… Most American voters have quietly understood for a long time that most politicians who claim to be “pro-life” are hypocrites. These politicians do not really mean what they say, or anyway, they do not really intend to do what they say. You might imagine that this assumption of hypocrisy […] Read more »
What we learned about the urban/rural political divide in Washington
For years, the “Cascade Curtain” has been a favored way to describe Washington state politics — Republican on the dry side of the mountains, Democratic on the wet side. Within that framework the “suburban crescent” — the area surrounding Seattle — was an exception, the place in western Washington where […] Read more »
Why Some White Evangelical Republicans Are So Opposed To The COVID-19 Vaccine
In the race to get Americans vaccinated, two groups are commanding a lot of attention: Republicans and white evangelicals. Both are less likely to have been vaccinated already and more likely to refuse vaccination altogether. But it’s the overlap between white Republicans and white evangelicals that is especially telling, as […] Read more »
How Donald Trump Turned Off Swing Voters in 2020
Key Points• The number of swing voters — those who change their minds between presidential elections — has been declining over time.• However, there are still some swing voters, and they can be decisive in the nation’s highly competitive presidential elections.• Swing voters helped Joe Biden win the White House, […] Read more »
A More Secular America Is Not Just a Problem for Republicans
… Today, scholars are finding that by almost any metric they use to measure religiosity, younger generations are much more secular than their parents or grandparents. In responses to survey questions, over 40 percent of the youngest Americans claim no religious affiliation, and just a quarter say they attend religious […] Read more »
How NYT columnist Ross Douthat used ambiguous poll results to create a “public opinion” that conforms to his world view
In July 2020, the Cato Institute, described as a Libertarian think tank, released the results of its own poll focusing on the issue of self-censorship. In an article this month comparing life in Hungary to the U.S., New York Times columnist Ross Douthat used those year-old results to support his […] Read more »