Is Politics a War of Ideas or of Us Against Them?

Is the deepening animosity between Democrats and Republicans based on genuine differences over policy and ideology or is it a form of tribal warfare rooted in an atavistic us-versus-them mentality? Is American political conflict relatively content-free — emotionally motivated electoral competition — or is it primarily a war of ideas, […] Read more »

A Sliver of the Electorate Could Decide 2020. Here’s What These Voters Want.

Today’s America is so deeply polarized that it can be hard to imagine there are people who are really not sure whether they want to vote for President Trump or his Democratic rival. But these “mythic,” “quasi-talismanic,” “unicorn” swing voters are very real, and there are enough of them to […] Read more »

New Poll Shows Democratic Candidates Have Been Living in a Fantasy World

In 2018, Democratic candidates waded into hostile territory and flipped 40 House districts, many of them moderate or conservative in their makeup. In almost every instance, their formula centered on narrowing their target profile by avoiding controversial positions, and focusing obsessively on Republican weaknesses, primarily Donald Trump’s abuses of power […] Read more »

How to Beat Trump in 2020: Democrats Can Still Seize the Center

President Trump is unpopular, but that doesn’t mean defeating him is going to be easy. Democrats will have to tackle issues that may alienate — and even give offense to — progressives, women, Latinos and African-Americans. Putting together a broad enough coalition to finish the job — to win 270 […] Read more »

Mimicking Local News, a Network of Michigan Websites Pushes Politics

Despite working for Michigan State University outside Lansing, Mich., Matt Grossmann had never heard of The Lansing Sun until he stumbled across the website on his Facebook news feed earlier this month. So when he clicked on an advertised article about Michigan’s roads spending that criticized the state’s Democratic governor, […] Read more »