Ronald L. Feinman

Ronald L. Feinman received his Ph.D. from the City University of New York Graduate School in 1975. His dissertation advisor was Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Dr. Feinman is the author of “Twilight of Progressivism: The Western Republican Senators and the New Deal” (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981) and “Assassinations, Threats, and the American Presidency: From Andrew Jackson to Barack Obama” (Rowman Littlefield Publishers, 2015, Paperback Edition 2017). In addition to this blog, Dr. Feinman has blogged at TheProgressiveProfessor.com since 2008 and is a political and historical Commentator on Radio Station WWGH, 107.1 FM, Marion, Ohio. Dr. Feinman has spent nearly a half century as Professor of American History, Government and Politics and is still teaching a US Presidency class at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida every Fall and Spring term.

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  Jan 27, 2023
  

  Two Years In, Biden Faces Decision about 2024

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  If Biden makes the decision now not to run in 2024, he could commit himself wholeheartedly to the work of statesmanship and advocacy that will help a Democratic successor win and govern. 

  

• 
  Jan 6, 2023
  

  Three Ex-Presidents have Tried to Return to Office with Third-Party Runs. None Have Succeeded

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Donald Trump's recent hints at running a third-party MAGA campaign if the Republicans nominate someone else aren't unprecedented, but if history is any guide, such a run would only help the Democrats. 

  

• 
  Dec 18, 2022
  

  Sinema's Switch Reminds Us: Independent Senators Have Been a Colorful Bunch

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Kyrsten Sinema's surprise announcement of her departure from the Democratic Party puts her in the ranks of eleven modern independent senators who, whatever their individual politics, were often unconcerned with being team players. 

  

• 
  Nov 18, 2022
  

  Projecting the Next Presidential Winner from the Midterm Results is a Fool's Bet

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Politicians and pundits have begun to make presidential election predictions based on the national and state-level results of the midterms. Most of those predictions will be worthless; few presidential winners have seemed like a sure thing two years before. 

  

• 
  Oct 3, 2022
  

  The Reputation of Presidents Takes a Hit in Their Second Term

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  The 2024 presidential campaign is fast approaching, with speculation rampant about whether Biden should seek a second term. Although his political fortunes have improved recently, the record of second-term presidents might give him pause. 

  

• 
  Mar 4, 2022
  

  Why Two Congresswomen, Generations Apart, Stood Alone Against the Tide of War

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Jeannette Rankin and Barbara Lee both put their principles ahead of popularity in opposing resolutions for war in Congress. 

  

• 
  Feb 18, 2022
  

  Strained Relationships between Presidents and Vice Presidents are Nothing New

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Mike Pence is just the latest vice president to have a fraught relationship with the president. Whether POTUS and the VP get along has historically been a coin toss. 

  

• 
  Feb 2, 2022
  

  Senate Votes Against War Resolutions Have Been Rare; Here are some Noteworthy Ones

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  As the United States prepares to move troops to Eastern Europe amid escalating tensions with Russia over Ukraine, it's worth reflecting on how a rush to war can sweep up political leaders. Here are some 20th Century members of Congress who stood against the tide. 

  

• 
  Dec 5, 2021
  

  Seven Ex-Presidents Have Tried To Reclaim the Office. Will There Be an Eighth?

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  In the next year’s time, it will likely become clear whether Donald Trump becomes the 8^th ex-president to try to return to the Oval Office, and whether he follows the trend of failure in such efforts.

  

• 
  Nov 14, 2021
  

  Will New York State Return to Dominating Presidential Elections?

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  New Yorkers have dominated the parties' presidential tickets for much of American history, but do demographic shifts mean that the significance of New York is waning? 

  

• 
  Oct 8, 2021
  

  The Kennedys and the Levins: Two Significant Pairs of Brothers in Congress

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Everyone knows the Kennedys, but Carl and Sander Levin of Michigan were another important pair of Congressional brothers. 

  

• 
  Sep 26, 2021
  

  Famous Parent-Child Pairs in the Senate-Part II: The Democrats

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  The Longs, the Byrds, the Bayhs and the Gores are four sets of fathers and sons to serve as Democrats in the US Senate. 

  

• 
  Sep 10, 2021
  

  Famous Parent-Child Pairs in the US Senate: Part 1-The Republicans

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  The LaFollettes, Tafts, Chafees and Murkowskis are the four pairs of parents and children to serve as Republicans in the US Senate. 

  

• 
  Aug 22, 2021
  

  First-Year Foreign Policy Disasters are a Frequent Feature of the Presidency

  by Ronald L. Feinman

   

   

   

   

  

• 
  Aug 15, 2021
  

  More Senators Who Impacted Politics Outside the Two-Party System

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Modern independents with enough popular support to reach or stay in the Senate have been clustered in the northeastern states. 

  

• 
  Aug 6, 2021
  

  Illinois's 16th Congressional District Has Put Forward Three Important National Politicians

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  By bucking Donald Trump and his party leadership to reject the Big Lie of the stolen election, Adam Kinzinger has become yet another prominent national leader to come from Illinois's humble 16th Congressional District. 

  

• 
  Jul 25, 2021
  

  Influential Independent and Third-Party Senators (Part 1)

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Seven Senators who represented third parties (or no party) for all or part of their service had a significant impact on reform politics between the 1840s and 1940s.

  

• 
  Jul 6, 2021
  

  Who's Up, Who's Down in the latest CSPAN Presidential Ranking Poll

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  Although many waited to see where Trump would rank, it's clear that the contentious events of recent years have affected how the presidents are retrospectively appraised. 

  

• 
  Jun 18, 2021
  

  The Eighty-Year Cycle of Existential National Crisis: How Will This One End?

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  The United States has faced serious crisis about every eighty years since the War for Independence. It remains to be seen if the nation will emerge from the democratic crisis spurred by the 2020 election.

  

• 
  Jun 4, 2021
  

  Governing With an Evenly Divided Senate is a Rare Tightrope Act

  by Ronald L. Feinman

  The current US Senate, monkeywrenched by the filibuster and unified Republican obstruction, is unlike any of the three prior Senates with even partisan representation. It appears Biden will need every one of his Senators to change the filibuster rules to have a chance of passing legislation.