• Professor, Political Science
• Director, Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy

Steven Smith

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• Ph.D. at University of Minnesota

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States rebel against Washington Just as California under President Bush asserted itself on issues ranging from gun control to medical marijuana, a motley cohort of states — from South Carolina to New Hampshire — are presenting a foil for President Obama's national ambitions. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith, who is director of WUSTL's Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government and Public Policy, comments. References: March 27, 2009 — States rebel against Washington in the The Christian Science Monitor

Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on some lessons learned by Obama and his team in the push for the stimulus bill. References: Feb. 11, 2009 — Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early in the USA Today and 1 others.

Bush steers the bailout bus; Dems play backseat driver The government's midnight bailout of hobbled banking giant Citigroup leaves the Bush administration firmly in charge of the financial rescue package while Congress is away on recess and President-elect Barack Obama continues to assemble his Cabinet. WUSTL congressional expert Steve Smith said Congress is in a weak position. "There is essentially nothing they can do except hold a hearing every other day," he said. References: Nov. 24, 2008 — Bush steers the bailout bus; Dems play backseat driver in the The Hill (DC) online

If Elected . . . How would President McCain govern? WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on the impact the financial crisis will have on whichever candidate becomes president. McCain styles himself as a Teddy Roosevelt Republican, eager to be in the arena. If elected, he could be expected to pick certain issues and push them to the limit. WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on the impact the financial crisis will have on whichever candidate becomes president. References: Oct. 19, 2008 — If Elected . . . How would President McCain govern? in the Associated Press and 31 others.

How rivals will seek edge in 1st debate WUSTL political science professor Steve Smith comments on the speaking styles and weaknesses that both candidates have to overcome. References: Sept. 24, 2008 — How rivals will seek edge in 1st debate in the Chicago Tribune and 2 others.

Which Democrat Has Bigger Coattails? Democrats now hold slim majorities in the House and Senate, and the party is expected to make gains in both chambers in November. Clinton's presence on the ticket could make it harder for Democrats in tight races, some suggest. But Steven Smith, political science professor at WUSTL, questions the notion that Obama would necessarily give Democrats a bigger boost than Clinton would. References: March 11, 2008 — Which Democrat Has Bigger Coattails? in the CBS News.com and 1 others.

LUNCHTIME LIVE! Today: Q & A with political analyst Steve Smith Steve Smith answers questions on the Minnesota caucuses for KARE 11, LUNCHTIME LIVE!. Smith is the director of the Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. References: Feb. 5, 2008 — LUNCHTIME LIVE! Today: Q & A with political analyst Steve Smith in the KARE 11 News (MN)

Pundit Says Iowa's Power to Pick the President May Be Over This year's Iowa caucus may be the last time the largely rural, sparsely populated and predominately white conservative Midwestern state exerts a huge influence on the U.S. presidential nomination process, a political expert predicted. WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments. References: Jan. 4, 2008 — Pundit Says Iowa's Power to Pick the President May Be Over in the All Headline News online

Democratic candidates are packing specifics into some proposals while GOP keeps powder dry The Democrats who are running for president are flush with policy proposals, position papers and fact sheets. The leading Republican contenders, not so much yet. WUSTL political scientist Steven Smith comments on the strategy of the presidential candidates. References: Sept. 22, 2007 — Democratic candidates are packing specifics into some proposals while GOP keeps powder dry in the Associated Press and 34 others.

To set a pullout date or not: That is the question House Democrats propose a measure to require that U.S. troops be withdrawn from Iraq by fall of 2008. Minnesota's delegation, regardless of party affiliation, stays on the fence, in one instance citing that people's opinions are "all over the map." WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments on Nancy Pelosi's strategy. References: March 8, 2007 — To set a pullout date or not: That is the question in the Minneapolis Star Tribune online

The Senate's Rhythm Article looks at the differences between the House and the Senate. The Senate was, indeed, set up to be the more deliberative of the two bodies. And that compromise was reached only after the framers decided to accommodate smaller states wary of their larger brethren. Congress watcher and WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments. References: Jan. 29, 2007 — The Senate's Rhythm in the U.S. News & World Report

Bush speech lacks knockout blow: analysts WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith is one of several experts analyzing the content and presentation of President Bush's State of the Union speech. References: Jan. 24, 2007 — Bush speech lacks knockout blow: analysts in the Agence France Presse -- English and 2 others.

Big Oil headed for tougher Congress Steven Smith, of political science in Arts & Sciences, says oil companies are a big target for the Democratic-led Congress. The Democratic leadership has already indicated it will try to repeal earlier tax breaks for oil companies. A gusher of new legislation could develop as well, as Democrats get a chance to see their energy bills move past the trash can. In fact, the Democrats will try to put together their own version of a comprehensive energy bill that tackles everything from gas-mileage standards to tax breaks for alternative energy sources, some congressional analysts believe. WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments. References: Nov. 15, 2006 — Big Oil headed for tougher Congress in the The Christian Science Monitor

Fall TV lineup filled with political spots WUSTL political scientist Steven Smith comments on this fall's flood of campaign commercials on prime time television. As the Nov. 7 elections approach, viewers across the country face an autumn deluge of campaign ads, especially in places such as Minnesota that have several competitive races. WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments on the strategy of using political ads on television. Though some candidates are experimenting with posting ads on websites and campaign video on YouTube, old-fashioned commercials on local TV stations remain what Democratic strategist David Axelrod calls "the nuclear weapon" of politics. References: Oct. 19, 2006 — Fall TV lineup filled with political spots in the USA Today and 1 others.

