The American public’s understanding of the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines may have been put to the test in recent weeks as national public health leaders openly debated whether a booster shot is needed for the general population. Meanwhile, a large gap in vaccination rates persists between Democrats and Republicans, possibly […] Read more »
The survival of U.S. democracy may hinge on this decision by Pa.’s next governor
… Pennsylvania — the closest battleground state with the most electoral votes, where the election was called for Biden last November — is a powerful example of exactly what the Trump scheme to unwind American democracy looks like. In Harrisburg, Republican legislative leaders — after weeks of lobbying and browbeating […] Read more »
Supreme Court observers see trouble ahead as public approval of justices erodes
The Supreme Court’s approval rating is plummeting, its critics are more caustic and justices are feeling compelled to plead the case to the public that they are judicial philosophers, not politicians in robes. All of this as the court embarks Oct. 4 on one of the most potentially divisive terms […] Read more »
How the Democratic Party’s campaign strategy is failing America
In polling places across America, the ground has shifted. The “ticket splitter,” who once ruled election outcomes, has almost disappeared. …Meanwhile, measurements of the effectiveness of political persuasion ads show a medium generating hardly any effect at all. … These two developments represent the most unnoticed earthquake in the history […] Read more »
How West Virginia became a Covid-19 disaster
… West Virginia had been a success story for vaccinations. Back in early March, West Virginia ranked in the top four in terms of the adult population that was vaccinated. The state and Gov. Jim Justice received widespread praise for its vaccine rollout. But now, West Virginia ranks last in […] Read more »
As abortion debate heats up, perceptions of Supreme Court change
This week the Supreme Court announced that it would hear arguments on a Mississippi law that would ban abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, except in the case of medical emergencies. The news was the latest bit of evidence that abortion and the court are going to remain […] Read more »