RealClearPublicAffairs Articles

On June 8, 1789, James Madison rose before Congress and performed an about-face. The founder who had opposed the addition of a bill of rights to the Constitution conceded to pressure from advocates of adding amendments to protect Americans against abuses of government power. He gave a speech in which he defended amendments he never wanted. Madison understood that in the critical moment of the nascent republic, compromise was necessary to move the country forward. His example of moderation amidst hostile rhetoric on both sides is a timely reminder in our present moment of division. Why did...

John and Abigail Adams envisioned an America with a school in every neighborhood and a well-informed citizenry that was adept in languages, literature, and music, as well as science, history, and religion. Their vision was practical until the ages recast it, little by little. Then sometime between Joseph McCarthy and Joan Baez, the status quo of the educational system came undone. Students who had been accustomed to a traditional 50/50 split between the humanities and the sciences were capsized academically by the surprise Sputnik launch in 1957. The U.S.’s race to space sent higher...

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Today is the 55th anniversary of the home-grown American celebration. It's not a federal holiday, but an important milestone nonetheless. It began during the height of the Vietnam War. In 1970, Sen. Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin, an early skeptic of the costly U.S. military effort in Southeast Asia, launched "a national teach-in on the environment." The new crusade channeled some of the morally inspired rhetoric of the civil rights movement and a popular tactic of the antiwar movement, which was then in full swing on college campuses across the country. Earth Day was...

Within the past decade or so we have witnessed something remarkable in education – the rise and fall of a fad we were promised would revolutionize K-12 education. In the 2010s, tech moguls and others began pushing schools to teach students coding skills, often at the expense of other topics. In 2013, Code.org launched with the claim that every student should learn to code. States began promoting computer science as a core subject. By 2016, President Obama put his weight behind the movement with the Computer Science for All initiative. Fast forward to today, and the experts now tell us...

Like him or not, you probably agree President Trump is off to a fast start. From his selection and appointment of new and unexpected cabinet members to a succession of actions reshaping government, this administration is more than just a continuation of the first. The number and substance of Trump’s executive orders have surprised even his critics, who acknowledge that while a “few are nothing-burgers,” most are very substantive. Trump has signed more executive orders at this point in his term than any other president—more than three times the number signed by Joe...

This month, Nebraska lawmakers will debate whether to pass legislation that makes Nebraska's electoral system "winner-take-all."  In last November’s election, four of the state's five electoral votes went to Donald Trump, with one from Nebraska's Second Congressional District (the "blue dot") going to Kamala Harris. “Blue dot” proponents hope the practice of splitting electoral votes in presidential elections (followed only by Nebraska and Maine) spreads to more states. Jane Kleeb, chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party, said Nebraskans should be proud of the...

Even if one considers Ibram X. Kendi's "antiracism" schtick an Orwellian scam, Robin DiAngelo's "white fragility" idiotic, and the whole  "diversity, equity, and inclusion" regime toxic, the Trump administration's anti-DEI crusade has beclowned itself. The most recent farce is unfolding at the Pentagon in response to a memo from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's office heralding a "digital content refresh." This "refresh" calls for the removal of content from the DoD websites that "promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion." Thus, the page celebrating the life and heroism...

The Food and Drug Administration has long been compromised by its close ties to the pharmaceutical industry, at times operating more like a tacit business partner than an independent regulator. The revolving door between the FDA and Big Pharma incentivizes agency officials to approve drugs and medical devices with the expectation of landing cushy, lucrative industry jobs afterward, creating a clear conflict of interest. The FDA’s track record of fast-tracking high-profit drugs while dragging its feet on cheaper, off-patent treatments suggests that its priority is protecting industry...

February 22nd marked the 293rd anniversary of George Washington’s birth. It seems that few Americans, however, really know the man or understand what makes him important. Some accounts of Washington are hagiographic and instructive, after the fashion of a fable. Parson Weems, for example, invented the tale about him chopping down a cherry tree. In contrast, others have attempted to cut a tall man down to size by emphasizing Washington’s moral shortcomings, most importantly his ownership of slaves, which he himself admitted was an immoral trade. Washington has much more to offer...

One of the joys of my childhood was exploring Yosemite National Park with my father. Anyone who has ever been there remembers the stark site of El Capitan, the spectacular granite cliff that looms above Yosemite Valley. This time of year is known for Yosemite's "Firefall" spectacle, so named because the sun setting over the mountain lights up Horsetail Fall, and it seems for a few moments as if lava is flowing over the sheer face of the rocks. Saturday evening, many hundreds of park visitors assembled to watch nature's light show, cameras and smartphones at the ready, when they were...

