Maybe Bill Clinton got a few things right after all. For years, Democrats have rarely cited Clinton and the centrist New Democrat movement he led through the ’90s except to renounce his “third way” approach to welfare, crime, and other issues as a violation of the party’s principles. Hillary Clinton, […] Read more »
Liking our policy, but not our performance
… One of the few messages escaping from Washington in recent months is the ostentatious internecine battling among Democrats. I understand that legislating, especially with a tiny majority in polarized times, is arduous. I look at where we are and say, “Miraculous.” But no stranger to the process (a group […] Read more »
Why A ‘Sister Souljah Moment’ Won’t Save Biden
Joe Biden needs a “Sister Souljah Moment.” At least, that’s according to the quickly congealing conventional wisdom in Washington. That is, Biden and Democrats are in dire danger of losing control of Congress next year, and the one thing that could save them would be by bashing someone to Biden’s […] Read more »
Local Economic and Political Effects of Trade Deals: Evidence from NAFTA
Why have white, less educated voters left the Democratic Party over the past few decades? Scholars have proposed ethnocentrism, social issues and deindustrialization as potential answers. We highlight the role played by the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In event-study analysis, we demonstrate that counties whose 1990 employment […] Read more »
Have Democrats reached the limits of White appeasement politics?
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 »
In summer, the stakes are rising for Biden
Can President Joe Biden avoid the “summer slump”? For most Americans, the unofficial arrival of summer with Memorial Day is a cause for celebration. But for newly elected presidents, it’s more often been a reason for dread. Sagging job approval ratings, unanticipated challenges at home and abroad and, above all, […] Read more »