William Schneider
Recent articles by William Schneider
The Poverty Candidates
John Edwards made poverty an issue in his 2004 campaign for the White House. This time around, he has company: Barack Obama is also working to put poverty back on the political agenda.
Democratic Slugfest
An exchange of blows between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama was bound to happen.
The Bush Court
President Bush has made good on his pledge to move the Supreme Court to the right. As a result, the Court could be more of an issue in the 2008 presidential race than it was in 2004.
Platinum Politics
This is an anti-establishment year, which is helping Barack Obama and hurting John McCain.
Of Church and State
Religion now looms larger than economic class as a source of political division.
United Against Bush
In three competitive swing states, Muslim-American voters could make a difference.
The Papa Bear Factor
Even though he's a former senator, Fred Thompson is positioned to run against Washington.
Clear as Mud
The collapse of the Senate immigration bill makes the 2008 GOP presidential race even muddier.
Framing the Debate
Democrats and Republicans are framing the Supreme Court abortion ruling in very different ways.
Violating the 11th Commandment
Republican presidential candidates haven't hesitated to speak ill of their fellow hopefuls.
Hardening Their Positions
The legislative process pushes the parties together. The presidential campaign pulls them apart.
Intensely Anti-War
Iraq doesn't sound like a kitchen-table issue, but it's what voters are most worried about.
44 Million Strong
The rise in Hispanic voters can help Democrats—unless an anti-immigrant backlash kicks in.
Bush's Firing Squad
Congressional Republicans will start clamoring for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to go if they feel the U.S. attorney controversy has become politically threatening to them.
Voter's Remorse
Bill Clinton's popularity has gone up as George W. Bush's has gone down.
Of Dollars and Discontent
First-quarter fundraising totals have opened up the presidential races in both parties.
Triangulating Times?
Bill Clinton triangulated on welfare reform. Can George W. Bush do the same on immigration?
Hollywood Hedges Its Bets
With some Democrats wondering whether either Hillary Rodham Clinton or Barack Obama can be elected president, the 2008 primaries are likely to produce a lot of strategic voting.
Outsiders in the Fast Lane
Barack Obama and Rudy Guiliani are the rock stars of the 2008 race.
Turning Up the Heat
Democrats are facing intense pressure to cut off funding for the Iraq war immediately.
Irking New Hampshire
Changes in the presidential primary calendar will make New Hampshire more important than ever.
Betting on Private Money
The current presidential campaign finance system is likely about to collapse and die.
The Middle-Class Blues
Democrats are picking up signs of middle-class anxiety about economic trends.
Don't Blink
The presidential nomination fights could be over by early February 2008.
Race to the Right
The three leading Republican presidential contenders are all moving to the right.
A Message About Priorities
Opinion polls show that Americans have one big priority; resolving the situation in Iraq.
Laying Down a Marker
Nancy Pelosi has taken over in a more polarized environment than Newt Gingrich faced in 1994.
The Confidence Gap
President Bush has not succeeded in changing people's minds about Iraq.
The 2008 Crowd
Opinion polls could play an unusually big role in the selection of the presidential nominees.
The Price of Patience
When Americans feel bogged down in a war; they want to win or get out.
One Tough Democrat
For decades, Democrats have been stereotyped as wimpy liberals. But Jim Webb, Virginia's new Democratic senator, is nobody's idea of a liberal. And his confrontational style is anything but wimpy.
Clinton, Obama, and the Third Way
Clinton's excessive baggage and Barack's light load of experience might not be the only options for Democrats.
Immigration: Election Issue Fade-Out
Neither party holds a clear advantage on the issue.
Swing Time
Independents have always been around, but for the past 12 years they've split their votes pretty evenly between the two parties. This year, they swung. The independent vote went 57 percent to Democrats and 39 percent to Republicans—the biggest margin since the first exit polls in 1976.
Opening Another Front
Revelations in Bob Woodward's new book are putting the White House on the defense.
Stay-at-Home Conservatives
Is President Bush in a position to throw his party a lifeline? We'll find out on Election Day.
Of Close Calls and Chaos
This year's midterms could turn into another endless election in which we won't know who won the day after the balloting. Remembering 2000, neither side wants to be out-lawyered in any litigation battle.
Not a Pocketbook Election
Pocketbook elections occur when most people think the economy is either very bad or very good. This year, people are evenly divided about whether the economy is in good shape or not.
Terrorism Still a Trump Card?
Democrats have to convince voters that they are strong in confronting terrorism.
Morphing Into Angry Voters
The early 1990s saw a wave of term-limit laws and anti-incumbent voting. Could voter concerns about Iraq, the economy, gas prices, and immigration trigger a repeat in 2006 and 2008?
The Spread of Disillusion
The Bush administration's efforts to link Iraq with the war on terrorism could backfire.
Pushing Prices Down
The decline in gasoline prices may be having an impact on attitudes about the economy.
Spotlight on Center Stage
The political center is alive and well in Colorado's 7th Congressional District.
Did Bush Get It Backward?
President Bush wants to put Iraq and Israel on the same side ("democracy"). But they're not.
No Rallying 'Round Bush
Only one Bush administration figure is getting high marks: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The Clintons of New Hampshire
After Democrats lose a presidential race, their first impulse is to change the primary calendar.
Staking Out a Middle Ground
Democrats need to go to the voters with some kind of position on Iraq. But what?
The Primary Message
President Bush's standing among Connecticut Democrats is bad news for Joe Lieberman.
Tehran Calls the Shots
Iran is showing the West, by attacking the soft underbelly of Israeli security, that pushing it around will have consequences.
The Middle East and the Midterms
American politics is bitterly divided over Iraq. But not over the conflict in the Middle East.
Taking On Arnold
Phil Angelides and Steve Westly are vying to take on California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
A Bipartisan Ticket in 2008?
A movement hoping to elect a bipartisan ticket in 2008 brings back memories of Ross Perot.
The Politics of Illegal Immigration
The year's election is likely to be the first in which illegal immigration is a national issue.
Split Decisions
Polls indicate that Republican voters are more divided over Iraq than are Democrats.
Identifying Features
In the 2008 presidential race, will she call herself Hillary Clinton or Hillary Rodham Clinton?
Looking for Someone to Blame
The public's instinctive reaction to high gas prices is that somebody is up to no good.
Teeth and Sympathy
Americans want to do everything possible to keep more illegal immigrants from coming in.
The Clinton in the Rearview Mirror
The American public now considers Bill Clinton more honest than George W. Bush.
Forcing the Debate
The politics of immigration reform suggest that Washington may do what it does best: nothing.
Beyond the Collapse
The old order has collapsed in Israel. But is this a new beginning, or another dead end?
Perhaps 'Nothing' Actually Can Win
Voters are in a mood to "throw the bums out." And most of the "bums" are Republicans.
The Vietnam Syndrome Mutates
An "Iraq syndrome" may be emerging as disillusionment with the Iraq war intensifies.
Pumped-Up Prices
President Bush sounds worried that his party could pay for high gas prices at the polls. He should be worried. Those hit hardest by high gas prices say thay plan to vote Democratic in the fall.
Bush Shuffles the Deck
On the port-security issue, Republicans can score political points by defying an unpopular president.
Discontent Is Again in Season
Anti-incumbent sentiment is growing, just as it did in the early 1990's.
Along the Border, No Middle Ground
Arizona's 8th Congressional District is ground zero in the debate over illegal immigration.
Naked Political Calculation?
How John McCain is positioning himself to win the 2008 GOP presidential nomination.
Electing Terrorists
Developments in the Middle East over the past year raise serious questions about the Bush doctrine of protecting America's security by promoting democracy abroad.
Challenging Bush's 'Safety' Defense
Evan Bayh, the normally quiet Hoosier, takes on President Bush directly, saying that the war in Iraq has made terrorism worse and the U.S. less safe.
The Immigration Divide
George Bush's conservative base is cracking, and the two biggest tremors causing the split are big government and immigration.
Cheney's Self-Inflicted Wound
The Cheney hunting incident confirmed a damaging stereotype about the vice president and the rest of the Bush administration—that they don't want people to know what's going on.
Confidence Gap
People seem to have a problem when the president talks about "victory" in Iraq.
Sharon's Party Unhinged
Can a centrist political party thrive in Israel without Ariel Sharon?
K Street's Capitol Connection
Republicans are hoping that the corruption issue won't hurt them in November.
Rove's Anti-Itch Prescription
Republicans have a 2006 game plan, the same one they used in 2002 and 2004.
The Lost Middle
It might be tough for a Republican closely associated with the Bush administration to win the presidency.
Define 'Victory'
The American people want the same thing in Iraq that they wanted in Korea and Vietnam: Win and get out.
Bush's Upward Blip
If U.S. troops are being withdrawn from Iraq by next fall, the issue could lose its political edge.
Can Bush Recover?
The key to a Bush recovery is still the economy. People are spending money, but they're worried.
Bush's Cheney Problem
Dick Cheney has become a problem for George W. Bush. Don't be surprised if Cheney's influence suffers.
Failing Their Own Tests
Voters seem to be sending President Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger the same message.
Escalating the Rhetoric Offensive
President Bush and Arnold Schwarzenegger are dealing with political setbacks in completely opposite ways.
Ballot-Box Poison
Arnold Schwarzenegger declared war on special interests. So far, the special interests are winning.
Second-Term Blues
President Bush is exhibiting classic symptoms.
A Souter in a Skirt?
If Miers changed once, how can Bush know she won't change again?
Re-evaluating U.S. Debt
Isn't there something worrisome about Communist China financing operations of the U.S. government?
Bush's New Low
For presidents, a 40 percent approval rating means trouble.
Leadership Vacuum
Bush's strength has always been his image as a take-charge guy.
Pervasive Economic Pessimism
President Bush faces growing economic pessimism and a looming budget crisis.
Catastrophic Failure
The advantage could go to whichever party offers bold ideas for improving government responses to crisis.
De-Escalation
John Roberts's nomination may result in something totally unexpected—a civil debate on the issues.
The Doctor in the Senate
Did Bill Frist's break with the White House make him look like a politician or a physician?
A Republican Town
Could the war become a trauma that transforms Washington?
One War or Two?
The public views the war in Iraq and the war on terrorism as two different things.
Hurling Threats
Threat-making has suddenly taken over politics, thanks to the Supreme Court vacancy created by the retirement of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
The Same War?
The attack in London is likely to intensify the debate over the war in Iraq.
From Denial to Stonewalling
Credibility, not criminality, is the biggest problem facing the White House in the Karl Rove controversy.
How 'Extraordinary'?
Faith-based politics? That's what will be needed if the filibuster compromise is going to work, particularly if President Bush gets the opportunity to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
The 33-Year Gap
Mark Felt kept quiet for decades, watching others get rich off his story.
Second Thoughts on Iraq
Americans hear news of continuing violence in Iraq and wonder what, exactly, is being accomplished.
No Lawsuit Left Behind
States are suing Uncle Sam over education mandates in the "No Child" act.
What Political Capital?
Bush's job rating hit a new low for a President just three months into a second term.
A Casualty of Iraq
Britain's voters bloodied the nose of Blair over his handling of the war in Iraq.
Spoiling for a Fight
Fights over the Supreme Court are most intense when ideological balance is at stake.
Triumph of a Latino Unifier
As mayor of Los Angeles, James Hahn made the mistake of losing his base.
The Public to Politicians: 'Keep Out'
The Schiavo case helped neither party; every move was seen as political.
The Strong and the Weak
The "culture of life" is a simple idea: the strong must protect the weak.
The Power of the Polls
Senate Republicans need to separate the filibuster issue from the Terri Schiavo case.
Revolt of the Propertied Class
There's one tax that growing numbers of Americans resent: the property tax.
Schwarzenegger Hits the Road
The governor plans a promotional tour to market his redistricting idea.
The Permanent Negative Campaign
At least by one measure of partisanship, things in Washington are worse than ever before.
The Disconnect
Most people say Bush's solution won't save Social Security's problem.
The Trouble With Hahn
The Los Angeles mayor has alienated the very groups that were his base.
Bush's Separation Solution
President Bush is pursuing a "separation strategy" in selling his Social Security ideas to the public: Separate the issue of personal investment accounts from the issue of the solvency of the Social Security system.
Repackaging the Message
Bush's address expanded the war on terrorism into a war on tyranny.
Voting for the Process
The election rules in Iraq only make the Sunni problem more serious.
Crisis of Confidence?
Confidence in Bush's handling of Social Security has been dropping since '01.
Back in the Ring
Howard Dean's election as chairman of the DNC shows that Democrats are ready to stand and fight.
About That Cowboy Rhetoric ...
Bush voices regret over remarks that were crucial to his winning strategy.
Ukraine's 'Orange Revolution'
A victory for Viktor Yushchenko in Ukraine would confirm the West's increasing influence there.
Clinton and the Democrats
The President's party has lost its power base, both in Washington and in the states.