Jeffrey H. Birnbaum

Governing and Donald Trump

Donald Trump has been accused by his critics of having a variety of shortcomings. They complain about his temperament, his crassness and his whimsical approach to the facts.

August 3, 2016

JEFFREY BIRNBAUM: Obama is Hillary Clinton’s silent partner on the ballot

Even in a two-person presidential race, a third person is always present: the incumbent president. That's true with a vengeance this year. Barack Obama is the not-so-silent partner of Hillary Clinton in the Democrats' drive to retain the White House.

June 5, 2016

JEFFREY BIRNBAUM: Is Donald Trump the end of the world?

Here's a pop quiz: What happens if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination for president?

March 22, 2016

JEFFREY BIRNBAUM: Early presidential predictions are speculation

A debate is raging over whether Republicans or Democrats have the upper hand in next year's presidential election. Most insiders think that Hillary Rodham Clinton will benefit most because she's cleared the field of serious opponents and that Republicans will suffer because too many of them are vying for the nomination.

July 12, 2015

JEFFREY BIRNBAUM: Republicans should hold fire on Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton is lucky to be beleaguered by controversy. Not in a literal sense, but it terms of timing. Getting bad news out of the way early is a huge advantage in an era when memories are so short.

May 11, 2015

JEFFREY BIRNBAUM: Democrats liberated from Obama, Congress will work

A quiet revolution is overtaking the U.S. Congress and only partly because of Republican gains in the midterm elections.

December 9, 2014

BIRNBAUM: The Divided States of America

Alot of effort and enterprise has gone into speculating about whether the U.S. Senate will change from majority Democratic to majority Republican after the November elections.

October 3, 2014

BIRNBAUM: An end to gridlock?

Republicans have a better-than-even chance to win control of the Senate this year. The GOP will certainly gain seats.

August 11, 2014

BIRNBAUM: Ruing the Benghazi ruse

Republicans have reason to believe that a lie by the White House helped guarantee President Obama's re-election.

May 5, 2014

BIRNBAUM: Global warming makes for stormy politics

When I was growing up, I was taught that it wasn't polite to discuss money or politics in public.

March 17, 2014

BIRNBAUM: No gloating over Obamacare’s disasters

I once lost a debate in high school because of what the judges called browbeating. The other team was inexperienced and unprepared. My partner and I were arrogant, unrelenting and, worse, unkind. We deserved to lose because we were high-handed and condescending.

December 15, 2013

BIRNBAUM: In defense of John Boehner

The shutdown struggle has afforded the House speaker new authority

October 27, 2013

BIRNBAUM: The other approaching war

The debt-ceiling struggle is soon to envelop Capitol Hill, again

September 9, 2013

BIRNBAUM: Obama’s noticeable overreach

Historians may look back at this point in the Obama administration and ask the question: When did the lines cross?

July 31, 2013

BIRNBAUM: Sensational season for scandal

The year started with great expectations, but has turned out to be a dud. Only the most routine matters have made — or seem likely to make — progress in 2013.

June 12, 2013

BIRNBAUM: A ray of hope in a gloomy economy

The deficit is falling, the deficit is falling! Chicken Little isn't the one saying so. The claim is actually true.

May 8, 2013

BIRNBAUM: A history lesson for Obama

President Obama must be a poor student of history. His fiscal strategy appears to closely mimic one of the central mistakes of the U.S. war in Vietnam. He appears to want to destroy the federal budget to save it.

March 11, 2013

BIRNBAUM: Now the shuffle on tax reform

Both presidential candidates -- and the leaders of both political parties -- were outspoken in their support for tax reform last year. Democrats have reneged on their pledge, however, hurting the cause of deficit reduction.

February 15, 2013

BIRNBAUM: Republicans lost by running on intangible issues

Before the election, both sides publicly agreed that voters cared more about the economy and job creation than anything else and that they would vote for the candidate who provided the best solutions.

November 22, 2012

BIRNBAUM: Wanted: Tax reform Reagan would love

Tax reform could happen again, starting next year, no matter who wins the White House.

October 10, 2012