Maxwell School News and Commentary

According to David Bennett, professor emeritus of history, immigrants "drew hostility because of their poverty; the diseases they brought with them after the perilous ocean voyage; [and] the slum housing they were forced to live in."

"The rules are not ironclad," says Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs. "The simple reason being that state governments must operate to provide the services demanded by citizens, however harsh the rules are." 

Grant Reeher, professor of political science, says Biden could have a hard time getting enthusiastic support from former Sanders supporters due to his lengthy record—three decades of Senate votes and two terms in the White House as President Barack Obama's vice president.

The polarization of American life had been going on for years before Trump was even a political figure, says Grant Reeher, professor of political science. But, "what is different now [the COVID-19 pandemic], and what gives this a sharper edge is the fact that emotions are running so high."

 75% of Democrats and 53% of Republicans said they wore masks in public, finds a study conducted by Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science, and her colleagues.

"Every candidate has campaigned on a bureaucracy-bashing theme," says Tina Nabatchi, Joseph A. Strasser Endowed Professor in Public Administration. "That message has gotten through to affect people’s confidence in government."

"As disturbing as these allegations against Vice President Biden are, similar allegations have been made against President Trump... I think [voting for Biden is] a legitimate choice to make that does not negate the possibility that Tara Reade is telling the truth," says Margaret Susan Thompson, associate professor of history and political science.

“People are taking their cues from political leadership and from doctors, and to the extent that those are different, people will turn to their more trusted sources,” says Shana Gadarian, associate professor of political science.