Experts in the News | Miller Center

Holding hearings for Merrick Garland would actually help Senate Republicans. Here’s how.

According to some polls, nearly two-thirds of Americans believe that the Senate should consider President Obama’s nominee, Judge Merrick Garland, to fill the Supreme Court seat vacated by Antonin Scalia’s death. Senate Republicans have refused to do so, marking the first time that opponents of a president’s Supreme Court nominee have blocked hearings entirely. Is this really in their best interest?

Marc Selverstone and Barbara Perry

Repeating LBJ's Mistakes in 2016

A scuffle last week over whether independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders adequately supported former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 1993-1994 health care reform efforts highlighted how the question of moving beyond the Affordable Care Act has emerged as a defining difference between the two candidates. The most recent dispute seems to have been resolved. But the larger issue remains. Just as we saw with President Lyndon B. Johnson's fight for Medicare in 1965, both candidates are presenting plans that while politically expedient, fail to adequately control costs. We cannot afford to have history repeat itself in this regard. Given health care’s impact on both federal and state budgets, cost containment has to be at the heart of the conversation about post-Affordable Care Act reform.

Guian McKee

Cuba, after Obama

President Barack Obama heads to Havana this weekend, the most compelling development yet in his long-running drive towards full normalization with Cuba. At stake in the president’s visit is a desire to show progress on the December 2014 decision to re-establish diplomatic relations and to cement the president’s legacy on Cuba.

Marc Selverstone and Cristina Lopez-Gottardi

How America’s Next President Should Tackle A Financial Crisis

Almost one in five U.S. presidents confronted a major domestic financial crisis in the first year of their administrations, a sobering reminder that you can either harness the power of the nation’s economy, or be run over by it.

Robert Bruner

How Richard Nixon stabbed America in the back

Nixon’s myth is shattered by the evidence on Nixon’s tapes and in his White House documents. The tapes tell a story that is both true and, potentially, lifesaving. Once we remember this hidden part of our past, we will no longer be condemned to repeat it.

Ken Hughes

Setting the record straight on Selma and ‘Selma’

The Oscars will be handed out tonight, honoring the year’s greatest achievements in film. “Selma,” which focuses on the 1965 campaign to secure voting rights for black Americans, will not be among the biggest winners — even though it is up for Best Picture — as the movie garnered fewer nominations than expected.

At fault, according to some observers, was its depiction of President Lyndon B. Johnson and the ensuing controversy the film provoked. The controversy has included many voices, but the contributions of those who lived the history — in the White House, in Alabama — have been particularly powerful, as have the views of those connected with the film.

Marc Selverstone