Digital Commons Network^™

First Trump, Now Clinton -- Investigative Hand-Grenades Keep Flying, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

As long as there has been politics, there has been corruption. So the investigative hand-grenades which have been flying for the past year, first at the Trump campaign, now at Mrs. Clinton’s, are not exactly new in American political life. What is new, however, is the geography.

Corruption used to be something American politicians did with other Americans. Now, it’s become something that involves other countries, and one in particular – Russia – which can’t be accused of friendly intentions toward the United States.

Curiously, at the beginning of the nation, Americans were confident that political corruption would never happen …

The Road To The White House: A Correlational Analysis Of Twitter Sentiment And National Polls In The 2016 Election Cycle, Melissa G. Pelletier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, the author examines the last 131 days of the 2016 election cycle. This analysis focuses on how sentiment is present on Twitter when people engage in political communication on social media. With the increasing online political discussions created on social media such as Twitter, an analysis of sentiment is critical. The data could be obtainable for candidates to estimate the electorate’s opinion of each candidate. A shift of sentiment offers a deeper insight into tracking changing attitudes toward candidates. Because Twitter only allows each tweet to be 140 characters there is a simplicity that offers statements to …

Presidency First: The Unitary Executive Governs America, Benjamin R. Pontz

Student Publications

While considerable debate has occurred over the founders’ original conception of the executive’s proper role, most can agree that the unitary executive theory developed during the George W. Bush administration expanded executive power far beyond that original conception. Though a vocal opponent to Bush’s expansion of power, President Barack Obama asserted similarly sweeping powers in both foreign and domestic policy. While President Donald Trump demonstrates clear ambivalence towards an all-encompassing rule of law, early indicators suggest that he will exhibit a proclivity for robust assertions of executive power that will rival or surpass his immediate predecessors even if, in some …

Populism Across The Atlantic: The Popular Retort To Globalism And Modernization In The United States, United Kingdom, And Germany, Timothy K. Desjarlais

Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union

This paper explores the recent rise in populism on both sides of the Atlantic by looking at three cases where populism has been successful including in the election of Donald Trump, the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, and the rise of the Alternative for Deutschland in German elections. While populism is not a new phenomenon to Europe or America, these recent success cases lead us to wonder whether populism is on the rise and if this is perhaps part of a popular backlash to the effects of globalization and modernization. This paper will examine the common themes …

Indoctrination Over Objectivity? Examining Breitbart's Framing Of Candidates And Social Issues In The 2016 Election, Marrissa S. Ballard

Pell Scholars and Senior Theses

During the 2016 election, Breitbart News became a key conservative source in reporting on the candidates and social issues. Drawing on scholars who have studied news media and politics, this paper uses content analysis to dissect what specific frames appear in Breitbart's coverage. The study finds that Breitbart departs from typical journalistic standards, reinforces problematic gender and racial stereotypes, and utilizes propaganda tactics to spread conservative ideologies. Though it was once considered a fringe source, Breitbart's growing and highly engaged audience demonstrates the platform's potential to shape political discourse and even influence election outcomes.

Commentary: Will The Courts Make Trump's Presidency Less Imperial?, Allen C. Guelzo, James H. Hulme

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

Nearly three months ago, Donald Trump assumed a presidency that, for more than a century, had grown seemingly endless discretionary powers. And he did so in company with Republican majorities in Congress and in 32 state legislatures -- all of which should have made his decisions unassailable.

Instead, he has been stymied and embarrassed by resistance from a federal judiciary that has twice halted executive orders on the most prominent issue of his presidential campaign. So, will the federal judiciary become the wall against which Trump bleeds away the power not just of his own presidency but of the “imperial …

Ike's Leadership Lessons For New President, Michael J. Birkner

History Faculty Publications

Just days into his presidency in the winter of 1953, Dwight Eisenhower met with his advisers and discussed a challenge from within the majority Republican caucus. If mishandled, it could have endangered his program for a stronger America.

The issue, as he later related, was the demand of conservative Republican legislative leaders that Eisenhower "balance the budget immediately and cut taxes no matter what the result." [excerpt]

Funding The Arts And Humanities Is Worth Fighting For, Dave Powell

Education Faculty Publications

There’s an old story about Winston Churchill that is not true but is worth repeating. When approached about cutting funding for the arts so the money could go to the war effort during World War II, Churchill supposedly replied: “Then what are we fighting for?”

