The odds of a government shut-down at the end of the fiscal year (midnight on September 30) are extremely high. A shutdown is all political upside for the President, mostly political and policy upside for the Democrats, and a mixed bag for Republicans in Congress. On Tuesday the Republican President announced he would shut down the government if…
If those who work in politics have an ethical responsibility, to whom do they have it?
Earlier this year I tried to open a can of worms by asking what if any ethical responsibilities do I have as a political professional and an associate professor in the School of Media and Public Affairs at The George Washington University? That question in turn begs the question: if I have a responsibility, to whom or what do I…
Now What? Some quick thoughts.
Absent political costs for failing to oppose a President who is advancing policies (if not rhetoric) with which Republican elected officials agree, it is unlikely that Republican elected official behavior about Trump will change. It is up to those on the left and right who find Trump loathsome to make it more politically costly to…
Ideas Have Consequences and Rhetoric Matters
“We are all of us preachers in private or public capacities. We have no sooner uttered words than we have given impulse to other people to look at the world, or some small part of it, in our way…That is why I must agree with Quintilian that the true orator is the good…
Syllabus: Strategic Political Communication
The School of Media and Public Affairs, The George Washington University Syllabus : Strategic Political Communication – SMPA 3353 Fall 2017 Tuesday and Thursday 12:45 – 2:00pm – MPA 307 Instructor: Peter Loge ploge@gwu.edu “The world is still in want of clear-headed citizens, tempered by historical perspective, disciplined by rational thinking and moral compass, who speak…
Senator McCain’s Health Care Vote was Politically Expedient – And That Is Great News
Last week Senator John McCain (R-AZ) flew to Washington from Arizona where he was receiving treatment for a brain tumor for the final votes on repealing the Affordable Care Act. He gave an impassioned speech on the floor of the Senate in favor of a return to political order and political debates based on arguments…
A Political Lesson from the Pitch
Last Saturday night in Chester, Pennsylvania Haris Medunjanin told a referee that he was wrong. What makes this worth noting is that Medunjanin is a professional soccer player who was protesting a red card issued to an opponent who had just fouled him. Medunjanin plays for the Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer. In the…
Your act of respectful political behavior is unlikely to change the world. That doesn’t really matter.
Another shooting, another call for unity, another symbolic act. Another round of placing blame and denying personal responsibility. Representative Mark Sanford (R-SC) says Trump is partially to blame for the shooting and former Speaker Newt Gingrich blames the “the left.” The President calls for unity, even as he attacks our democratic institutions. After U.S….
Time to be the Grown-ups in the Room
We are the grownups in the room. It is time for our cooler heads to prevail. Ultimately, the grown-ups in the room will have to do their jobs The Washington Post 9/29/13 A couple of months ago I was wondering when the adults and their cooler heads would prevail and we would settle back into…
Swamp Dwellers are People Too
I’m one of those people. I’m a swamp-dwelling, fancy suit and loafer wearing, political campaign donating, political insider. I have worked for Senator Ted Kennedy, three members of the US House of Representatives, and most recently I worked in President Obama’s administration as a senior advisor to the Commissioner of the US Food and…