CAHSS

In his year-end op-ed in The Baltimore Sun for 2013, political science professor Thomas Schaller looks back 100 years to New Year’s Day 1914. Throughout the column, Schaller recounts what the political landscape looked like when the country hadn’t yet fought two major wars and the federal income tax was only a year old. The year 1914 also included election changes with the first round of senators elected by popular vote. Schaller notes he normally writes about highlights and major happenings in Maryland or national politics and culture, but wrote his year-end column “Reflect on, don’t fetishize, the past” to argue obsessing… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget bill Thursday that would avoid another government shutdown next year after it’s passed by the Senate. Roy Meyers, professor of political science, analyzed the budget deal in detail in The London School of Economics USApp blog. “Coming just two months after a foolish government shutdown caused by the antithesis of bipartisanship, the current budget agreement must be seen as an effort in reputation repair,” Meyers writes. He notes the deal offsets spending increases with minor savings and extends “sequestration” ceilings on programs such as Medicare and fees for customs and border protection. “This… Continue Reading Roy Meyers, Political Science, in The London School of Economics USApp Blog

Tension has been building in recent weeks between Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown and Attorney General Douglas Gansler, both Democratic candidates in Maryland’s race for governor. The Gansler campaign has criticized Brown for his handling of the state’s rollout of the Affordable Care Act.  Brown’s campaign has come under fire for using a tracker to document any Gansler missteps. Laura Hussey, assistant professor of political science, was interviewed for a Capital News Service article about the growing level of tension between the two campaigns. “It’s a little bit nastier than I recall from recent races [in Maryland]. They had their disagreements. But… Continue Reading Laura Hussey, Political Science, in Capital News Service

A recent column in The Washington Post argues the ongoing technical problems with the rollout of the Affordable Care Act in Maryland are unlikely to have a negative impact on Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown’s chances in the race for governor. The article states Brown has six months until the Democratic primary to correct problems with the state’s health care exchange and has secured endorsements and support from almost all of the party establishment. Political science assistant professor Laura Hussey was interviewed for the column and said the health exchange problems will likely fade away come election time. “This is not a scandal that… Continue Reading Laura Hussey, Political Science, in The Washington Post

In his latest op-ed in The Baltimore Sun, Political Science Professor Thomas Schaller writes about the Obama Administration’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act, calling it a “disaster.”  He compares it to the rollout of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or “the stimulus,” which had far fewer technical problems and glitches. “To be fair, ACA is a bigger, more complex and permanent law than ARRA,” Schaller writes. “But the uncomfortable fact is that this administration had more than three years to prepare for the implementation of ACA’s key policy innovation: the state health care exchanges and their attendant websites.”… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, Op-Ed in The Baltimore Sun

With less than a year to go before Election Day 2014, three Southern Democrats in the U.S. Senate are up for re-election and Republicans are trying to capture all three seats, which would strengthen the party’s firm hold on the Senate in South. Senators Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, and Kay Hagan of North Carolina are the three Democrats up for election next year. Political science professor Thomas Schaller was interviewed by The New York Times about the Democrats’ future prospects in the South. “Democrats are fighting against history in most of the South,” Schaller said. “You can still… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in The New York Times