As far as we can tell Churchill never actually said this, but you can be forgiven for being taken by the sentiment. This apocryphal quote still makes the rounds because it suggests that even in times of war art can help us realize what it is, exactly, that’s worth defending. [excerpt]

Can We Be Pragmatic And Prophetic In The Age Of Trump?, Donald Roth

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"I would urge Christians in America to maintain a pragmatic optimism while taking great care to preserve a prophetic presence in the social order."

Posting about moving forward after the recent presidential election from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/can-we-be-pragmatic-and-prophetic-in-the-age-of-trump/

The Leadership Style Of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, Aubrey Immelman

Psychology Faculty Publications

This working paper presents a personality-based analysis of newly elected U.S. president Donald J. Trump’s likely leadership style as president, inferred from the results of an indirect personality assessment conducted 2015–2016 from the conceptual perspective of personologist Theodore Millon.

Trump’s predominant personality patterns were found to be Ambitious/exploitative (a measure of narcissism) and Outgoing/impulsive, infused with secondary features of the Dominant/controlling pattern and supplemented by a Dauntless/adventurous tendency.

Ambitious individuals are bold, competitive, and self-assured; they easily assume leadership roles, expect others to recognize their special qualities, and often act as though entitled. Outgoing individuals are dramatic attention‑getters who thrive …

Can Ryan Zinke Balance Conservation And Development As Interior Secretary?, John Freemuth, Mackenzie Case

Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana to head the Department of the Interior follows a tradition of offering this position to westerners. The agency has jurisdiction over a significant portion of federal public lands in western states, including national parks, national wildlife refuges, some forests administered by the Bureau of Land Management and others.

Commentary: Challenging Three Electoral College Indictments, Allen C. Guelzo, James H. Hulme

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

On the day the Electoral College met and elected Donald J. Trump the 45th president of the United States, the New York Times editorial board published a scathing attack on the Electoral College as an "antiquated mechanism" which "overwhelming majorities" of Americans would prefer to eliminate in favor of a direct national popular vote. [excerpt]

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest 1st Place--Donald Trump: The Modern Day Killer Of The First Amendment, Ryann Schoenbaechler

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest 3rd Place--The Fine Line Between Criticism And Control: How The Trump Administration Is Weakening Freedom Of The Press, Michael Di Girolamo

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

Conservatism's Constitutional Moment, Greg Weiner

Political Science Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Trump And Truth, Greg Weiner

Political Science Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest Honorable Mention--Liberty And Responsibility, Callum Case

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

A Divided Media: Filtered Rhetoric And The Rise Of Donald Trump, Sarah Krasner

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the how the media filtered the rhetoric of candidate Donald Trump, specifically concerning how both right wing and left wing media reported his campaign announcement speech in June of 2015.

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest Honorable Mention--On The Consequences Of “Free Speech”, Duncan Barron

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest 2nd Place, Kelsey Mattingly

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

2017 Constitution Day Essay Contest Honorable Mention--On Freedom Of Expression, Emily Baehner

Constitution Day Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

Candidacy Rhetoric In The Rise Of The Donald And Its Relation To Populist And Fascist Ideology, Robert A. Moore

CMC Senior Theses

This essay provides a comparison of Trump’s rhetoric to fascist and populist ideology through an analysis and politolinguistic framing of the usage of apophasis, mesarchia, and pathos in Trump content spanning the first six months of his candidacy for the 2016 U.S. presidency seat. This account finds that Trump is decidedly Ur-Fascist or populist, and cannot be neither of the two, is likely both Ur-Fascist and populist, and leans more in favor of populist ideology given the analyses undertaken. This account ultimately aims to have supported critical discourse analysis (CDA) and politiolinguistics in support of these approaches as rigorous political …

The Trump Transition, Erica Wellman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

When studying presidencies and the success or failure of a presidential administration in the United States, it is essential to study the presidential transition. By studying this process, a better understanding of why certain events occurred or how exactly different accomplishments were achieved can be explained. Generally, outgoing administrations, regardless of party, are interested in aiding in the peaceful and professional transition of power onto their successor. This transfer of power is a vulnerable time for the United States government so it is of great interest of any political party to make sure that the incoming administration is ready for …

An Ethical President Elect?, Cameron Mackenzie

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

An ethics paper intended to take an unbiased stance, while breaking down the ethics surrounding then President Elect Donald Trump's 100-day plan.