Friday February 1, 2019
12:30-1:30 p.m.
Dampeer Room
Kelvin Smith Library*
Case Western Reserve University
Dear Colleagues:
January 20 was the midpoint of this presidential term. So it seems time for some midterm grades – not of his policies but his use of the presidency. Logical “subjects” include:
* How has the president done in terms of getting what he wants from Congress?
* How successfully has he used his appointment powers?
* Has he used his executive power to get the bureaucracy to change domestic policy?
* Has he kept support from his party, and has he been good for his partisan allies?
* How does his public support compare to other presidents at this point in their presidencies?
* How well has he managed the “institutional presidency” – the White House staff and related organizations – to achieve his political and policy goals?
*Is he on track for re-election?
President Trump, however, provokes a question that isn’t always asked: namely, how has he affected the broad parameters of American politics – how “the system” works?
It’s fair to say that President Trump’s ways of relating to the public and the internal workings of his administration have not been the norm. So for assessing his presidency so far, it is especially good to welcome Professor Cohen, a leading scholar of White House organization, to consider how successful President Trump has been separate from what we may think of his goals.
All best regards,
Joe White
Luxenberg Family Professor of Public Policy and Director, Center for Policy Studies
About Our Guest
David B. Cohen is a professor of political science and Assistant Director of the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at The University of Akron. Professor Cohen earned a B.A. in political science and international relations at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in political science at the University of Tennessee, and a Ph.D. in political science at the University of South Carolina.
Among others, he teaches courses on the American presidency, Congress, and homeland security. He is co-author of Buckeye Battleground: Ohio, Campaigns, and Elections in the Twenty-First Century (2011) and is currently co-authoring a manuscript to be published by University Press of Kansas titled The President’s Chief of Staff: Evolution of a White House Institution. He has published numerous scholarly articles on the American presidency as well as in the area of homeland security. Professor Cohen’s primary areas of research specialization are the American presidency, Congress, campaigns/elections, and homeland security.
In addition to his academic pursuits, Professor Cohen is a frequent media contributor and guest speaker on national and Ohio politics. Professor Cohen has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Akron Press Club since 2007 and is the former Vice President for Programs.
Where We Meet
The Friday Public Affairs Lunch convenes each Friday when classes are in session, from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. Our programs are open to all and no registration is required. We usually meet in the Dampeer Room of Kelvin Smith Library.
* Kelvin Smith Library requires all entrants to show identification when entering the building, unless they have a university i.d. that they can magnetically scan. We are sorry if that seems like a hassle, but it has been Library policy for a while in response to security concerns. Please do not complain to the library staff at the entrance, who are just doing their jobs.
Parking Possibilities
The most convenient parking is the lot underneath Severance Hall. We regret that it is not free. From that lot there is an elevator up to street level (labeled as for the Thwing Center); it is less than 50 yards from that exit to the library entrance. You can get from the Severance garage to the library without going outside. Near the entry gates – just to the right if you were driving out – there is a door into a corridor. Walk down the corridor and there will be another door. Beyond that door you’ll find the entrance to an elevator which goes up to an entrance right inside the doors to Kelvin Smith Library.
Schedule of Friday Lunch Upcoming Topics and Speakers:
February 8: A Model and Scorecard of the Trump Administration’s Trade Policy. With Juscelino Colares, Schott – Van den Eyden Professor of Business Law and Professor of Political Science.
February 15: China’s Precarious Rise. With Paul Schroeder, Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science.
February 22: The Real Problems With Ohio’s State Tax System. With Tatyana Guzman, Assistant Professor in Public Finance, Cleveland State University Levin College of Urban Affairs.
March 1: A European Perspective on American Politics. With Patrick Chamorel, Senior Resident Scholar, Stanford University Center in Washington, DC. Alternate Location: Guildord House First Floor Parlor, 11112 Bellflower Road, Cleveland.
March 8: Victims, Perpetrators, and the Problem of Domestic Violence. With Laura Voith, Assistant Professor, Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.
March 15: No Discussion, Spring Break
March 22: Germany’s New Party Politics? With Andreas Sobisch, Associate Professor of Political Science, John Carroll University.
March 29: What Do We Know About the Health and Safety Effects of Marijuana: Medical, Recreational, or Otherwise? With Theodore Parran Jr. MD, Isabel and Carter Wang Professor and Chair in Medical Education and Associate Director, Rosary Hall at St. Vincent Charity Medical Center.
April 5: The Polar Silk Road? With Kathryn C. Lavelle, Ellen and Dixon Long Professor of World Affairs.
April 12: TBA
April 19: Managing in a Trumped-Up Economy. With Mark Sniderman, Executive-in-Residence and Adjunct Professor of Economics, Weatherhead School, and former Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
April 26: TBA |
