It probably feels like the 2020 elections have been going on for years, and in a sense they have. Ever since Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016, the political world has been girding for this moment. But more Americans than you might expect have only just begun paying attention, now that we’re in the […]
Lee H. Hamilton
Posted inOpinion
Help revitalize our democracy
Amid all the troubles occupying our attention, one of the more worrisome is also one of the least visible. It is the loss of public faith in the effectiveness of our representative democracy. While most state and local governments – and certain federal agencies – have maintained public support during the pandemic, concern over our […]
Posted inOpinion
The U.S. has no choice but to lead the world
The United States is the most powerful country in the world. By any measure, we are preeminent. We have challenges and vulnerabilities, and we are not as dominant as we once were, but no one else comes close to America’s military, economic and political might. Whether we like it or not, we cannot escape the […]
Posted inOpinion
Can Congress make democratic governance work?
This is a time of great testing for Congress. As it considers responses to the nation’s health and economic crises, it faces close scrutiny by ordinary Americans, financial markets and businesses large and small across the country. The pressure to move quickly is intense, and it is not an institution built for that purpose. Yet […]
Posted inOpinion
How presidents get their facts
Here’s a basic truth about people who make decisions on public policy: They rarely have all the facts they want. Over the years, I’ve sat in countless meetings in which, after we’d reached a sticking point, someone said in exasperation, “Well, what are the facts?” We’d all look around the room because, no matter how […]
Posted inOpinion
Why trust matters
To me, it was a thunderclap. Years ago, when I was in Congress, we were in the midst of a tense, contentious debate. Members had gotten irritated, levying charges back and forth, and tempers were rising. It was starting to look like we might just go off the rails. Then one member stood up, asked […]
Posted inOpinion
Better ways to hold presidents accountable
“I ask how and why this decision was reached,” Utah Sen. Mitt Romney said in the Senate recently. He was calling for an investigation into President Trump’s decision to pull U.S. forces out of Syria. “Was there no chance for diplomacy? Are we so weak and so inept diplomatically that Turkey forced the hand of […]
Posted inOpinion
The joy of politics
You’re probably chuckling already. Seriously? “The joy of politics”? That was pretty much the reaction I got the other day when, in the middle of a conversation about how confrontational, adversarial and downright unpleasant politics has become of late, I suggested that it could be both fun and a source of satisfaction. Yes, of course […]
Posted inOpinion
Don’t just focus on elections, but on how we elect
A few years ago, I was at a polling place here in Indiana where a long line of people stood waiting to vote. A woman recognized me and called me over. “Why is it,” she asked, “that you politicians make it so hard and inconvenient to vote?” I thought of this the other day when […]
Posted inOpinion
How much federal debt can we afford?
A few months ago, the federal debt we have accumulated over the past decades crossed the $22 trillion mark. That’s a record. And it’s surely not going to be the last. According to Congressional Budget Office estimates, annual federal deficits over the next decade – the deficit is the annual figure for how much more […]
Posted inOpinion
The key to democracy? Persuasion.
I am lucky enough these days to be in regular touch with young people – students – who are interested in public service. I find hope in their quality, energy and motivation, and they press me to think more deeply about what it takes to pursue a life in the public realm. In trying to […]
Posted inOpinion
How politics have changed
I became active in politics in the late 1950s, got elected to Congress in 1964, and have remained engaged in one way or another every year since then. I’ve had a ringside seat for a long time. So I suppose I should not be surprised that I get asked a lot these days how American […]
