As President Trump prepares for his address next week to a joint session of Congress, Republicans say they are more inclined to trust the president, rather than GOP congressional leaders, if the two sides disagree. For their part, Democrats are far more concerned that congressional Democrats will not do enough, […] Read more »
Putin and the Populists
Donald Trump is practically alone in mainstream American politics in his consistent praise of Vladimir Putin and insistence that the United States would benefit from warmer relations with Russia. But that inclination to view Putin more as ally than adversary places Trump squarely in line with the racially infused, conservative-populist […] Read more »
The End of the 114th Congress
The 114th Congress has finally ended. The most polarized Congress since the early 20th Century and one where almost all issues have been drawn into the first dimension [we will address dimensionality in a future post; the current period is unique in American history]. CONT. Voteview Read more »
Trump Seen as Less Conservative Than Prior GOP Candidates
Donald Trump’s political views, in the eyes of U.S. registered voters, are the least conservative of GOP presidential candidates in recent history. About six in 10 registered voters have viewed recent Republican nominees as conservative or very conservative, with George W. Bush’s 68% in 2004 the highest. CONT. Justin McCarthy, […] Read more »
Why Donald Trump’s polling advantage may be a bit misleading
A slew of surveys have come out over the past few days, exploring the state of the presidential race and the extent to which Americans are fed up with the two options that are likely be on the ballot in November. But it’s worth introducing a bit more context to […] Read more »
Terrorism drives nationalistic fervor in presidential politics, Stanford sociologist says
Terrorism typically ratchets up nationalistic impulses in presidential campaigns, a Stanford sociologist says. But which candidate benefits from this dynamic is more nuanced than most political observers realize, said Robb Willer, a Stanford professor of sociology. Stanford News Service interviewed him recently about how terrorism may impact the 2016 presidential […] Read more »