Experts in the News | Miller Center

Race and Racism

'Scientific racism' on the rise on the right

Ideas about an outside cultural threat and an internal genetic threat to white America were in circulation well before the emergence of the alt-right or the Trump campaign. In their modern form, they have been tolerated, even nurtured, in mainstream conservative circles for more than 20 years.

Nicole Hemmer

Vox

Past Present: Intersectionality, Beauty & the Beast, and Defunding the NEH & NEA

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate whether intersectionality is a religion, the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast, and Trump's plan to defund the NEA and NEH.

Nicole Hemmer

“Scientific racism” is on the rise on the right. But it’s been lurking there for years.

Notions of a threat to white America have been tolerated, even nurtured, in mainstream conservative circles for more than 20 years, writes Miller Center expert Nicole Hemmer.

Nicole Hemmer

Reality Bites

The collapse of the American Health Care Act vote showed that the GOP remains fractured, despite its victories in 2016. Repealing Obamacare should have been easy: House Republicans have voted to do so more than 60 times. But irreconcilable differences continue to thwart any attempt at governance. The Republican-led Congress will do a lot of small things over the next few years, but big-ticket items like health care and tax reform remain, for the time being, well beyond the GOP consensus.

Nicole Hemmer

The Presidency

Jackie Kennedy’s search for “Mr. Right”

A few days later an intriguing e-mail arrived from Dan Samuel, an elderly Englishman, retired in Connecticut. He described his long friendship with Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and noted that he had saved a number of letters from her. Would I like to know more about them? Absolutely, I responded.

Barbara Perry

Miller Center

Yet another Trump election promise quietly evaporates

One of the worst mistakes politicians can make is believing their own spin. An ability to discern rhetoric for reality is key to making good policy. It prevents you from, say, trying to ram through a hastily-written bill that only 17 per cent of the public supports in order to make good on a catchy slogan ("repeal and replace!").

Nicole Hemmer