… If Manchin acted and voted like a garden-variety Democratic senator, Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) could enact much of Biden’s agenda. But Manchin won’t permit that — and the reason turns on home-state politics. Unlike almost all other Senate Democrats, he’s trying to outrun a decades-long realignment in […] Read more »
What Manchin and Sinema can learn from the Lincoln Republicans on voting rights
By the standards Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have set for federal action on voting rights, the 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution — two pillars of the post-Civil War effort to ensure equality for all Americans — would never have become law. Every Democrat in Congress […] Read more »
What today’s GOP demonstrates about the dangers of partisan conformity
Rep. Liz Cheney talks to reporters after House Republicans voted to remove her as conference chair on May 12, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Robert B. Talisse, Vanderbilt University Directly following the 2020 election, Republicans seemed to be through with Donald Trump. Party leaders stopped speaking to him […] Read more »
Redistricting Holds Key to House Majority
It’s hard to remember a time when conventional wisdom about the outcome of the midterm elections was this hardened this early in the cycle. Even folks who don’t pay particularly close attention to House elections feel comfortable giving Republicans a significant advantage in winning control of the body next year. […] Read more »
Manchin and Sinema Now Face the Weight of History
The battle over access to the ballot is entering a precarious new stage. Democrats and civil-rights groups are pursuing a two-track strategy to preserve their embattled hopes of passing federal legislation establishing a nationwide floor of voting rights. What happens next will likely determine whether Congress can act at all. […] Read more »
Fox News Poll: 83% worry about inflation, majority says benefits hurting economy
Most voters worry about inflation, as sizable majorities call gas and grocery prices a financial hardship. At the same time, they think the federal government’s additional unemployment benefits were a necessary lifeline during the pandemic, but are damaging the economy now. That’s according to the latest Fox News national survey. […] Read more »