PoliticalScience

Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., recently took an unusual approach to opposing the Keystone XL oil pipeline: arguing that it’s an earmark and thus not in line with current House rules. The fact-checking site PoliFact asked UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers to weigh in on the accuracy of that statement. Meyers told PolitiFact, “Earmarks have been criticized, often justifiably, for not being subject to sufficient scrutiny on their policy merits.” He continued, “Unlike most research grants that are subject to demanding peer reviews, or many contracts that must undergo extensive agency review and competitive bidding, earmarks are awarded only… Continue Reading Roy Meyers, Political Science, on PolitiFact

In his latest Baltimore Sun column, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller, responds to the White House’s challenging month, including more Benghazi developments and scandals involving the IRS and journalist bugging. “Taken separately, none of these episodes is fatal,” writes Schaller, “But, taken together, these three political problems reveal an underlying fault in President Obama’s leadership style. […] Mr. Obama too often seems politically detached.” How has this become problematic in the Obama presidency? Schaller suggests, “We tend to equate the abuse of presidential power with its use…In Mr. Obama’s case, however, the abuse of power emanates from non-use.… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun

This week the OpenGov Foundation and MarylandReporter.com led a focus group to examine transparency in Maryland politics and government. Conversation centered on the Maryland General Assembly website, redesigned in December 2012. The groups also asked for feedback on the website from external experts, including UMBC political science professor Roy T. Meyers. Meyers told MarylandReporter.com that he was glad the new site moves away from the previous subscription model, which charged a fee to access the most current legislative information. However, he critiqued “delays in [posting] voting records on second and especially third reading.” The article suggests this problem is in… Continue Reading Roy Meyers, Political Science, on MarylandReporter.com

“The lesson we’ve learned over these last 10, 15 years is no matter how good your [crisis management] plan is, it’s always going to fall short,” says Sunil Dasgupta in today’s Gazette. Dasgupta, director of UMBC’s political science program at the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) and non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, is co-teaching a crisis management class at USG. The point of the course, he explains, is not to prepare for specific disasters, but to get students thinking about how to build resilience and make decisions in catastrophic situations that they cannot fully plan for or predict.… Continue Reading Sunil Dasgupta, Political Science, in the Gazette

In his latest opinion column for the Baltimore Sun, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller takes on accusations surrounding the recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security purchase of large quantities of ammunition (up to 1.6 billion rounds in some reports)—including claims that the Obama administration is arming itself while simultaneously trying to disarm the citizenry through gun control legislation. In researching the purchase, Schaller found: It turns out the order is closer to 750 million rounds and covers a five-year period and the 70,000 federal officers who require firearm certification or retraining. That’s roughly 2,200 rounds per officer per… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun

On Saturday, April 27, UMBC political science professor Thomas F. Schaller spoke at the 9th annual Western Maryland Democratic Summit, alongside Maryland Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown, U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen and others. According to coverage in the Herald-Mail, Schaller commented that the Republican Party has become a “Housified party” in recent years. Since 1994, Republican majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives have been driving the policies, philosophy and message of the party, which Schaller argued is to the GOP’s detriment in Senate and presidential politics. On the 2014 midterm election,… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Herald-Mail

Thomas F. Schaller, professor of political science at UMBC, offers his expertise on Maryland politics in a new Governing Magazine article that asks “Are the States Deepening the Nation’s Red-Blue Divide?” The article explores how the expansion of unified party control and legislative supermajorities at the state level are impacting policymaking, examining what policies are being approved in strongly Republican and strongly Democratic states. The article identifies Maryland as a Democratic state that has taken a turn to the left with recent legislation on assault weapons, education, same-sex marriage and the death penalty. “Maryland is getting bluer in election results,”… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in Governing Magazine

In today’s Baltimore Sun, political science professor Thomas F. Schaller writes, Less than 24 hours ago, an apparent act of terrorism marred this year’s Boston Marathon. It’s too early to know many of the details about this tragic event. Late last night, officials were reporting three deaths and well over 100 injuries; soon we will have a clearer sense of how many were killed and wounded. […] But we don’t need to know every detail to draw a few sad, cautionary lessons about what happened Monday. Among those lessons is recognizing that “the primary purpose of terrorism is not to… Continue Reading Thomas Schaller, Political Science, in the Baltimore Sun