Our system doesn’t act even when we agree. That’s killing us.

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When friends of the United States abroad enumerate aspects of our politics they simply can’t understand, I’ve found they often point to the inability of our democracy to deal comprehensively with the mass slaughter our permissive gun laws enable.

Every new outrage — including the recent incidents in Arkabutla, Miss., El Paso and at Michigan State University — is met with mass mourning, tears, prayers and anger. And legislative gridlock. What kind of country sits by while its people are mowed down by gunfire?

The answer, which extends to other issues, lies in a breakdown of our governing system’s ability to reflect majority opinion. This dysfunction is rooted in the peculiarities of our party coalitions, our flawed system of representation, the power of veto groups, and the transformation of so many issues into showdowns involving metropolitan areas facing off against small towns and the countryside. CONTINUED

E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post

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Americans are wary of AI tech like ChatGPT, data shows

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In the last few months, artificial intelligence (AI) has garnered much attention, especially with the arrival of ChatGPT. The program, launched in late November, has amazed people with its ability to answer questions and write stories while mimicking natural speech.

In the progression of AI, many see ChatGPT as a big step. But as these new technologies increase, they are likely to raise questions. AI has long been a curiosity — and a fear — straight out of science fiction books and films, from the Hal 9000 to M3gan.

In more ways than one, though, ChatGPT seems to have changed the game, starting with how quickly it garnered an audience. CONTINUED

Dante Chinni, NBC News

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Primary voters aren’t excited about Biden or Trump. What does that mean for 2024?

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The first phase of the 2024 presidential primary season is officially underway, bringing with it a cavalcade of early polling designed to answer a seemingly basic question: whether President Joe Biden and his predecessor, Donald Trump, have the support of their respective parties.

That topic, though, is more complicated than it seems, reflecting voters’ complex attitudes toward the two men, which in both cases fall far short of either an enthusiastic endorsement or a definitive rejection. …

None of the recent survey findings predict how the presidential primary landscape will develop in the months to come, or how public opinion might evolve in response. But taken together, they help to paint a fuller picture of where things stand now.

Both Trump and Biden remain generally well-liked by their respective parties, even as Democrats and Republicans also express a shared eagerness to find alternatives. CONTINUED

Ariel Edwards-Levy, CNN

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The most consequential election of 2023 is next week

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Next Tuesday, Wisconsin holds a statewide judicial primary in which as few as half a million ballots may be cast. This seemingly obscure election can affect millions of lives for much of this decade – and maybe our national election in 2024.

Wisconsin is a microcosm of partisan warfare in America, in large part because it’s a swing state. Its partisan vote is routinely close to 50-50 for governor, Senate, and Presidential races. Locally, the same knife-edge balance means that small, aggressive political maneuvers can lead to large gains in power. CONTINUED

Sam Wang, Fixing Bugs In Democracy

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Why it’s better to start a presidential campaign early

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The nascent 2024 presidential campaign seemed to hit a different gear this week with Nikki Haley entering the Republican primary. The former South Carolina governor and onetime United Nations ambassador joins former President Donald Trump as the only major competitors to declare bids for the presidency.

Haley’s announcement, and the lack of one so far from President Joe Biden and a slew of Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, got me thinking: Do primary winners tend to be early or late entrants to the presidential race?

The answer depends on who else is running. If you’re in a primary without an incumbent, then it’s better to be early, while it matters far less with an incumbent running. CONTINUED

Harry Enten, CNN

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Five years after Parkland, what has changed?

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One week, two widely publicized mass shootings. One at a school and another a few buildings down from where a shooter killed 23 in 2019.

These two mass shootings come on the heels of the fifth anniversary of the 2018 Parkland, Florida shooting, one of the deadliest school shootings in recent memory.

This is a uniquely American experience. The United States is a global outlier when it comes to mass shootings and gun deaths. Where does that leave the public? CONTINUED

Clifford Young, Sarah Feldman & Bernard Mendez, Ipsos

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