The religious left was never as powerful and cohesive as the religious right. But a new report based on many interviews with religious progressive leaders finds that the Obama era may have further weakened Democrats’ interest in the non-secular. The report released Thursday by the Brookings Institution argues that religious […] Read more »
Taxpayers troubled by inequity
It’s a refrain that troubles me: “Nobody likes paying taxes.” Especially for people like me who never served in the military, taxes are the contribution we make to our country, the dues we pay for membership in the enterprise we call America Despite my personal misgivings, I’m willing to agree […] Read more »
Why wouldn’t people want to reduce inequality?
… Political scientists Kenneth Scheve and David Stasavage offer four reasons here for why democracy has not saved us from inequality. They end with the one to which they appear to give the most credence: mass opinion. In short, for democracy to reduce inequality, it must be the case that […] Read more »
The Urgent Economic Narrative for 2014
The economy is still the main issue in the 2014 election, impacting the mood of the country, driving likely voter turnout, and defining what is at stake. With voters uncertain of President Obama and the Democrats’ direction on the economy, Democratic voters are 7 points less likely than Republicans to […] Read more »
Thinking Inequality
… In her 2013 book, The Undeserving Rich: American Beliefs about Inequality, Opportunity, and Redistribution, sociologist Leslie McCall methodically tries to figure out Americans’ thinking about inequality. She disentangles the way Americans have answered a wide variety of survey questions on the topic over the last quarter-century or so, looking […] Read more »
Poll suggests Dems are missing the mark with swing voters
A new political advocacy group has teamed up with former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) to argue that the economic inequality agenda of Senate Democrats is a loser with swing voters. … The group, Each American Dream, which has a starter budget of $1 million, has commissioned a poll showing that […] Read more »