… In a string of important races across the country, national Democrats have been embracing recruits near the political center, hoping they will give the party the chance to compete in states like Utah and Kansas where a liberal Democrat might stand little chance of winning. About a dozen crucial […] Read more »
Liberals, You’re Not as Smart as You Think You Are
I know many liberals, and two of them really are my best friends. Liberals make good movies and television shows. Their idealism has been an inspiration for me and many others. Many liberals are very smart. But they are not as smart, or as persuasive, as they think. And a […] Read more »
What We Can Learn From the Demise of Trump’s Infrastructure Plan
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed what had already been apparent for months: Congress is not going to enact infrastructure legislation this year. In its early weeks, Trump treated infrastructure investment as a major goal of his presidency; as recently as January’s State of the Union […] Read more »
Which Side Are You On?
… The politics of economic self-interest that underpinned the New Deal era have been supplanted by “expressive partisanship,” a form of “affective polarization,” as political scientists put it. What does this mean? “A distinctly social type of polarization that includes political prejudice, anger, enthusiasm, and activism” has superseded political conflict […] Read more »
Unable to Excite the Base? Moderate Candidates Still Tend to Outdo Extreme Ones
Donald J. Trump’s rise to the G.O.P. nomination and eventual presidential victory gave heft to the idea that extreme candidates can beat moderates by galvanizing their party’s base. That premise is shaping competitive races in both parties. But an analysis of more than 30 years of House general elections suggests […] Read more »
California Dreaming: Is Talk of Secession Just Politics?
Democratic state officials in California, including the governor and attorney general, have made national news over the Golden State’s various legal battles with the Trump administration. These battles have led some to wonder if Californians would prefer that the state become an independent country or at least act like one. […] Read more »