No decision facing Democrats over the next two years will shape the long-term political competition between the parties more than whether they end the Senate filibuster to pass their agenda to reform elections and expand access to the vote. The party’s immediate political fate in the 2022 and 2024 elections […] Read more »
The Big Questions Driving Politics in 2021
After all the tumult and twists and turns of 2020, it seems a bit risky, if not downright ridiculous, to speculate about the things that will drive our politics in the upcoming year. But, there are some issues that I think are going to play important, if not staring roles […] Read more »
Lowering the bar for the Biden administration
Less than two years from now, during Joe Biden’s first midterm election — and assuredly four years from now, during the next presidential contest — one of the two parties is likely to raise an inevitable question: “Are you better off now than you were two — or four — […] Read more »
Democrats, Republicans Support Alliances, Disagree on International Organizations
Upon entering office, one of Joe Biden’s first orders of foreign policy business will be to start the long process of repairing America’s standing abroad. Such an effort will begin with mending fences with allies and partners around the world. The good news for the Biden administration is that Americans […] Read more »
Why Biden’s bipartisanship hope is probably already lost
If there was one big message from President Joe Biden’s inaugural address, it was bipartisanship and unity. This theme wasn’t surprising given that inaugurations are often about coming together and Biden’s 2020 campaign emphasized unity over division. Still, the underlying political disagreements that have led to nastiness will almost certainly […] Read more »
How many political parties in the U.S.? Numbers suggest four, not two.
A new president, a new Congress, and the same partisan divide, right? Already the familiar laments about the red/blue split in Washington have started, and there are many signs those left/right differences are still alive and well. But as both parties deal with internal tensions, that simple binary color code […] Read more »