Notes on the State of Politics

Key Points •  The Democratic primary race has been very stable, with the biggest exception being Elizabeth Warren’s rise to become one of the clear frontrunners. •  Donald Trump is attracting primary challengers, but his standing within the GOP remains strong. •  Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) pending resignation expands the […] Read more »

The Tea Party Didn’t Get What It Wanted, but It Did Unleash the Politics of Anger

In the late summer of 2009, as the recession-ravaged economy bled half a million jobs a month, the country seemed to lose its mind. … Ten years since that summer of rage, the ideas that animated the Tea Party movement have been largely abandoned by Republicans under President Trump. Trillion-dollar […] Read more »

No, Congress won’t pass gun background checks ‘like we’ve never had before.’ Here’s why.

Immediately after back-to-back mass shootings in early August in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, the stalemate on tightening gun laws appeared ready to shift. … But that momentum is already gone. Trump has disavowed his support for tightening background checks; only a handful of Republicans are still working on the […] Read more »