Skip to content
RollCall logo

Obama’s Populist Pivot Yields to Pragmatism

By Don Wolfensbergergerwilsoncenter and Roll Call Contributing Writer
Posted February 23, 2010 at 1:00am

William Jennings Bryan-style
special Senate election
“The Paper Chase”
Elmer Gantry.
meaning of the Massachusetts debacle
Don Wolfensberger is director of the Congress Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and former staff director of the House Rules Committee. He writes a regular column for Roll Call.

Recent Stories

Capitol Ink | Election sabotage

Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, center, here with Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett, right, after a House Republican Conference meeting in 2025, has won the Republican nomination for governor. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Trump-backed candidates sweep to victory in Arizona primaries

The Capitol Dome is seen through a window in the Cannon House Office Building rotunda.

Funding extension passes House, heads for Senate rewrite

It’s only July, but the legislative year is nearly over for Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Above, the pair conclude a news conference in the Capitol last October, during the partial government shutdown.

Can the GOP trifecta meet their ‘mandate’ moment?

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol in June as Senate Majority Leader John Thune listens. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Which direction is Trump’s job approval rating headed?

South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham arrives at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday for Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting.

For Darline Graham, winning Trump’s endorsement may be the easy part