Editorials

Tessa Payer 2/3/22 Tessa Payer 2/3/22

Governing — Do You Know Robert Weaver, the Nation’s First Black Cabinet Secretary?

Despite a stellar career that started in the Roosevelt administration, Weaver’s appointment to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development in 1966 didn’t come easy.

Tessa Payer 1/26/22 Tessa Payer 1/26/22

Washington Monthly — Liz Cheney, the GOP’s Unshakeable Gadfly

The Wyoming representative follows a long tradition of pols who buck their party leadership. But can she build a movement to defeat Trumpism?

Tessa Payer 1/6/22 Tessa Payer 1/6/22

Governing — The U.S. Has Weathered Crises Before. Here’s Why Jan. 6 Was Different.

The nation survived the burning of the Capitol by the British in 1814, the Civil War and the corruption of Richard Nixon. But with most Republicans siding with Trump and the insurrectionists, we face a thread to democracy unlike any other.

Tessa Payer 12/15/21 Tessa Payer 12/15/21

Washington Monthly — How the GOP Engineers Crises to Blame on Biden

Republicans say Biden has failed to end the pandemic and restore normalcy to our politics — but they are the ones spreading the lies and disinformation to undermine the vaccine and keep America divided.

Tessa Payer 12/8/21 Tessa Payer 12/8/21

Governing — The History of Fake News from George Washington to Donald Trump

Misinformation is a political game that has been played for more than 200 years between presidents and the press. While the tools have changed over the years, the tactics of rumors, attacks and lies remain the same.

Tessa Payer 11/8/21 Tessa Payer 11/8/21

The Hill — Financial corruption and a return to founding principles

With corruption such a pervasive part of our political system, we’ve lost sight of the principle that officials are supposed to serve the people, not their own bottom lines. A return to founding principles is long overdue.

Tessa Payer 11/1/21 Tessa Payer 11/1/21

Governing — Presidential Memoirs: Why They Matter to the National Discourse

Some wrote for financial stability. Others wanted to rehabilitate their reputation as a leader. No matter the reason, these memoirs provide the country with a window of transparency into our presidents.

Tessa Payer 10/30/21 Tessa Payer 10/30/21

Washington Monthly — Krysten Sinema’s Lasting Legacy for Women

The Arizona senator is making it harder, not easier, to elect more females to Congress.

Tessa Payer 10/24/21 Tessa Payer 10/24/21

The Daily Beast — How George Washington’s Idea of Executive Privilege Got Mangled

By refusing executive privilege, President Biden is adhering to the precedent set by Washington and helping to restore congressional oversight.

Tessa Payer 10/13/21 Tessa Payer 10/13/21

Governing — How Did the Senate End Up With Supermajority Gridlock?

The Constitution meant for Congress to pass bills by a simple majority. But the process has changed over the decades, turning the Senate’s cautious view on legislation into a major obstacle that can only be fixed by reform.

Tessa Payer 10/1/21 Tessa Payer 10/1/21

The Bulwark — Disturbing Precedent for McConnell’s Debt-Ceiling Brinksmanship

His tactics echo those perfected by the “Slavocracy” before the Civil War.

Tessa Payer 9/17/21 Tessa Payer 9/17/21

The Hill — Republicans demanding Blinken impeachment are forgetting one thing — the Constitution

Tessa Payer 9/15/21 Tessa Payer 9/15/21

The Philadelphia Inquirer — Today’s Republicans can learn from how their brethren handled yellow fever

Spoiler alert: It didn’t work out too well for them when it came to reelection.

Tessa Payer 9/10/21 Tessa Payer 9/10/21

Governing — The History of Congressional Parliamentarians and Why They Matter

They provide nonpartisan advice and expertise on the legislative process. In recent decades, their role has grown more influential, especially with budgetary matters, but not everyone agrees that’s good.

Tessa Payer 8/22/21 Tessa Payer 8/22/21

The Hill — ‘Childless cat ladies’ and the long history of regulating who counts as an American

This rhetoric is not just a catchy campaign phrase but rather the latest attempt in a long fight to define who counts as a real American or who is permitted to serve in high office.

Tessa Payer 8/5/21 Tessa Payer 8/5/21

Governing — The Long History of Mandated Vaccines in the United States

Vaccines against smallpox during the Revolutionary War may have saved the Continental Army from defeat. It’s one example of how mandates have protected the health of Americans for more than two centuries.

Tessa Payer 7/13/21 Tessa Payer 7/13/21

Shepherd — The best books about American Presidents

Tessa Payer 7/12/21 Tessa Payer 7/12/21

Governing — Why Political Biographies Help Us Understand History

Biographies play an important role in studying the full story of past Americans by exploring their successes and how they reached their goals. Here are five elements of an excellent biography and some personal recommendations.

Tessa Payer 7/4/21 Tessa Payer 7/4/21

The Hill — From open houses to naturalization ceremonies: A history of presidential Independence Day celebrations

Presidents carefully select their activities on the holiday to reflect the current moment or the values cherished by their contemporaries.

Tessa Payer 7/3/21 Tessa Payer 7/3/21

CNN — July 4 is the time to remove the asterisk from US citizenship

As the country continues to grapple with the systemic racism inherent in so many of our political and social institutions, we cannot overlook the persistent second-class status of Puerto Rico, Guam, the American Virgin Islands and other US territories.