Posts by Dr. Eric Ostermeier
Mounting US Senate Retirements: Tired of DC or Just Plain Tired?
The five U.S. Senators who have announced their retirement during the 113th Congress are 10 years older on average than any ‘retiring class’ from the chamber over the last five decades.
Read MoreOne and Done: Mike Johanns’ Unusual Exit from the US Senate
Johanns is the first U.S. Senator from the Cornhusker State who was popularly elected to a full term who chose not to seek reelection.
Read MoreThe Death of Presidents: Beware of June and July
More than one-third of deceased U.S. presidents died in June or July; none passed away in May.
Read More19 Candidates Definitely Running for President in 2016
Fifteen men and four women have already filed their Statement of Candidacy with the FEC – some 3 years, 8 months, and 25 days out from Election Day.
Read More“We” Before “I”
In Barack Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address, the President only incorporated 56 first-person singular pronouns (e.g. I, I’d, I’ll, I’m, I’ve, me, mine, myself) into his speech, or 0.8 percent of the words he spoke Tuesday evening. That…
Read More‘Get It Done’: Slogans Drop Obama’s SOTU Address to 9th Grade Reading Level
All four of the president’s State of the Union addresses rank in the Bottom 10 in presidential history for Flesch-Kincaid grade level readability scores.
Read MoreBlue States in the Box
Since Barack Obama’s first State of the Union Address in 2010, 60 of the 83 guests sitting with the First Lady came from states carried by the President in the previous election.
Read MoreCould Allyson Schwartz Make History in Pennsylvania?
A Schwartz gubernatorial bid could bring Pennsylvania its first female governor as well as its first successful run by a sitting or former Democratic U.S. Representative.
Read MoreThe 6 Times President Obama Mentioned the Pope
What do Dave Brubeck, Lech Walesa, the Queen of England and Nelson Mandela have in common?
Read MoreAmerica Held Hostage: The Political Rhetoric of Barack Obama
Immigration. Unemployment benefits. Health care. Taxes. Obama has dusted off and stretched the ‘hostage metaphor’ to advance his policy agenda more than any president in history.
Read More