Beware the Deadly Contagion Spread by Blowhards

… As we wrestle with the new coronavirus, let’s learn lessons from the 2009-10 H1N1 swine flu outbreak in the United States. At first, polls back then showed that both Democrats and Republicans were about equally concerned with the outbreak. That makes sense: Why should our political party shape how […] Read more »

To Beat Trump, Democrats May Need to Break Out of the ‘Whole Foods’ Bubble

It’s no secret that Democratic primary voters prize fall “electability.” But for all the clamor about progressive versus moderate choices, the obstacles to pulling voters toward Democrats — particularly in the battleground states — could prove more cultural than ideological. … In many ways, what people buy, eat and wear […] Read more »

Did Obama’s Tenure Hurt Black Turnout in 2016?

… Black voters’ attitudes about the impact of the Obama administration are complicated because they hold Barack and Michelle Obama in such high regard. As president, Mr. Obama enjoyed extraordinarily high approval ratings among African-Americans, even as black unemployment remained high. His personal popularity notwithstanding, African-Americans’ ratings of public policy, […] Read more »

America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump

FRONTLINE begins its 2020 election year coverage with a two-part, four-hour documentary series investigating America’s increasingly bitter, divided and toxic politics. From veteran FRONTLINE filmmaker Michael Kirk and his team, America’s Great Divide: From Obama to Trump draws on revelatory new interviews with key political and cultural figures, as well […] Read more »

Presidents used to get an approval rating bump after military strikes. Here’s why Trump likely won’t.

Presidents have historically seen a bump in their approval ratings during a military crisis, but the partisanship that has gripped the country in recent years has stunted that traditional bump in the polls. That evidence suggests President Donald Trump’s approval rating — which has lingered in the lower to mid […] Read more »