In the News: Grant Reeher

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says "It could be something that could actually raise her [Miner] name recognition and expand her possibilities for the future" about former Syracuse mayor Stephanie Miner's run for governor of NY. 

"[Representative John Katko] has taken some high-profile positions and votes against Trump and the Republican leadership that strengthen his bona fides as a moderate and an independent voice—which is a good fit with the district," says Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher. "[Stephanie] Miner can no doubt see that, and to risk being beaten badly would probably end her elective political career. Taking on a strong governor in a primary doesn't pose the same downside risk."

"Whatever damage takes place here would not happen in a vacuum," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science, about the unwritten rule in the Capitol, often called the Bear Mountain Bridge Compact, that dictates: "What happens in Albany stays in Albany."

"There’s resistance to change in procedures when there is a vested interest in the way things are being done," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says Democrats have benefited so far from positive press coverage but that it could be harder to attack the bill if taxpayers start to see some benefits in their paychecks.

"Having that level of quality to choose from is probably a good thing for the Democratic Party," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, about the high caliber of New York candidates.

“No one’s ever lost an election on the deficit or the debt,” says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. “If the economy continues to rebound more strongly and voters start focusing on what they are getting out of the tax cut, that can be a powerful combination. To me, it’s not clear that we are headed for the [Democratic] tidal wave that some folks are predicting.”

"When I hear her, I hear consistency. I don't hear opportunism," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science, about Senator Gillibrand's calls for President Trump's resignation following sexual harassment allegations.

"She [Senator Kirsten Gillibrand] has been a leading spokesperson in the chamber for women’s issues and women’s rights and it’s not surprising to me at all that she would be one of the first Democrats to call out Sen. Franken and when the conversation inevitably turned to him, President Clinton," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"In this instance, the negative reaction President Trump has generated throughout the Western World may complicate the situation," says Grant Reeher, director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "Being Trump's ambassador, say, in Norway or Denmark, is going to be trickier than in past administrations, requiring greater skill and deftness."

The tax policy issue has emerged as a "handy" one for Cuomo to bring up repeatedly as he prepares to seek a third term in 2018, while harboring possible ambitions for a White House run in 2020, said Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"If President Trump and his advisers can out-think and out-strategize [Putin] in order to get Russia to provide some useful assistance in changing North Korea’s nuclear program, then it could be a win for the president, but it’s high-risk to say the least," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute.

"The current struggle over an affirmative message is further compounded by the fact that the negative messaging is taking up all the energy," says Professor of Political Science Grant Reeher. "Everything is about opposing Trump." 

Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, says Trump could attempt to contain the criticism from retiring Republicans by moderating his tone and laying off individual attacks on members.

"Voting ‘yes’ on this particular ballot initiative does not mean there’s going to be a new Constitution," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. "It means you’re setting the process in motion to rewrite the Constitution."

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says Trump’s words were "pushing that frontier of just what is acceptable on the part of a president. I think that’s why it is getting the attention that it’s getting. Any time you start talking fast and loose about…families that have lost members in the line of duty, that is political dynamite."

According to Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute, "voting has become much more rigid" along party lines.

"On the one hand, it takes him to a region, and to individual countries, that he's criticized, and with which he's already had tensions. So, a lot of things could go wrong," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "On the other hand, a diplomatic trip like this almost forces him to behave in a more conventional way, and that could help his image at home."