Matthew Beckmann

"I have spoken with countless university presidents, directors and advisers; scholars and academics; and lawmakers, policy experts and activists. The one thing they all agree on..." Sure, buddy.

I got to know Greg during his Deanship at UC Irvine. He is a generous colleague, a principled leader, and just an all-around great guy. The strongest steel is forged by the fires of hell.

This is art.

For instance, if we replace Reagan with Trump in 81, what difference would it make? Moreover, how much of that delta is explained by the president vis-à-vis other actors' reactions?

Totally. I'd be especially intrigued to see someone map how other actors perceive their a) options b) incentives and c) time horizons today versus earlier eras.

Imagine a two-by-two of effectiveness and persuasiveness. In the context of contemporary governing institutions, is it possible for presidential cases to end up in the effective but not persuasive box? I certainly think so, but I'd need to noodle more about how to validly trace the distinction.

Interesting. I'll need to think more seriously about it, but my hunch is that tactics like extortion fit "command" rather than "persuasion." So, for instance, it feels like what is happening with Harvard or UCLA isn't "persuasion" or "bargaining" in any meaningful sense.

That's my hope too! And if I were betting, that's where I'd put my chips. But, woof, it's been a tough half-year for Madison and Neustadt.

Madisonian forces may eventually nudge us back to the "regular" constitutional equilibrium, but the last 200 days do not suggest to me that is the trend.

I'll be honest. I see the Nuestadian model as more wrong than right for assessing the current moment. Trump is command-governing across multiple domains, and, to a striking degree, with real effect (e.g., foreign aid, education, immigration, justice, policing, diplomacy, energy, and beyond).

Graduate school is nothing if not a test of will and endurance. Happy to do my part! (But seriously, thank you.)

Presidential impoundment is back in the news, thanks to Trump. Congress took the impoundment option off the table decades ago. Now Trump wants to use impoundment to slash programs.

Here’s another explainer on impoundment (from May ‘24 — @goodauth.bsky.social was ahead of the curve on this one!)

goodauthority.org/news/good-to...

This doesn't mean EOs are weak instruments; rather, it means bureaucrats interpret the signals they get - cheap talk versus the opening salvo of a determined president.

The thing that makes Trump a poor test case is that a lot of this appears to be bluster. If he treats EOs like tweets, then everyone else will too.

Heck of a season. Congratulations.

Is It Possible to Have a Disciplined White House with an Undisciplined President? Matthew N. Beckmann - Columbia University Press Blog Donald Trump recently named Susie Wiles as his incoming White House chief of staff. Wiles proved herself a focused, organized campaign manager, and she intends to bring that manner and method to the W...

Trump’s return to office got me thinking about an interesting puzzle: is it possible to have a disciplined White House with an undisciplined president?

cupblog.org/2025/01/20/i...

Tough ricochet, especially as the first half of "Billionaire schlock" missed me by a mile.

Presidential Daily Diaries The present-day Presidential Daily Diary is the official record of the presidents’ travel, meetings, and telephone calls. The Presidential Daily Diaries include daily appointments calendars, lists of ...

There are "daily diaries" that document, minute-by-minute, presidential work since Kennedy (though my FOIA for Obama remains in the bureaucratic dark matter). www.archives.gov/presidential...

Picture of my dog surrounded by other dogs - and basking in it.

Carpe doggie.

I literally got it this week. If I can sneak away from this puppy (midlife crisis #1315), you'll be getting one shortly! It is a poor thank you gift, but the sentiment is as sincere as can be.

Thank you, David!

Thank you, Jeff. If I can bang out three or four more this year, we'll be in the same ballpark.

All the scandalous news is breaking today.

ChatGPT: summarize Professor Beckmann's lecture on presidents and the courts. :-)

Clinton Rossiter:

"For most practical purposes, the President may act as if the Supreme Court did not exist... in the nature of things judicial and political, the court can be expected to go on rationalizing most pretensions of most presidents."

We were third in the scorn trifecta: "The press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy..." So maybe we earn 33 mentions? :-)

Richard Nixon looking angry.

"Professors are the enemy. Write that on a blackboard 100 times and never forget it.”