“There is no evidence that the U.S. is an over-spender on domestic programs. Its crumbling infrastructure, high child (and indeed overall) poverty rates testify to that fact. The obvious, compelling fact in understanding the deficit is that federal government revenues as a percentage of GDP are amazingly low not only by international but by U.S. historical standards.

“The repeated failure to address this fact pushes the President ever more into accepting, at least in part, GOP plans to slash government spending driven by an antipathy to ‘big government’ more than concern about the deficit. Add to this the fact that cuts in government programs are more immediately ‘job destroying’ than tax increases at a time of very high unemployment and the case for continuing to surrender the debate to the Republicans becomes dubious indeed.

“Taxing millionaires more is probably largely rhetoric but is at least a start.”

Contact Wilson at 617-353-2540; gkwilson@bu.edu

Graham Wilson, chair of the political science department and an expert on American politics. He is also the author of Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Politics. He can be reached at 617-523-2540; gkwilson@bu.edu.

Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics and an expert on macroeconomics and fiscal and monetary policy. He is the author of Jimmy Stewart is Dead: Ending the World’s Ongoing Financial Plague With Limited Purpose Banking. He is also a regular contributor to Bloomberg and served as senior economist on President Ronald Reagan’s Council of Economic Advisors. He can be reached at 617-353-4002; kotlikoff@bu.edu.

Tom Whalen, associate professor of social science and an expert on American politics and the American presidency. He can be reached at 978-888-3131; tjw64@comcast.net.

Tom Fiedler, Dean of the College of Communication and an expert on American politics and political reporting. He is the former executive editor of the Miami Herald and a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-3488; tfiedler@bu.edu; Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN

Cornelius Hurley, director of the Center for Finance, Law & Policy and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors. He can be reached at 617-353-5427; ckhurley@bu.edu; Twitter: @ckhurley

Tom Whalen, associate professor of social science and an expert on American politics and the American presidency; Regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 978-888-3131; tjw64@comcast.net.

Graham Wilson, chair of the Department of Political Science and an expert in American politics. He is also the author of Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective. He can be reached at 617-523-2540; gkwilson@bu.edu.

Tom Fiedler, Dean of the College of Communication and an expert on American politics and political reporting. He is the former executive editor of the Miami Herald and a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-3488; tfiedler@bu.edu; Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN.

John Carroll, assistant professor of mass communication and an expert on media criticism and political advertising. He can be reached at 617-353-3493; carroll7@bu.edu; Twitter: @johncarroll_bu.

Tobe Berkovitz, associate professor of advertising and an expert on media strategy and political advertising. He can be reached at 617-353-7724; tobetv@bu.edu; Twitter: @tobetv

“This is a profound shock for those who remember the self-disciplined British police of the post-World War II era equipped with nothing more than a truncheon and a pair of handcuffs.

“This rioting is not explained by expenditure cuts, most of which have yet to take effect. It points to a deeper problem in the U.K. — the existence of an underclass, white as much as minority, ill-educated, economically marginal, and at the margins of society generally.”

Contact Graham at 617-523-2540 or gkwilson@bu.edu

“The president’s tactical errors were obvious. First, he failed to embrace his own Deficit Commission’s report and thereby yielded the high ground to the GOP on the debt issue. Second, he abandoned the bully pulpit by not calling out the tea party zealots for what they are – financial terrorists. Finally, he took the 14th Amendment alternative off the table without the slightest pressure to do so. Mr. Obama may yet get reelected in spite of his incompetence. In the meantime, he has hung congressional Democrats out to dry.”

Graham Wilson, chair of BU’s Department of Political Science and author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective.” Contact Wilson at 617-353-2540 or gkwilson@bu.edu

“This is more or less game, set and match to the Republican right — a stunning defeat for President Obama.”

Cornelius Hurley, a professor in the School of Law, is the Director of BU’s Center for Finance, Law & Policy and a former counsel to the Fed Board of Governors.  He is also a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu, or Twitter: @ckhurley

Graham Wilson, chair of BU’s political science department and the author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective.” He can be reached at 617-353-2540 or gkwilson@bu.edu

Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics, is an expert in macroeconomics and fiscal and monetary policy. He is the author of “Jimmy Stewart Is Dead: Ending the World’s Ongoing Financial Plague With Limited Purpose Banking.” He is also a regular contributor to Bloomberg. He can be reached at 617-353-4002 or kotlikoff@bu.edu

Daniel Berman, a professor in the School of Law, is the Director of  the Graduate Tax Program. He is an expert in tax policy and tax legislation. He can be reached at 617-353-3105 or bermand@bu.edu

Tom Whalen, an associate professor of social sciences, is an expert in American politics and the American presidency. He is also a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 978-888-3131 or tjw64@comcast.net

Tom Whalen, an associate professor of Social Sciences; an expert on modern American politics and the American presidency; a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-4785; tjw64@bu.edu.

Tom Fiedler is the Dean of the College of Communication and an expert on American politics and political reporting. He is the former executive editor of The Miami Herald and a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu, Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN.

Graham Wilson is chair of BU’s political science department and the author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective.”  He can be reached at 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu.

William Keylor is a professor in BU’s Department of  International Relations and the author of “A World of Nations: The International Order Since 1945.” He can be reached at 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu

Graham Wilson is the chair of Political Science Department and the author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective.” He can be reached at 617–353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

Charles Dunbar is a professor of international relations and a former U.S. ambassador to Yemen. He can be reached at 617-353-5633, cfdunbar@bu.edu

Tom Whalen is an associate professor of Social Sciences. He is an expert on modern American politics and the American presidency. He is a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-4785, tjw64@bu.edu

Tom Fiedler is dean of BU’s College of Communication. A former executive editor of the Miami Herald, he is an expert on American politics. He is a regular contributor to PoliticoArena. He can be reached at 617-353-3488, tfiedler@bu.edu, Twitter: @BUCOMDEAN

“This is a personal tragedy and one that Democratic leaders were closely determined should not also be a tragedy for the party. It remains unclear, however, how much this issue mattered to the general public.

“Perhaps one important contrast with conservatives involved in sexual scandals, e.g. Gingrich or Ralph Reed, Weiner did not base his political career attacking permissiveness or immorality in others.”

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

“George H.W. Bush won a war and yet lost an election. So Obama won’t rest easy on a bump in his approval ratings. However, this achievement may have longer term significance in undermining the right’s attempts to present him as unpatriotic or not even American. Those efforts now look pretty stupid.”

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