Thursday, April 18, 2013

The ultimate school test

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

The political struggle over school governance is now the most significant internal conflict in the Democratic Party, at the city, state and national. . .

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A gridlock bypass in Congress?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

A remarkable thing happened in Washington, D.C., last week. National leaders of business and labor hammered out an outline on immigration reform.. . .

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The immigration cliff?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

While Washington obsesses about cliffs, ceilings and other metaphors for budget catastrophe, we should keep an eye on the issue of immigration.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Does the Jewish vote still matter?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

Does the Jewish vote still matter and if so, how? Exit polls indicate that 70 percent of Jews voted for President Obama, compared to roughly 39. . .

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

The impact of the moderate Republican

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

On Oct. 28, 1980, a beleaguered President Jimmy Carter stood on a debate stage with his Republican challenger, former California Gov. Ronald Reagan.. . .

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Out of Reagan’s shadow

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

Even though this is going to be a very close presidential election, maybe closer than in 2008, the Democratic convention of 2012 revealed a party. . .

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Romney, Ryan and Florida Jews

By Raphael Sonenshein

In 1992, Paul Tsongas of Massachusetts mounted a strong campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The pundits considered him a brainy guy. . .

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Tough slog ahead for implementing affordable care

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

If Barack Obama is re-elected as president, the overriding purpose of his second term will be the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.. . .

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Advice from the Governator

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

It has been less than a decade since Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger won the special election to recall and replace Gov. Gray Davis.. . .

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Can Democrats govern California?

Facing the likelihood of conflicting tax initiatives on the November ballot, Gov. Jerry Brown last week reached agreement with the California. . .

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

City redistricting plan has potential to affect Asian-Americans

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

I was too young to see Hank Greenberg play. That was my father’s generation. But growing up in New Jersey, I well remember the day when Sandy. . .

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Opinion: Will Iran be the wild card in presidential election?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

As reports circulate about an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report on Iranian progress toward building a nuclear weapon, issues of. . .

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

New coalitions: The politics of redistricting

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, who govern the most populous county in America, are entering a critical debate over redistricting that. . .

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Beyond raising the debt limit: What a Republican government would be like

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

The battle over raising the debt limit has raised a lot of concern about how Republicans act as an opposition party. They have shown that they are. . .

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

The forgotten people in the 2012 election

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

Raphael J. Sonenshein is chair of the Division of Politics, Administration and Justice at California State University, Fullerton. Remember Osama bin. . .

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Bin Laden killing gives Obama political edge

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

As Americans anxiously waited to hear what their young president had to say, the words “national security” hung in the air. Then, when the. . .

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

On Wisconsin, Fight, Fight, Fight

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

During his 1948 presidential campaign against underdog Democrat Harry S. Truman, Republican Thomas E. Dewey was on the campaign trail. As a crowd. . .

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Harman’s departure: what does it mean for Jews?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

The outcome of the decision by Jane Harman to quit her 36th congressional seat in the South Bay will likely be a signpost of the changing role of. . .

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Can Gov. Brown Fix California?

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

Watching Jerry Brown’s low-key but curiously dramatic press conference on the state budget Jan. 10 reminded me that the central task of Democrats,. . .

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

A Democrat’s lament, and a glimmer of hope

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

There is a sick feeling of demoralization settling over Democrats, like drizzle on a cloudy day. It’s not because of losses in the midterm. . .

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Democrats’ new adversary

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

An election year that was looking hopeless for Democrats has taken a slight turn for the better. The generic ballot measure has tightened up. Since. . .

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The New Politics of Immigration

By Raphael J. Sonenshein

Few issues in American politics are more contentious than immigration. So, it was noteworthy that last week in a speech at American University in. . .

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The ‘Supreme’ Court?

by Raphael J. Sonenshein

With all of our attention riveted on who was winning or losing public offices, we might have missed the most alarming thing that happened on. . .

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Arizona Demands ‘Show Me Your Papers’

By Raphael Sonenshein

The state of Arizona has unleashed a firestorm with its new law to make undocumented status a state crime and to give the police wide powers to. . .