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The article discusses the actions of U.S. politician Paul V. McNutt (1891-1955), as U.S. high commissioner of the Philippines, in arranging for hundreds of Jewish refugees to be brought from Nazi Germany to Manila in 1938-1939. McNutt's motivations in providing a haven for Jews rejected by the United States and other countries are discussed. His background in Indiana is discussed, including his opposition to the Ku Klux Klan and religious and racial bigotry. His political career in the Democratic Party is also discussed, including his time as governor of Indiana and his positions in the federal government.

This paper presents evidence that American political elites think and behave in an ideological way. Factor analyses of individual questionnaire items drawn from elite studies in 1958 and 1972 show only marginal evidence of the type of structuring implied by the concept of ideology. However, similar analyses of a priori, multi-item scales constructed from the 1972 surveys clearly show evidence of structure for the elite sample, particularly as compared to a parallel mass sample; this raises serious questions about the use of single item scales in past analyses of political ideology. Further evidence of elite ideology is found in an analysis of interest group ratings of U.S. Representatives in 1970 and 1974. These findings provide strong support for the argument that ideology plays an important role in the perceptions and behavior of American political elites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1930s, US politicians have argued about whether healthcare should be the responsibility of the federal government. Both major political parties have cited public opinion concerning Americans' support for or rejection of government provision of healthcare to support their position. With the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, however, the political debate has changed. Where it had been about the government provision of healthcare as an abstract principle, it became a debate imbued with evaluations of the implementation of the ACA itself. This spawned a new line of research examining the consequences of the ACA's implementation on public attitudes toward government provision of healthcare. The change in support for government provision of healthcare and the new post-ACA research highlight a need for a long-term examination of trends in support over the past two decades that will provide context for the new studies. This study provides that examination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Focus: Senator Henry M. Jackson" which was published on October 15, 1971.

How at moments of dramatic change and a shifting social context do political actors alter their public identities? Put differently, how do political figures respond when positions with which they have been closely identified are no longer morally and electorally defensible and must be altered? Responses to identity challenge within institutional spheres require an expansion of the theory of accounts to an approach that examines shifts in cultural fields. Those challenged must signal adherence to newly claimed values. The standard view of accounts examines interpersonal justifications outside of institutional pressures, downplaying social location. Extending a theory of accounts to political actors requires recognizing appeals to audiences and distribution of resources. In the political arena the presentation of accounts carries reputational dangers. Presenting excuses, politicians deny agency, placing themselves at jeopardy as incompetent. Justifications require a credulous audience that overlooks possible insincerity. As a result, other strategies are necessary. Political actors rely on apologies or redress to demonstrate a revised self to stakeholders, strategies based on position, resources and audience. To analyze the realignment of reputation in unsettled times, I examine the postsegregation careers of Governor George Wallace of Alabama and Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina. Both moved from being icons of segregation to (claimed) devotees of racial equality, but because of their political location they moved in different ways. Given their context, Wallace apologized, while Thurmond provided redress to offended communities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Examines the influence of politician's appointments to monetary policy in the United States. Political appointment process of the American system; Political aspects of the economic policy; Theories of appointments.

Looks at how federal and state-level bureaucrats in the United States perceive the influence of a variety of political principals from inside and outside of government. Analysis of the revolution of scholarly perceptions of bureaucratic politics; Motives of bureaucratic agents in relation to the principal; Similarities in agents' perceptions of the influence of principals.