Browse Research and Commentary

When budget cuts hit high-profile business travelers, you can get Congress to act.

April 30, 2013, Darrell M. West, Bloomberg

The political conditions have been the best in a number of years to actually pass comprehensive [immigration] reform but the Boston events already are emboldening critics ... It's going to slow down the process and in D.C. anytime you slow down the process it creates openings for critics to try to torpedo the overall legislation.

April 19, 2013, Darrell M. West, Bloomberg

I actually think things could change. The terrible nature of this shooting has the potential to transform the national debate.

December 18, 2012, Darrell M. West, McClatchy

Voters don't want to think Hollywood celebrities are telling them how to vote. They understand their expertise is outside the political world. [But there are exceptions.] Celebrities can help in particular niches, particularly in terms of get out the vote efforts because there you can match a celebrity and target and appeal to those types of communities.

October 24, 2012, Darrell M. West, FoxNews

[Relentless political] ads lose meaning for the 95% who have decided, but not for the 5% who are undecided... Swing voters still are looking for a reason to vote for Romney or Obama.

October 14, 2012, Darrell M. West, The New York Daily News

Democrats have been slow to embrace super PACs because many of them are ideologically opposed to them... [Democrats have started to embrace them] because they don't want to be at a competitive disadvantage to Republicans.

October 9, 2012, Darrell M. West, Washington Times

During the debate, Romney needs to turn the race back into a referendum on Obama... Right now, the president has the upper hand due to intemperate remarks from Romney, and the GOP nominee will need to soften his image and crystallize the differences between the candidates.

October 2, 2012, Darrell M. West, Wall Street Journal

I saw [Mitt Romney's statement on the Obama administration's response to the recent violence in Libya and Egypt] last night and I thought...today they would correct the damage. Instead they're digging the hole deeper. You can't really play partisan politics in U.S. foreign policy.

September 12, 2012, Darrell M. West, CBS News

A lot of companies and businesses get help. Government builds the infrastructure; the government helps in about every sector.

August 29, 2012, Darrell M. West, The Kansas City Star

The main thing Paul Ryan wants to do is to really downsize the government and completely restructure Medicare.

August 13, 2012, Darrell M. West, The Associated Press

It doesn't look like the Colorado shootings will galvanize the gun control issue. The National Rifle Association has a solid lock on the gun issue and effectively is preventing any serious discussion of gun violence. Americans don't like to connect our gun policies on assault weapons with violent crime and it doesn't look like that is going to change any time soon.

August 1, 2012, Darrell M. West, Xinhua

[America's political leaders] seem less interested in actually solving problems than in presenting some doctrinaire view that's not getting anything done. We now have parallel political universes that don't connect to one another, and it leaves voters confused.

July 11, 2012, Darrell M. West, CNN

[E]verything associated with health care reform has been highly partisan, and that is not likely to change any time soon. Public opinion has been sharply divided from the very beginning and sentiments have not changed significantly over the past few years. It is a sad commentary on our times that people cannot see beyond their own party views to evaluate how the legislation affects them personally.

July 1, 2012, Darrell M. West, The Daily Kos

Politics 101: On issues that are potentially unfavorable, put all the information out, take the one-time hit, and move on. That makes it a one-day story.

June 1, 2012, Darrell M. West, Boston Globe

Romney is starting to shift to the center. He knows he needs to get independent voters in November and if he doesn't he's going to lose.

May 3, 2012, Darrell M. West, The Hill