… Until now, it has been nearly impossible to compare the ideological gap in Senate and House campaigns systematically. But an online service making its debut on Tuesday, known as Crowdpac, aims to change that. Using the work of a Stanford political scientist, it gives an ideological score to all […] Read more »
Why so many Americans hate politics
In a time of political polarization, one thing still unites left, right and center: the disdain people have for Washington, their elected leaders and the political system. Everywhere people look, there are reasons to feel shut out, manipulated or deprived of the whole truth. Big money permeates political campaigns. Political […] Read more »
The Value of Political Corruption
Americans have been pretty cynical about politics since at least Vietnam and Watergate. And key reforms that conservatives sought for decades and finally achieved have done nothing to quiet public distrust of the political class. In fact, two of these reforms — the ban on congressional earmarks and a series […] Read more »
Battling big money in the Senate battleground with real consequences for 2014
A new poll of the 12 states where control of the Senate is being contested, fielded by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner for Democracy Corps and Every Voice, a major new advocacy effort, shows that voters of all political persuasions are disgusted with the current campaign system and are ready for real […] Read more »
Don’t expect campaign finance reform to reduce polarization
… Our review of parties in campaigns and their adaptability in recent decades — such as to the ban on soft money and the rise of “outside” spending groups — casts doubt on any golden age of political parties in decades past and refutes widespread claims of their contemporary decline. […] Read more »
Milking the Money Machine
It used to be that the Democratic Party, the party of the little guy, was the party of big money. Up until 2004, the party was dependent on so called soft money – contributions of as much as $10 million from corporations, unions and individuals that were beyond the reach […] Read more »