There is a flip side to the White grievance of the right — and it’s one of the most important but under-discussed aspects of American politics. … The Democratic Party, to its credit, has remained committed to civil rights. It wants to be aligned with people of color. But Democrats […] Read more »
It’s Competence, Not “Wokeness” That’s Hurting Democrats
In the wake of last week’s defeat of Democratic candidates across the country, an elite consensus has formed that blames Democrats’ failures at the ballot box on their “wokeness.” In attempting to address structural racial injustice, they argue, Democrats have become as inflexible and judgmental as those they are fighting […] Read more »
Why voters rejected plans to replace the Minneapolis Police Department – and what’s next for policing reform
Precincts around where George Floyd was killed voted in favor of disbanding the Minneapolis Police Department. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Michelle S. Phelps, University of Minnesota Voters in Minneapolis rejected a measure that would have transformed the city’s policing 18 months after the killing of George Floyd thrust the city into […] Read more »
One Lesson of Virginia? The Culture War Still Works.
… In the broadest sense, “cultural” matters have been challenging and bedeviling Democrats for well over half a century. The backlash to civil rights pulled the South away from the Democratic Party in the mid-’60s; crime, welfare, campus and urban violence eroded white working-class loyalties. These issues helped win Republicans […] Read more »
The ‘Third Rail of American Politics’ Is Still Electrifying
Although public polling on immigration shows a strong shift to the left, survey responses in that vein mask a far more complicated reality. Over and over again, immigration has proved to be politically problematic for Democrats. As far back as 2007, when he was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, […] Read more »
Youngkin’s win in blue Virginia offers Republicans a 2022 road map
On its own, a Republican victory in Virginia’s race for governor would have been enough to lift GOP spirits and put Democrats on edge heading into the 2022 midterm elections. But the fact that Glenn Youngkin won by keeping former President Donald Trump at a cautious distance, even as Terry […] Read more »