During the Democratic primary, Joe Biden promised to veto Medicare for All legislation — two days before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. COVID-19 has exposed the inadequacies of private health insurance. Approximately 49 percent of Americans depend on their employer for health coverage. Amid historic unemployment, 12 million Americans have […]
Category: Politics and Governance
After watching the recent democratic turmoil in the United States with a mix of alarm and familiarity, neighbors in Latin America will soon begin their own busy season of elections. 2020 saw major electoral upheavals across the region, bringing about a return to democracy in some countries, while political disenfranchisement increased in others. As voters […]
Election Night was a “dumpster fire” for Democrats: the nail-biting presidential race when it should have been a landslide; the statewide losses when they were sure they’d flip seats. How is it that in 2020, the year of the greatest public health crisis of our time and the collapse of our economy, Republicans have secured […]
As 2020 marks the first election cycle in which Latinos are the largest minority electorate, politicians and political pundits grapple with how and to what extent this voting block will impact the ballot box in November. On Sept. 15, the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Latino Studies Department at the University […]
Out of the 535 members of Congress, only 11 receive a majority of their campaign funds from small donors. Seattle’s 2017 Democracy Vouchers program reversed this trend, resulting in an election where 87 percent of all contributions were from small donors. Moving forward, democracy vouchers provide a promising template for future electoral reforms that look […]
On July 14, Mayor Steve Adler joined a virtual interview with Politico on the state of affairs in Austin, given the recent surge in Texas COVID-19 cases. Adler expressed his concern for the state and Austin in particular, singling out the difficulties that the city’s healthcare system is facing and the issues The University of Texas […]
Over the past weeks, the nation experienced an outpouring of indignation, anguish and unity in response to the murder of Minneapolis resident George Floyd after video of a police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck ignited a long-culminating powder keg of anger towards police forces. This powder keg of anger grew significantly during recent months following the murders […]
While pursuing a master’s degree at American University, Andrew Hallman took a class taught by a professor on sabbatical from the CIA. As he learned of the pivotal role intelligence plays in policy and security, Hallman wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to know more. Three years after earning his degree and many background checks later, he […]
On Sept. 12, 2019, qualifying Democratic presidential candidates hit the stage in Houston, Texas for the third Democratic debate of the year. The highest polling and highest grossing candidates faced off on hot-button issues such as healthcare, race relations, gun violence, immigration, and trade policy, among others. Running throughout the debate was the question of […]