In early February, we sketched out a potential path to a Democratic House majority. We called it the “Drive for 25,” in reference to the Democrats’ branding of their unsuccessful attempt to win the House in 2012. Three and a half months later, we thought we’d revisit this possible Democratic […] Read more »
Surprised by the anger toward McCain? Party loyalists can hate apostates as much as opponents.
Last Thursday, White House aide Kelly Sadler started a political firestorm when she reportedly joked about Sen. John McCain’s impending death in a staff meeting. The White House declined to apologize. … Partisanship encourages intense animosity against partisan opponents, as a great deal of research shows. But partisan conflict can […] Read more »
The Numbers Say Dems Still Have an Edge—But Not a Huge One
In both life and politics, things aren’t always quite as straightforward and tidy as we would like. There can be a general agreement on the direction something is headed, but not necessarily on the degree. A month ago this column looked at dueling high-quality polls—one for ABC News and The […] Read more »
Will Democrats Win The House This November?
It’s the thick of primary season, and the looming question that hangs over the 2018 midterms is — will Democrats take control of Congress? NPR has reported on elements of potential answers to that question and shown some reasons for Republicans to find shelter — from the record number of […] Read more »
Modern-day ‘Class Consciousness’ and ‘Class Resentment’
… There is, of course, tremendous resistance among social scientists and historians to the idea that American white workers can be said to have anything like a “class consciousness” at all. While it is considered acceptable to use the term to describe, for example, the attitudes of British working class […] Read more »
Pennsylvania drowned Democratic hopes in 2016, but 2018 looks far different
President Donald Trump became the first Republican presidential nominee to carry Pennsylvania since 1988. Doing so helped him secure victory nationally. On Tuesday, the first major statewide elections since 2016 take place in the Keystone State, and the Pennsylvania electorate looks to be in a far different mood. The state […] Read more »