Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency

From Southwest Ledger December 2024 and January 2025 may possibly go down in history as one of the most politically significant moments in recent history. In December then-President Joe Biden broke a record by issuing pardons or commuted sentences of more than 1,500 people. Several of his pardons were preemptive ones for family members and … Continue reading Pardoning Proves Power of Presidency →

2024: A Year of Political Whirlwinds, Conflicts, and Transitions of Power

From Southwest Ledger As we come to the close of 2024, it is worth looking back over this year at some of the highs and lows. Being an election year, and a historical one at that, with only the second time a president has served two nonsequential terms, it is probably not a surprise that … Continue reading 2024: A Year of Political Whirlwinds, Conflicts, and Transitions of Power →

Off-the-cuff: unscripted comments that sank presidential campaigns

From the Southwest Ledger At the time of writing this column, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is currently leading in most polls to win the Presidency of the United States. With only three weeks before the election, the worst thing that could happen for the Harris campaign is a snide, off-the-cuff remark that could sway voters … Continue reading Off-the-cuff: unscripted comments that sank presidential campaigns →

Scrutinizing Primaries: Political History is Cyclical, Evolutionary

From Southwest Ledger I read something online the other day that said, “not to brag but I have won as many primary votes as Kamala Harris.” At first it made me chuckle, but then it made me think. My first thought was “how many times has a candidate run for president without winning a single … Continue reading Scrutinizing Primaries: Political History is Cyclical, Evolutionary →

Do Televised Presidential Debates Sway Voters? Short answer: Probably.

From the Southwest Ledger Historically speaking, presidential debates are relatively new. The first one presidential debate was held between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in 1960. Before then, debates were seen as beneath presidential candidates. There were plenty of debates for other positions. The 1858 Lincoln-Douglass Debates for the Illinois Senate seat are probably … Continue reading Do Televised Presidential Debates Sway Voters? Short answer: Probably. →

STATE OF THE UNION THEATRICS

From Southwest Ledger Presidential guestlist now pushespolitical agenda above heroism By James Finck, Ph.D.On March 7, 2024, President Joe Biden gave his third official State of the Union Address to Congress where he used his time to criticize his predecessor, talk about border security and tout his economic successes.As has become tradition, Biden invited several … Continue reading STATE OF THE UNION THEATRICS →

Mayorkas’ Impeachment Charges Echo Those of Former Sec. of War with Ties to Oklahoma

From Southwest Ledger Last month Congress made the historic decision to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. With immigration being one of the hottest political issues of the day, Republicans impeached the secretary on charges of being “engaged in a pattern of conduct that is incompatible with his duties…[and] has failed to faithfully uphold his … Continue reading Mayorkas’ Impeachment Charges Echo Those of Former Sec. of War with Ties to Oklahoma →