President Trump came to Wisconsin late last month to boast about the state’s unemployment rate, which has been at or near 3 percent for more than a year. “It’s never been this low before. Ever, ever, ever,” he said. (Fact check: true.) … The message of a thriving economy — […] Read more »
What Happened To George W. Bush’s GOP?
The Bushes, and in many ways Texas, shaped the identity of the Republican Party across three decades. In a live taping of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast in Houston, the crew discusses how and why the GOP has changed since the end of President George W. Bush’s tenure. Houston Chronicle columnist […] Read more »
A populist revolt?
… Sixty percent say the country’s economic system mainly benefits those in power. At first blush, that seems like strong support for suggesting a potential populist revolt. But is it? How would we know? Is 60 percent a large number responding this way or a small number; something typical or […] Read more »
Two Years In: How Americans’ Views Have — and Have Not — Changed During Trump’s Presidency
More than two years ago, Donald Trump’s entry into American politics culminated with an unlikely Electoral College win and his inauguration as president. This Democracy Fund Voter Study Group brief gives an overview of how opinions have changed during this period and what voters are looking for in future candidates. […] Read more »
Trump’s economy is booming, and Democrats can’t handle it
… As a Republican, one can only hope that the media is beginning to acknowledge that there’s hyperbole and then there’s downright disinformation when it comes to the tax law. But on May 3, the jobs report changed the political calculus. Democrats seemed to suddenly show symptoms of a kind […] Read more »
Most of America’s rural areas are doomed to decline
Sunset over an Iowa farm. BJontzPhoto/shutterstock.com David Swenson, Iowa State University Since the Great Recession, most of the nation’s rural counties have struggled to recover lost jobs and retain their people. The story is markedly different in the nation’s largest urban communities. I’m writing from Iowa, where every four years […] Read more »