Julian Zelizer

GOP Leader McConnell Congratulates Biden As President-Elect

Julian Zelizer argues that the whole Washington Republican establishment has been involved in a dangerous effort to undermine faith in the election, even after the Electoral College has cast its votes and given Joe Biden a winning total. 

Kamala Harris Will Play Major Role As Vice President, Historian Says

Historian Julian Zelizer suggests Kamala Harris will make history not just because of her ethnic identity but because of her likely considerable involvement in White House policymaking. 

“Wright-Gate” and Newt’s Ruthless Playbook (Review)

Although he had dogs ranging from a Doberman pinscher to a cocker spaniel, young Newt Gingrich took particular delight in feeding hard-boiled eggs to his extensive collection of snakes. Julian Zelizer's new book on the Republican Revolution examines his appetite for conflict and political treachery.

Under Trump, the deficit has ballooned, exploding a GOP myth

by Julian Zelizer

Once again, President Trump has exposed a myth in American politics. That myth? That Republicans are the party of fiscal responsibility.

Kruse and Zelizer: Trump Is a Symptom of an Age That’s Been a Long Time Coming

What does history’s magic 8-ball say about how we wound up with Donald Trump? Two historians try to supply the context.

What's behind the surging interest in Pete Buttigieg

by Julian Zelizer

In retrospect, his unexpected viability makes a lot of sense.

Kruse and Zelizer: Watergate's lesson? If Democrats want to heal America, Trump must be held accountable

by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer

Accountability is essential to the long-term health of our democracy, more important than even healing the nation’s partisan divisions.

Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer: Howard Schultz could re-elect Donald Trump

by Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer

Schultz could easily play the same spoiler role in 2020.

Julian Zelizer blasts Pence for comparing Donald Trump to MLK

Zelizer said the Trump administration is "antithetical to absolutely everthing" King fought for. 

Julian Zelizer says GOPers like Boehner paved the way for their irrelevance in the age of Trump

by Julian Zelizer

“The GOP opened the door to this kind of politics — the disregard for norms of governance, the adversarial posture toward institutions, and the willingness to throw into the public conversation arguments that are untrue."

Top Young Historians: Julian Zelizer

by Bonnie Goodman

"I have always been inspired by interdisciplinary approaches to History, although I remain a historian at heart."

What’s Wrong with the Way We Think About Presidents: An Interview with Julian E. Zelizer

by Scott Porch

Our inflated idea of presidential power, what’s happening with the book industry, and other topics.

Julian Zelizer takes students to see Cranston play LBJ

“There are different ways to learn about history; you could learn about it through textbooks, you could learn about it through lectures, you could learn about it through a senior thesis, but another way to learn about history is through popular culture.”

A short history of government shutdowns, with Julian Zelizer

Government shutdowns used to be pretty common until the 1990s, but they were skirmishes, not battles -- certainly not wars.

Julian Zelizer: Crunch Time for Immigration, Budget Fights

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." (CNN) -- August is going to be a crucial month for President Barack Obama.As the 113th Congress takes its recess, legislators will be returning to their states and districts to hear from constituents.The stakes are particularly high for Obama and Democrats, who have one last chance to sway the House Republicans before two hugely important issues are resolved: the immigration bill and the budget.As politicians in both parties begin to prepare for the 2014 midterms and think about the 2016 elections, this fall might be the last real opportunity for the president to win congressional support for these big measures....

Julian Zelizer: History, Literature, Civics and Arts on the Chopping Block

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." (CNN) - Everyone talks about our broken political system. Washington is too polarized. Money dominates politics. Politicians don't know how to lead. Citizens are not as attentive to governance and public policy as they should be. Americans either ignore politics or see it is one more form of entertainment, "American Idol" on steroids.As a result, politicians get away with all kinds of misstatements and truths, in part because the electorate is so gullible.How do we make our democracy work better?Political reform will be essential to making sure that our institutions operate effectively. The news media needs to do a better job of separating truth from fiction and backing away from the increasingly partisan outlook of journalism. Civic organizations need to do more to make sure that voters are active in politics and, at a minimum, that they actually vote on Election Day....

Julian Zelizer: George W. Bush's Legacy is on the Mend

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." (CNN) -- Former President George W. Bush is enjoying another bounce in the post-presidential polls. First, the opening of his presidential library produced a spate of positive coverage about his time in office. Now, Gallup has released a survey showing that for the first time since 2005, more people approve than disapprove of Bush.This kind of shift in public opinion is likely to continue, with more upswings as well as downturns ahead. This is the nature of presidential legacies. They are a bit like what Mark Twain once said about the weather in New England: if you don't like it, just wait a second and it will change.Presidential reputations are never fixed in stone.

Julian Zelizer: Fix Our Tax Headaches

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America."(CNN) -- Something good can come of the bad news about taxes. Last week there were more revelations about who knew what, and what actually occurred, when the Internal Revenue Service targeted conservative organizations that were seeking tax-exempt status. Former IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman told Congress he was "dismayed" about what had happened.Taxes were front and center once again when Apple CEO Tim Cook was forced to respond to a congressional report that the company had avoided paying billions of dollars in taxes.The controversies generated a big stir in Washington and the news media, though it is unclear that the general public is quite as interested as the politicians and the reporters. Nonetheless, at least for now, both stories have produced intense congressional investigations to find out who was responsible for any wrongdoing.

Julian Zelizer: What Happened to Obama's Promise?

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- On "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart captured the frustration that many of President Obama's supporters have felt over the past week as one scandal after another cascaded into the White House.After starting with a predictable riff accusing Bill O'Reilly of ignoring facts when attacking the Obama administration, Stewart turned to the IRS story, banged on his desk, and yelled out curses....Many liberal Democrats were frustrated and shocked that the administration had permitted the seizure of the phone records, the kind of activities they would certainly have railed against had they happened under President George W. Bush.

Julian Zelizer: Chris Christie's Weight -- Why It Matters

Julian Zelizer is a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. He is the author of "Jimmy Carter" and "Governing America." Princeton, New Jersey (CNN) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made headlines last week when one of his aides admitted that he had surgery to lose weight. Christie said that the surgery had nothing to do with politics and everything to do with his health and his family. Christie said: "It's not a career issue for me. It is a long-term health issue for me and that's the basis on which I made this decision. It's not about anything other than that."It is impossible to know whether we should take Christie at face value. Given that there has been ongoing speculation about his presidential aspirations for 2016, often coupled with discussions of his struggle with weight, it is certainly not unreasonable to wonder whether these are related.Why do Americans care about the weight of a candidate and why is appearance an issue in presidential elections? There is very little chance that the issue will go away. Certainly, old-fashioned bias has something to do with this concern....