President Trump’s Mix of Politics and Military

President Trump was right to try to build a relationship with the military he now commands, but it’s a mistake for the president to speculate about its voting behavior, says political scientist Peter Feaver. “The military, the intelligence community and the foreign service jealously guard their professional identity of being nonpartisan and apolitical,” he says.

Read More in The New York Times

 

Should Churches and Politics Mix?

President Trump’s proposal to give churches the opportunity to participate in political campaigns “may well prove to be unhealthy for both the political process and for churches themselves,” writes law professor Richard Schmalbeck. “This is primarily because contributions to churches (and other charities) are deductible for federal and state income tax purposes. This means that churches, if freed from the ban on campaign participation, would be the only institutions in our society that could engage in political activity on a tax-deductible basis.”

Read More in the Journal Sentinel

How the Democrats Lost North Carolina

“If progressives are to win again, they need to learn from the mistakes and successes of recent national campaigns. Rural America is not one unified region with one cultural narrative and one political preference. In North Carolina, there are Democrats aplenty in rural regions, as Obama’s rural wave underscores. The good news for progressives is that there is a path forward,” writes history professor Gunther Peck.

Read More in Medium

America’s New Opposition: The Left Reborn

“The mass protests in response to Trump’s policies, both at the women’s march and at airports around the country, in the last weeks show a sense of urgency and willingness to fight for robust legal equality and inclusiveness. At the very moment when establishment politics have been severely undermined — the GOP hijacked by Trump, the Democrats confounded by Hillary Clinton’s loss — the American left has been reborn,” writes law professor Jedediah Purdy.

Read More in New Republic

My Family’s Refugee Stories: America at its Best – and Worst

“No country can have a completely open border. We are right to be vigilant about who enters the United States. Certainly in these times. But this ban does nothing to make America safer. The Muslim refugees are not the danger. They are in danger,” writes professor Frederick Mayer, director of The Center for Political Leadership, Innovation and Service (POLIS).

Read More in The Charlotte Observer

Lessons From the Firing of AG Sally Yates

“I’m convinced that too many in the national security law community in our law schools and beyond have allowed their animus toward Trump personally to cloud their legal judgments on a range of issues. In fact, some are making statements I’ll bet they’ll regret when applied to a future administration more congenial to their ideological druthers,” writes law professor Charles Dunlap.

Read More in Lawfire

Where are Coups Most Likely to Occur in 2017?

“Most of the countries at the top of our 2017 forecasts have undergone coup attempts in recent history, or have existing open political conflicts that test their normal institutions. Despite the fact that all coups may appear surprising, there are no surprises in our list of most coup-prone countries for 2017,” writes political scientist Michael Ward and a colleague.

Read More in The Washington Post