Michael Nelson
Columnist
Michael Nelson is contributing editor and columnist for The Daily Memphian, the political analyst for WMC-TV, and the Fulmer professor of political science at Rhodes College. His latest books are “Clinton's Elections: 1992, 1996, and the Birth of a New Era of Governance" and “The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776-2018.”
There are 110 articles by Michael Nelson :
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September 2018
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“Liberal science” is one of those terms that sort of makes sense after somebody takes 10 minutes to explain it but seems baffling on first hearing. Is it an oxymoron – science isn’t supposed to be ideological, right? Or is it, as conservatives might fear, science from the left end of the political spectrum? -
Sen. Bredesen? Maybe. But Tennessee is still a bright red state
By some accounts, Democrat Phil Bredesen narrowly leads Republican Marsha Blackburn in what may be the nation’s most important contest in determining which party will control the United States Senate for the next two years. Democrats in Tennessee are right to rejoice at the prospect that the popular former governor has at least an even chance to represent the state in Washington come January. -
Mississippi lays claim as the nation’s capital of gambling
Gambling 2.0, in the form of legal sports betting, and soon Gambling 3.0 – a state lottery – have come to Mississippi, which means they’ve come to neighboring Memphis and Shelby County as well. Mississippi will soon be the only state in the country with sports betting and a lottery and both commercial and Indian casinos.
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October 2018
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25 years ago we thought the NFL screwed us; turns out it did us a favor
In an alternate universe the Memphis Hound Dogs are playing the NFL’s Thursday game tonight. In the real world it’s the eve of the Memphis Grizzlies’ first NBA preseason home game against the Atlanta Hawks. -
Take the pledge to stop nagging us, WKNO
When my wife was a girl, she and her seven brothers and sisters liked to trick their sweet, unworldly grandmother into posing for the camera with her middle finger held high. They told her it meant, “I love you but I don’t like what you’re saying.” -
Seeds of poisonous court fights planted 50 years ago when Memphian Abe Fortas’ nomination went down
In almost any previous era of our history, it would have been possible to begin a column two weeks after a controversial Supreme Court nominee was confirmed by writing, “Now that the dust has settled …” -
When it comes to casinos, Arkansas politics still gets wacky – with Memphis and Tunica in the crosshairs
Early voting started in Arkansas on Monday. Memphis and Tunica aren’t on the ballot, but they may as well be.
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November 2018
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Opinion Nelson: Is Big Shelby back?
Memphians of a certain vintage may recall a time when the rest of Tennessee disparaged us as Big Shelby. It was a backhanded way of expressing East and Middle Tennessee’s resentment of – and, truth be told, our own vaulting pride in – the power wielded by Memphis and Shelby County in the state’s politics and government. -
Nelson: Election night overload? Here are some things you may have missed
So much to talk about after the Mid-South midterm elections. Let me focus on some non-obvious things that happened in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Memphis last night – in that order. -
Nelson: Politically, Steve Cohen’s days are numbered
Should Congressman Steve Cohen, re-elected Nov. 6 with an even higher than usual 80 percent of the vote, be worried about holding on to office into the 2020s (and his own 70s)? -
Nelson: Overton Park and how the good guys finally won
With a new master plan for Overton Park in the works – the first in 30 years – what better time than now for Brooks Lamb’s new University of Tennessee Press book “Overton Park: A People’s History” to appear in Memphis bookstores? -
Nelson: Democracy = rule by the people; gerontocracy = rule by the old people
I’m 69, so maybe the P.C. crowd will give me a pass when I ask: What’s with all the geezers dominating the world of politics and government?
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December 2018
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Opinion Nelson: How Tennessee got it right during the ‘in-between time’ – and the City Council should get it right in our time
Keel Hunt is a Nashville guy, which is why his fascinating new book about Tennessee politics, "Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the 21st Century and Could Save America," is a lot more Nashville than Memphis. -
Opinion Nelson: The Mid-South is getting redder; the rest of the South is not
Now that November is behind us, where does the Mid-South stand politically? -
Opinion Nelson: Some Civil War monuments need to go, others ought to stay, and still others should be built
There are Confederate monuments, and there are Confederate monuments. -
Opinion Nelson: Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman and a movie that’s not about Bill Clinton – except it is
Go figure: a Christmas week movie called “Vice.” -
Opinion Nelson: Mid-South politics – here’s what’s coming in 2019, part 1
Whether in Memphis, Mississippi, Tennessee or Washington, politics in 2019 promises to be more interesting than usual in an odd-numbered year.
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January 2019
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Opinion Nelson: Mid-South politics – here’s what’s coming in 2019, part 2
Michael Nelson offers his take on sports betting in Tennessee; the Mississippi governor's race; and why Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn face some interesting times in Washington.
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Opinion Nelson: Law, politics – and girls’ basketball – in Tennessee
“In the entire history of girls’ high school basketball in Tennessee, no one had ever seen a uterus lying on a basketball court.” -
Opinion Nelson: It’s time to bet on MATA
Legalizing sports betting could ultimately mean more buses, more drivers, more frequent service, more routes and more shelters for waiting passengers in Memphis and Shelby County.
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Opinion Nelson: Memphis author – me! – pens book about first two years of Trump
Over the past two centuries, presidents almost always have become more effective and less influential during their first two years in office. President Donald Trump has defied these patterns.
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Opinion Nelson: 1978 Democratic midterm convention could tell us something about 2020
What effect would a serious intraparty challenge to President Donald Trump’s re-nomination have on his chances of being elected for a second term?
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February 2019
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Opinion Nelson: Here’s hoping the Memphis Express make it
If history is any guide, the new Memphis Express professional football franchise will do fine. The big question concerns the league, the new eight-team Alliance of American Football.
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Opinion Nelson: Why Mississippi needs a new state flag
E Pluribus unum is our nation’s traditional motto. Conservatives are drawn to the unum – the unity – in that motto. Liberals often prefer the pluribus – the diversity. Wouldn’t it be great if all our flags allowed us to put aside the pluribus among us and experience the unum?
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Opinion Nelson: Ernest Withers – flawed but no less a hero
Ernest Withers, the famous Memphis photographer, was also Ernest Withers the informant, a man whose life illustrates Martin Luther King's description of man's dual nature.
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