s really hard to have a conversation with someone who doesn’t even understand the concept for why we’re talking...

In the 1942 classic Casablanca, Rick Blane is a man who unapologetically schemes, lies, cheats and does whatever it takes to survive in Nazi-controlled French Morocco. Moments before he persuades Ilsa—the lost love of his life—to fly off with Nazi resistance fighter Victor Lazlo, he gives one of the most well-known lines in movie history. “Ilsa, I’m no good at...