BU Now » Democrats

Big picture view on midterm elections

Jo Breiner — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:59:07 +0000

Political science department chair Graham Wilson offers his view on the midterm elections and what’s next for President Obama. Professor Wilson is the author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective.”

“A stunning blow for the Democrats. The question now is whether Obama can play the game of wrong footing for the Republican House as adroitly as did Bill Clinton in the ’90s.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

Poll shows GOP gaining on Dems

Jo Breiner — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:34:29 +0000

A new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll shows the GOP gaining on Democrats heading into the midterm elections. Political Science professor Graham Wilson, author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective,” offers his view.

” Obama is the victim of two totally unrealistic expectations, one of which he encouraged himself. One is that the U.S. economy could recover in 18 months from the economic disaster he inherited from Bush. The other unrealistic expectation Obama himself created was that simply because he had been elected, our political system would work differently.”

Contact Graham Wilson, , 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

Brown gets reform bill changed

Dick Taffe — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:56:48 +0000

By threatening to withhold his vote for the final compromise, Massachusetts GOP U.S. Senator Scott Brown (l.) got the Democratic negotiators on the financial regulatory reform bill to delete a $19 billion fee on large financial institutions to cover costs of implementing the new law. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors, says the Dems missed the boat by labeling the charge a “tax,” making it vulnerable to read-meat ideological attacks.

“Pure and simple, their charge should be labeled for what it is — a return of the subsidy that taxpayers bestow on the too-big-to-fail banks every day by pledging to their creditors and depositors that if the big banks go bust we collectively will pick up the tab. Senator Brown would have a difficult time refuting this framing of the discussion.”

Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu

Derivatives amendment showdown

Dick Taffe — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:56:36 +0000

Enemies on all sides are coming down on Arkansas Democratic U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln’s amendment to the regulatory reform bill that would rid banks of their lucrative derivatives business which played such a huge rule in the 2008 financial crash. Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors, feels that the only problem with the amendment is that it doesn’t go far enough to drive “toxic” derivatives out of the bank-holding company temple entirely.

“By lodging this casino activity in bank holding company affiliates she runs the risk of the Fed doing in the next crisis exactly what it has done in this one, namely waiving the rigid rules that are supposed to separate banks from their holding company affiliates.”

Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu

Arizona’s immigration law: What it means for midterm elections

Kira Jastive — Tue, 25 May 2010 16:16:14 +0000

Boston University Social Science Professor Tom Whalen discusses the potential impact of Arizona’s immigration law on this year’s midterm elections for both Republicans and Democrats.

WH tells Dem consultant to nix Fox

Dick Taffe — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:30:09 +0000

The Los Angeles Times reports that a Democratic consultant was told by a White House official not to appear again on Fox News Channel, which the administration sees as a political opponent. College of Communication Professor Tobe Berkovitz, a political communication expert, says if that’s true, then the White House doesn’t seem to believe that the public is best served by a robust and open debate on the issues.

“I guess the mantra is, ‘Change you can believe in, only available on the TV networks, CNN, and of course MSNBC.’”

Contact Tobe Berkovitz, 617-921-0110, tobetv@bu.edu

Dem’s Limbaugh assault backfiring

Dick Taffe — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:53:45 +0000

College of Communication Associate Dean Tobe Berkovitz, an authority on political advertising and messaging, says the Democrats’ campaign to use Rush Limbaugh to attack the Republican Party is backfiring.

“Rush is a handy punching bag for the White House and the Democratic attack machine, but the ‘Rush is the devil’ message and coordinated effort is starting to backfire in the MSN and the opinion-leader online press. The media is pulling back the curtain of the hit men and focusing on the hypocrisy of the Obama crew.”

Contact Tobe Berkovitz, 617-353-3447, tobetv@bu.edu