Mellman: Religion’s political power | The Hill
Donald Trump is little known as a Christian scripture scholar, but he’s now a Bible peddler. This is a strange story that encapsulates an important reality in America today. Traditional religious practices are losing influence over Americans as a whole. Even though that influence has contributed greatly to the modern Republican Party, it does not […]
Mellman: The SOTU fails to move Biden’s numbers. That’s no surprise.
It’s like they were trying to frame him. Commentators were unanimous and clear that this year’s State of the Union address will likely be the most important of Joe Biden’s presidency. Politico wisely disputed the importance of these speeches in the past, but made an exception for 2024. “The State of the Union may be […]
Mellman: Any number in a storm — looking to predict elections
We want to know who will win the presidency. We become like sailors who choose “any port in the storm.” The phrase originated in his 1749 British erotic novel Fanny Hill, and entered American politics in 1841 as Winfield Scott’s presidential primary campaign slogan. Today, we’re not looking for ports, but for any numbers that […]
Mellman: Updating the GOP primary and holiday shopping
Today I’m going to do a quick update on my two previous columns. The first, announced nearly a year ago, asserted that “Iowa and New Hampshire…will be critical in determining the winner.” I argue that “questioning the influence of these early states…is becoming commonplace, with the winners of Iowa and New Hampshire each having only […]
Mellman: Why has Trump remained so popular with Republicans?
As Donald Trump pummels his Republican rivals in Iowa, it's worth asking why the repeatedly indicted, disgusting and incompetent former president is doing so well within the Republican Party. After the 2016 election, I wrote: book chapter I explore his first election appeal, which is based on three elements of conservatism: a dislike of government, […]