… Post-truth is pre-fascism, and Trump has been our post-truth president. When we give up on truth, we concede power to those with the wealth and charisma to create spectacle in its place. Without agreement about some basic facts, citizens cannot form the civil society that would allow them to […] Read more »
Two Weaknesses Exposed on Capitol Hill
… The past five years have been especially valuable in revealing where power within the Republican Party does and doesn’t reside. Republican members of Congress enjoy substantial internal influence in certain areas: they largely controlled the party’s legislative agenda and shaped much of the policy-making during the tenure of the […] Read more »
The pollsters are back at work in Georgia. We’d be better off without them.
… Our focus on polling and other horse-race aspects of campaigns contributes to our tendency to conflate elections with sporting events rather than a consideration of competing ideas. Irresponsibly equating campaigns with boxing matches or pennant races — where one participant comes “off the mat” or another “makes up ground” […] Read more »
As tempting as it will be to ignore him, here’s why Trump will make news after leaving office
… Presidential candidates who lose a general election rarely run again, and they almost never win. … But Trump, who never felt bound by history or precedent, sounds as if he’s ready to try. Fresh from a walloping at the hands of Joe Biden, Trump is showing every sign of […] Read more »
A ‘cult president’? Breaking down Trump’s support
What does it mean to be a “cult president”— one whose supporters will believe and trust him no matter what any other government officials, academics, journalists, politicians, and “professional” experts say? Donald Trump could at the very least be characterized as one of the few presidents with a cult of […] Read more »
Ethics Ratings Rise for Medical Workers and Teachers
At the end of a year when medical workers have braved exposure to the coronavirus to provide lifesaving care, Americans have become more likely to laud the honesty and ethics of nurses, medical doctors and pharmacists. Still, nurses remain the undisputed leader, as they have been for nearly two decades. […] Read more »