Campbell Institute News

"If...Dana Balter is hammering away at the idea that the 24th could play a role in flipping the House of Representatives, it may be harder for him [incumbent John Katko]," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "But he comes in with a lot of advantages, particularly if we look back at past elections."

"In a static and homogenous society, one would expect homeschooling in civility to yield a consensus on the norms of appropriate public behavior," says Keith Bybee, professor of political science. "But the United States is not such a society."

"There’s a set of priorities and most of the people have been waiting in the queue for years; frequently, even decades. So, we do not have large flows of people coming into this country based on any kind of chain system," says Elizabeth F. Cohen, professor of political science.

"The interesting question it raises is whether the seat will change parties," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science and director of the Campbell Public Affairs Institute. "That’s possible, given the district enrollment," adding "and with the Senate closely split, this particular election could become very important."

"Capitalist liberal democracies don't have commitments to social rights like welfare, healthcare and housing,” says Elizabeth Cohen, professor of political science. "For them, the government is there to protect mostly negative political and civil rights, like the right to sell your labor on the open market. They don't deal with redistribution."

Kristi Andersen, professor emeritus of political science, discusses the release of the Nunes memo, John DeFrancisco's announcement to run for Governor of New York state, and the dropping of a historic logo in Cleveland.

"This idea that an immigrant receives a visa and all of a sudden five or 10 close and distant relatives are being pulled in on a chain is completely unrepresentative of how our immigration system actually works," says Elizabeth Cohen, associate professor of political science.

"New York City and the surrounding region is a much bigger stage, so political figures emerging from there are often already statewide and even national figures because of that," says Grant Reeher, professor of political science.

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."

"Crew changes aren't unusual and when they do happen, the reassigned astronauts almost always fly on a later mission," says Sean O'Keefe, Howard and Louise Phanstiel endowed Chair in Strategic Management and Leadership. "The exceptions are very few and far between."

Elizabeth Cohen, professor of political science, claims that President Trump's grandfather's chances of being allowed into the country if the RAISE Act were in place when he immigrated from Germany in 1885 would have been highly unlikely".

"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 a possibility that a lot of people view the president as being the spokesperson for the country, and what it stands for and values," says Steven White, assistant professor of political science. "They see Oprah as able to espouse a world view that inspires them."

In his book "Welfare for the Wealthy," Christopher Faricy, associate professor of political science, points out the federal government is hardly generous with the poor alone and the same pattern holds in health care and education.

"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.