Donald Trump's return to the White House in 2025 has produced a frenzy of activity designed to curb government excess. And I'm the first to concede that the federal bureaucracy has grown too fat and happy, as have many quasi-government agencies and the plethora of D.C. Beltway-based nongovernmental organizations that receive public money. But this date in U.S. history always reminds me of both the uplifting nature of bipartisan humor, and also good government at work. It was on this date in 1941 that the United Service Organizations was launched. Its animating star was an immigrant whose...

On February 6, 1911, Nelle and Jack Reagan of Tampico, Illinois, welcomed their second son into the world. They named him Ronald, although as he grew up the boy went by the nickname "Dutch." As a radio announcer, "Dutch Reagan" became a familiar handle to listeners in the Midwest. In Hollywood, Reagan was allowed to keep his given name by Warner Bros., the studio that signed him. As a stateside military officer in World War II – he was deemed unsuitable for combat due to poor eyesight – he was "Capt. Reagan" by the end of the war. His pals called him "Ron," Nancy Reagan called...

Good morning, it's Tuesday, Dec. 24, 2024. On this date 110 years ago, humanity emerged from the trenches, providing a brief respite to the unimaginable carnage of World War I. The "Christmas Truce," it came to be called, although that's something of a misnomer. No general or statesman called for a cease-fire. The high commands on both sides in the Great War, as World War I was then known, explicitly rejected the idea, which had been proffered as a congressional resolution in Washington, D.C., and by the pope in Rome. The lull in the fighting bubbled up organically from the ranks of British,...

Good morning, it's Friday Dec. 20, 2024, the day of the week when I reprise a quotation from U.S. history, arts, or letters intended to be uplifting or enlightening. Today's poignant words come from Charles Dickens. No, Dickens certainly wasn't an American. But as I mentioned in Tuesday's newsletter, he was partially inspired to write "A Christmas Carol" by a Protestant minister he met in New England. Besides, when one still has Christmas shopping to do and stories to edit, doesn't quoting Dickens seem like an efficient use of time? Most people who have read "A Christmas Carol" (or seen...

Good morning, it's Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2024. It was 181 years ago this week that British publishing house Chapman & Hall issued a thin novel by Charles Dickens destined to be a classic. From that day until this one, "A Christmas Carol" has never been out of print. It's sometimes asserted that Dickens' enduring yarn "invented" how we celebrate the 25th of December. That's not really true. For one thing, no Christmas tree appears in his story. And though the book (and, later, theater and film adaptations) certainly fueled the altruistic impulses of...

Good morning, it's Friday, Dec. 13, 2024. Yes, it's Friday the 13th, but here at RCP, we take our cue from Sen. Robert L. Owen, a happy warrior and turn-of-the-century (19th to 20th century, that is), populist Democrat who embraced the day – as he embraced most days. Friday is also the day of the week when I reprise a quotation from American history, one intended to be uplifting or enlightening. Today's poignant words come from the first U.S. president and the first woman to serve as first lady (though that phrase wouldn't catch on for another five decades). On this date...

Good morning, it's Friday Dec. 6, 2024, the day of the week in which I reprise a quote intended to be educational or uplifting. Today' inspirational words came from William A. Anders, a NASA astronaut whose place in American history – the history of the cosmos, really – was cemented by a photograph he took from the moon. Fifty-six years ago today, Time magazine came out with an arresting cover depicting two men in space suits striding toward the lunar surface, as if engaged in a strenuous sprint. One was an American astronaut, the other a Soviet "cosmonaut." Only four...

Good morning, it's Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024. Sixty years ago today, 814 demonstrators, most of them students, were arrested at the University of California, Berkeley and hauled off to jail in nearby Santa Rita. The mass arrests, requested by Edwin Meese, the Republican district attorney of Alameda County, and ordered by Pat Brown, the Democratic governor of California, ensured that the Free Speech Movement was a viable political force. Among those incarcerated were the students' leader, charismatic New York native Mario Savio, and a graduate student in the physics department...

Good morning, it's Nov. 29, 2024, the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the day of the week in which I reprise a quote intended to be educational or uplifting. Today's quote comes from the incomparable Washington Post columnist George Will.  Last week, while half the country was reeling from the 2024 election returns (and the other half was rejoicing), The Washington Post took time out to do a little self-promotion. The best kind, really: The paper celebrated George Will's 50th year as a political columnist. It has featured a collection of Will's greatest hits and a lovely tribute by...