The cover of the April 21 issue of The Economist asked, “What’s become of the Republican Party?” Inside, the article was headlined, “How the elephant got its Trump,” beginning with a quote from a speech that Sen. Jeff Flake made in March: “Never has a party abandoned, fled its principles […] Read more »
The Road To Unfreedom
Yale history professor Timothy Snyder speaks with Robert Siegel about the rise of authoritarianism. On Point, WBUR Read more »
The divided public heart
What drives political change – culture or economics? The surge of the Right in the United States and Europe in the past two years has renewed debate on this important question. On one side, the cultural determinists attribute Donald Trump, Brexit and the rise of European populist movements to nativism, […] Read more »
Why California Hasn’t Moved On From Dianne Feinstein
America is a young punk country with a knack for reinvention — political traditions don’t stick to our ribs. In case you needed any proof, look to California. Not 30 years ago, it helped elect George H.W. Bush, part of a 20-year streak of voting for Republican presidential candidates, including […] Read more »
California’s GOP is collapsing. Is that a sign for Republicans nationwide?
Republicans once dominated California. This year, GOP candidates are limping toward the finish line. Last week, independents surpassed Republicans to become the second-largest bloc of registered voters in the state after Democrats. And after Tuesday’s unusual “jungle” primary, the GOP might have missed its shot at the governor’s mansion and […] Read more »
The Californization of America
… California’s raw economic power is old news. What’s different, just in the past few years, is the combination of its money, population and politics. In the Trump era, the state is reinventing itself as the moral and cultural center of a new America. … California is hardly monolithic. The […] Read more »