GOP candidates claim degrees of separation from President Political scientist Steven Smith explains why some Republicans are distancing themselves from the President. On Capitol Hill, Rep. Mark Kennedy (Minn.) and Sen. James M. Talent (Mo.) are known as loyal Republican soldiers, reliable votes for President Bush on tax cuts and the Iraq war. In elections past, they have aired advertisements featuring the president and have stumped with him at public rallies. This year, both are running for Senate seats, but their television ads have made no mention of Bush -- and have been conspicuous in distancing the candidates from their partisan affiliation. Steven S. Smith, a political scientist and congressional expert at Washington University in St. Louis, said he believes that the new Kennedy and Talent ads are harbingers of what to expect from other GOP incumbents in tough races. References: Aug. 5, 2006 — GOP Candidates Claim Degrees Of Separation From President in the Washington Post

Bush walks difficult line in engaging Russia on Iran, upcoming G-8 summit WUSTL political scientist Steven Smith says President Bush must be careful in his dealings with Russia's president Putin. Bush might want to take a closer look when Russia hosts its first meeting of the world's economic powers. The Group of Eight summit takes place next month against a backdrop of increasing friction between Putin and the West over his hardball tactics on oil and his distancing from democracy. He needs Putin's backing on anti-nuclear efforts involving Iran and North Korea. But the American also wants to signal U.S. disappointment with Putin's increasingly hard-line governance. "For the most part, Russians like what Putin's done," said Steven S. Smith, a Russia expert at Washington University in St. Louis. "They see him as the law-and-order president. And while his popularity waxes and wanes, he's a lot more popular in Russia than Bush is in the United States." References: June 25, 2006 — Bush walks difficult line in engaging Russia on Iran, upcoming G-8 summit in the Associated Press

The High-Court Battle That Never Was WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments on the Alito confirmation hearings The only step left in the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel Alito looks to be the vote, raising the question of what happened to the much anticipated struggle over high-court nominees. Foremost among a number of forces that drained some electricity from the fight was a bipartisan agreement among a group of 14 mostly centrist senators. That changed the dynamic of judicial debates, moving the Senate decisively away from a confrontation over judicial selections such as the one that paralyzed the chamber in the spring of 2005. WUSTL political science professor Steven Smith comments. References: Jan. 16, 2006 — The High-Court Battle That Never Was in the Wall Street Journal

The American debate Article on the filibuster debate. WUSTL Senate expert Steven Smith says Senate majority leader Bill Frist's hesitancy on ending judicial filibusters has him under fire from all sides. References: May 10, 2005 — The American Debate in the Knight Ridder News Service and 19 others.

An epic battle over the courts looms in Senate Article on the impending U.S. Senate showdown over President Bush's judicial nominees. On the issue of judges, both party bases, and the interest groups on both sides, are polarization machines. The Schiavo case has further inflamed conservatives' long-standing antipathy toward the judiciary. WUSTL public policy expert Steven Smith comments. References: March 27, 2005 — An epic battle over the courts looms in Senate in the Philadelphia Inquirer and 17 others.

Senator John Thune from South Dakota Interview with freshman Senator John Thune, who will be taking the seat of one of the most prominent names on the Hill, Tom Daschle. WUSTL social sciences professor and Senate expert Steven Smith comments. References: Jan. 4, 2005 — Senator John Thune from South Dakota in the NPR's Morning Edition

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Books:

• The American Congress (Houghton Mifflin, 1995, 1999)
• Committees in Congress (CQ Press, 1984, 1990, 1997), with C.J. Deering
• Call to Order: Floor Politics in the House and Senate (Brookings, 1989)
• Managing Uncertainty in the House of Representatives: Adaptation and Innovation in Special Rules (Brookings, 1988), with S. Bach
• Politics or Principle: Filibustering in the United States Senate (Brookings, 1997), with S. Binder
• The Politics of Institutional Choice: The Formation of the Russian State Duma (Princeton University Press, 2001), with T. Remington
• The Principles and Practice of American Politics (CQ Press, 2000), with S. Kernell

Recent Articles:

• "The Supreme Court at the Bar of Political Science," Yale Law Review (forthcoming), with P. Frickey
• Positive Theories of Congressional Parties," Legislative Studies Quarterly (May 2000), Rod Kiewiet, special editor
• "Last Among Equals: The Presiding Officer of the Senate," in B. Loomis, ed., Esteemed Colleagues: Civility and Deliberation in the United States Senate (Brookings Institution, 2000), with G. Gamm
• "The Emergence of Senate Party Leadership," in B. Oppenheimer, ed., Senate Exceptionalism (Ohio State University Press, forthcoming), with G. Gamm
• "The Dynamics of Party Government in Congress," in L. Dodd and B. Oppenheimer, eds., Congress Reonsidered, 7th ed. (CQ Press, forthcoming), with G. Gamm
• "The Consequences of Senate Party Leadership," in D. Brady and M. McCubbins, eds., Studies in the History of Congress (University of California Press, forthcoming), with G. Gamm
• "Decrees, Laws, and Inter-Branch Relations in the Russian Federation," Post-Soviet Affairs 14 (1998): 287-322, with T. Remington and M. Haspel
• "Political Goals and Procedural Choice in the Senate," Journal of Politics (May 1998), with S. Binder
• "Electoral Institutions and Party Cohesion in the Russian Duma," Journal of Politics (May 1998), with T. Remington
• "Theories of Legislative Institutions and the Organization of the Russian Duma," American Journal of Political Science (April 1998), with T. Remington