by jpitney | Feb 21, 2025 | Presidency
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: Many executive orders in recent times were issued for national security reasons during wars or in the wake of terrorist attacks. They did not always sit well with the courts. Trump’s ordersare more scattershot and cover both domestic and...
by jpitney | Feb 16, 2025 | Congress, Presidency, Separation of Powers, Transparency, Volunteering
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: It is clear from the Trump-Musk blitz that the president wanted to swiftly impose his will through executive orders before the courts and Congress could catch-up and reverse them. Musk’s DOGE team serves as a “heat shield” for the...
by jpitney | Oct 9, 2024 | Constitution, Presidency, Washington
Tom Nichols at The Atlantic Washington fought for the office rather than its occupant. Sharply cognizant that his every action could constitute a precedent, he tried through his conduct to imbue the presidency with the strength of his own character. He took pains not...
by jpitney | Aug 29, 2024 | Presidency, Separation of Powers
Gary J. Schmitt, “What the White House Says About the American Constitutional Order,” American Enterprise Institute, August 21, 2024. Key Points: The founders’ views about executive power and its place in a system of separated powers changed over...
by jpitney | Aug 9, 2024 | Nixon, Presidency
Richard Nixon, fifty years ago today: It is only a beginning, always. The young must know it; the old must know it. It must always sustain us, because the greatness comes not when things go always good for you, but the greatness comes and you are really tested, when...
by jpitney | Jun 13, 2024 | Civility, Presidency
Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of George H.W. Bush’s birth. His post-presidential friendship with Bill Clinton is the embodiment of civility:
