A Presidential Science Advisor for the 21st-Century: Time to Add Some Color and Life

Joe Biden will seek to restore the place of science in policymaking. Science leadership will need to be reshaped to achieve this result. Thus, the incoming president should nominate someone to head the White House science office who has a background in the life sciences and is also a woman or a person of color. … Read more

Trump’s 40% Solution to Get Elected: Win with a Minority of the Vote

Donald Trump’s favorability rating has never much passed 40% that’s OK with him. In fact, it’s his reelection plan. His strategy is one that assumes mobilizing an energetic base is more important than appealing to undecided middle-of-the road voters. His far-right policies and combative rhetoric reinforced by conservative media are intended to keep his base … Read more

Kamala Harris was the Perfect Pick to Respond to Trump: Just Look at Them

Kamala Harris’s selection as vice-president sets a new standard for what it means for a political party to balance its ticket. Ticket balancing for the parties used to be largely geographic or ideological in nature. Now for the Democrats it has come to mean greater demographic balance — namely, selecting a ticket that looks more closely like … Read more

My Advice to Fellow Super Tuesday Voters: United You Win in the Fall

My advice to Super Tuesday Democrats is simple: vote for whom you think would be the best president and stop worrying so much about beating Trump. Then enthusiastically support the eventual nominee. Yes, beating Donald Trump is the top priority, but honestly no one really knows who the best candidate would be. (BTW: I vote … Read more