Professor Todd Belt offers insights to foreign journalists covering American politics
Todd L. Belt is Professor and Director of the Political Management Master’s Program in the Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University. His research and writing focus on the presidency, mass media, public opinion, campaigns and elections. He received Ph.D. from the University of Southern California. Dr. Belt was awarded the John W. Kluge Fellowship in Digital Studies at the Library of Congress, as has held visiting positions at Wellesley College and Kyungpook University in Daegu, South Korea. He is a frequent contributor to media reporting about politics and is the recipient of two teaching awards.
Twenty years have passed since 9/11. Considering American politics, what lessons can be learned from the past 20 years of history?
The American public was, for a time, briefly united. President Bush used this unity to not only attack the Taliban in Afghanistan but to start a war in Iraq. While there was virtually no resistance to the war in Afghanistan, there was more division with respect to Iraq, a nation that had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks. Today, both wars are seen as a waste of blood and treasury (over $4 Trillion together), plus the extra-judicial imprisonment of "unlawful combatants" in Guantanamo Bay. The lesson is that although unity seems desirable (particularly considering the division of today), it can lead to bad collective decisions. Resistance and criticism are vital to a democracy.
How did 9/11 change the dynamics of American politics twenty years ago?
It brought terrorism home to American shores. People in the US began to feel vulnerable. US intelligence services were given wider leeway under the PATRIOT Act. President Obama promised to scale back but never did. President Bush's warning that "you're either with us or you're with the terrorists" helped to fuel the sharp divisions we see in our politics today. Several members of Congress who were deemed insufficiently patriotic lost their seats. Other than starting two wars, President Bush did not do much with the goodwill and support he had because of 9/11, especially in domestic politics.
Former President Trump fostered a new style of political campaigning in the past four years. What do you think of Trump's political style, and what is your answer to the question of if his campaign style and political platform would appeal to the majority of American voters again?
I think his style will only work for him. Others have been less successful with it because they don't share his personal story and personality. He brought many new voters to the Republican party due to his focus on trade restrictions, which goes against the beliefs of many traditional Republicans. Because of these reasons, it will be difficult for traditional Republican politicians to appeal to these groups in the same way. It will have to be Trump himself doing it.
Which are the most important elements of American politics that foreign journalists who come to Washington to report on American politics should be aware of?
Our legislature is elected by plurality with single-member districts and without proportional representation. This means that it is nearly impossible for third parties to have any representation -- the rules heavily favor a two-party system. As a result, our parties are very different. There are different constituencies for different elective offices at the federal level: House members represent districts, and Senators represent states. This leads to different calculations in their voting and representation style (also because Senators serve longer terms). Also, election laws are mostly left up to the states -- meaning that there can be different cycles for elections at the state level.
The issue of polarization in politics has a direct impact on societal divisions. Can the American political system diminish polarization, or is it designed to foster it by promoting battles between the two major political parties?
The system fosters it for the reasons I mentioned above. But there is also the phenomenon recently of geographical sorting -- Republicans and Democrats are moving to areas with like-minded people.
During the next decade, what do you see as the most pressing issues in American politics?
Climate change, race relations, and reducing the federal deficit.
In one of your books, you compare the leadership styles of American presidents. How do you see the new leadership style emerging out of the pandemic crisis for the next decade?
More administrative leadership -- presidents using the tools of their office to bypass Congress to get quicker action through executive orders and other aspects of executive-branch rulemaking.
Which books would you recommend to foreign journalists interested in learning more about American politics?
Some very good books out now include Uncivil Agreement by Liliana Mason and Identity Crisis by John Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck.
