The contest for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination features more than 20 candidates representing a wide variety of ideological orientations ranging from progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to more moderate candidates like Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT) and former Rep. John Delaney (D, MD-6). The first […] Read more »
Donald Trump is Doubling Down on the Culture Wars. Here’s Why.
“Culture wars” politicking, which uses values-driven arguments to take advantage of polarization between religious groups, has always been an important part of Donald Trump’s political playbook. Nevertheless, Trump seems to have doubled down on the culture wars in spring and summer 2019, using executive action to move policy in a […] Read more »
Government: The Most Important Issue Facing 2020 Candidates
The American public’s broad concerns about the role of the federal government in their lives have evolved into, I believe, the most important issue in our current political environment. Debates over the role of government have defined the American Experience going back to the nation’s founding — but now more […] Read more »
How Much Damage Have Republicans Done in the States?
… The Republican Party still controls many more state governments and legislative chambers than Democrats nationwide. But the fact is, the Republican results at the state level have not been very impressive. Republican-controlled state governments largely failed to enact policies that advance conservative goals. They have been effective at staying […] Read more »
Liberal Elite Is Not a Hyphenated Term
There is much discussion lately about how some Democratic candidates may be “too liberal” to win. That term needs disambiguation. First, “too liberal” may be about policy: if a candidate will raise voters’ taxes and spend money in ways they do not believe benefit them, they may be judged “too […] Read more »
The Growing Partisan Divide in Views of Higher Education
Americans see value in higher education – whether they graduated from college or not. Most say a college degree is important, if not essential, in helping a young person succeed in the world, and college graduates themselves say their degree helped them grow and develop the skills they needed for […] Read more »