Matters of Policy & Politics

Philadelphia Freedom

For some Americans, July 4^th has a special meaning. Lt. Gen H.R. McMaster, the Hoover Institution’s Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow, revisits his introduction to Independence Day as a Philadelphia native, reflects on times when the holiday found him defending freedom in the far corners of the world, plus his thoughts on how to educate young Americans on the roots of our wonderful republic. 

The Post-Heart Attack Governor

Should he survive a recall election later this year, would California Governor Gavin Newsom preside more cautiously, having survived the political near-death experience, or push even harder to the left? Hoover senior fellow Lee Ohanian and distinguished policy fellow Bill Whalen, both contributors to Hoover’s “California on Your Mind” web channel, sit down with Hoover senior writer Jonathan Movroydis to discuss the latest in the Golden State.

Party Like It’s 2010?

Five months into his presidency, Joe Biden’s poll numbers show slippage among independents. David Brady and Douglas Rivers, Hoover Institution senior fellows and Stanford University political scientists, assess Biden’s popularity, where Republicans and Democrats depart on COVID vaccines and immigration, plus whether a 2022 midterm election still 500 days away could or won’t resemble 2010’s referendum on the Obama presidency.

An Assault On Wealth

A proposed “patriot” wealth tax in Washington and the call for America’s most moneyed individuals to hand over part of their fortunes to Washington leads to questions of motivation: more revenue for federal spending, or a loathing of capitalism. Hoover Institution research fellow and economist David Henderson discusses the accumulation of wealth in America and whether the “assault” on high-profile billionaires is a mere attack or the early stage of a longer siege. 

Sweet Home Alabama

Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, has turned to the Hoover Institution for policy input on how to improve her state’s quality of living and economic prosperity. Stephen Haber, the Hoover Institution’s Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow and a member of the Hoover contingent advising Alabama officials, shares his thoughts on the building blocks for a futuristic American state – broadband-based education, cutting-edge university research, business incentives, better infrastructure, and access to outdoor recreation. 

How Secure Is U.S. Cybersecurity?

While the Colonial Pipeline hack brought cybersecurity into the headlines, there’s an open question as to the efficacy of the “cyber” component of national security as the U.S. looks to update and modernize its nuclear arsenal. Herb Lin, the Hoover Institution’s Hank J. Holland Fellow in Cyber Policy and senior research scholar for cyber policy and security at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, discusses the challenges on the cybersecurity front.

Populism

From ancient Athens to the America of today, democracies have borne witness to the rise of grassroots populism. Terry Moe, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and the William Bennett Munro Professor of political science at Stanford University, discusses what it is to be a “populist” in this day and age – both in America and Europe – and whether Trump-brand populism, moving forward, is solely dependent on the former president’s participation. 

“A Guy Called Lee"

In boom-or-bust California, a $54 billion dollar budget deficit has given way to an unprecedented $75 billion dollar surplus (not counting another $26 billion in federal stimulus money). Lee Ohanian, a Hoover Institution senior fellow and contributor to Hoover’s “California On Your Mind” web channel, examines the Golden State’s choices of what do to with the windfall – most notably, a $600 “rebate” to some tax-filers – and recounts how he made international news for economic advice given to a candidate vying to replace Newsom in the recall election.

Trump’s Facebook Time-Out

After Facebook’s oversight board determined that the former president should remain suspended from the social network, what is next for Donald Trump and his social-media following? John Yoo, a Hoover Institution visiting fellow and UC-Berkeley law professor, examines the constitutionality of Facebook's and Twitter’s Trump temporary and permanent bans and whether the platforms will continue to enjoy federal legal protection as so-called “public squares.” 

"We Don’t Have Any Voters In France"

A California governor faces a recall election later this year and among the challengers: a Hollywood celebrity with a Republican pedigree. Rob Stutzman, a Sacramento-based political strategist and co-communicator for the global story that was Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 2003 recall run, explains how the California political landscape has changed in the years since the rise of the “Governator” and whether Caitlyn Jenner or some other recall challenger has what it takes to “terminate” Gavin Newsom.