Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh’s confirmation reawakened concerns about the representativeness of the Supreme Court. As Brendan Nyhan pointed out here at TMC, Kavanaugh was appointed by a president who lost the popular vote and confirmed by a Senate majority that represents less than half of the U.S. population. Scholars have […] Read more »
Voting With A Middle Finger: Two Views On The White Working Class
There is one truth that has endured through the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency: he has kept the support of the core voters who propelled him to the White House. This week on Hidden Brain, we explore two competing perspectives on Trump supporters and their motivations. CONT. Hidden […] Read more »
Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape
At the root of America’s polarization are divergent sets of values and worldviews, or “core beliefs.” These core beliefs shape the ways that individuals interpret the world around them at the most fundamental level. Our study shows how political opinions stem from these deeply held core beliefs. This study examines […] Read more »
Americans Say Their Politics Don’t Define Them. But It’s Complicated.
We are all various things at once — maybe a mother, a Southerner, a millennial and a member of the middle class. Or perhaps your Twitter bio introduces you as a husband, a Texan and an engineer. In an era of acrid partisanship, how do political beliefs figure into these […] Read more »
Suburban-Rural Districts Are Turning on the GOP
… Separated by about 130 miles, one very large mountain range, and a huge cultural chasm, Issaquah and Wenatchee are two poles of the same electoral battleground: Washington’s Eighth Congressional District. There the race to succeed retiring Republican Congressman Dave Reichert encapsulates into one district both sides of the central […] Read more »
Bringing About More Compromise in Congress
The almost completely partisan Senate vote on the Supreme Court nomination of Brett Kavanaugh underscores the frequent lack of compromise among our elected representatives in Washington. One Democratic senator voted for Kavanaugh, and one Republican senator voted against Kavanaugh. Otherwise, every elected representative voted their party line. … For years, […] Read more »