The U.S. presidential campaign is ultimately a connection between candidates and the people of the country, but the development of the candidates’ policies and positions is largely asymmetric. Candidates develop and announce “plans” and policy positions that reflect their (the candidates’) philosophical underpinnings and (presumably) deep thinking. The people then […] Read more »
You could teach a political science class on all of Tom Steyer’s bad ideas
With so many entrants in the Democratic primary field, many observers have wondered what billionaire Tom Steyer’s candidacy adds to the race. Here’s one answer: Steyer is a gift to political scientists. His campaign offers us an unusual opportunity to explain why the “reforms” he champions as magical solutions to […] Read more »
America Decides: How Voters Think About the Economy, Government, and Poverty Ahead of the 2020 Election
The 2020 presidential election cycle will be one of the most consequential in U.S. history. Although electoral outcomes often turn on candidate evaluations or social and cultural choices unrelated to public policy, voters in the upcoming year will likely confront a choice between two competing visions of domestic policy that […] Read more »
The Impact of Increased Political Polarization
As I write this, the House Intelligence Committee has voted to adopt the committee’s Impeachment Inquiry Report along strict party lines. All 13 Democrats on the committee voted “Yes”; all nine Republican committee members voted “No.” This party-line split is neither unusual nor unpredictable, but reflects the deep partisanship that […] Read more »
Divisiveness and Collaboration in American Public Life: A Hidden Common Ground Report
This inaugural Public Agenda/USA Today/Ipsos Hidden Common Ground survey examines how Americans view divisiveness and partisan divides in public life and offers a number of solutions to build a more collaborative society, despite our social and political differences. Overall, the research shows a good deal of cross-partisan agreement on the […] Read more »
Divided we fall? Americans see our angry political debate as ‘a big problem’
Americans are united on this: They are sick and tired of being so divided. The divisive national debate over just about everything has convinced many that the country is heading in the wrong direction even as their own lives are going well, the inaugural Public Agenda/USA TODAY/Ipsos poll finds. By […] Read more »