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. . .
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Jerry Brown’s Uphill Climb
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
We all know that California is a blue state, with two Democratic senators and a record of favoring the Democratic presidential candidate in every. . .
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Rahm Emanuel Show
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
It was a very strange sight. There in The Washington Post was an article by reporter Dana Milbank making a case that White House Chief of Staff Rahm. . .
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The Promise and Burden of a Black Presidency
By Raphael Sonenshein
Barack Obama is suffering from an enthusiasm gap among African American voters. A recent survey by the political Web site Daily Kos found that 68. . .
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Obama and Health Care: From the House to the Senate
By Raphael Sonenshein
Almost exactly one year after the historic election that brought Barack Obama to the White House, the House of Representatives passed a health care. . .
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Jewish Voters, Obama and Health Care: Trouble Ahead?
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
The latest Gallup poll indicates that in September, President Obama’s approval rating held steady at 52 percent. He has dropped from the. . .
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Promised Land
By Raphael Sonenshein
The struggle to pass health care reform has everything to do with the creation of a new Democratic party that can exercise power on a national basis.. . .
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Q&A with Karen Bass: Life in the Hot Seat
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Political analyst and Jewish Journal columnist Raphael Sonenshein interviewed California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass at the Jewish Journal offices on. . .
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Deal-making Behind Byzantine Ballot Measures
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
May 19, California voters will be asked to vote on a package of six ballot measures. What’s a voter to do? What’s a Jewish voter to do?. . .
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
5th District Plays Big Role
By Raphael J. Sonenshein
The Los Angeles elections on March 3 turned out to be more interesting than most of us had expected, especially the role of the Fifth Council. . .
