President Trump and his party are entering the nine-week stretch until Election Day with their success riding on a hope that enough voters come to the following conclusion: You’re not as bad as we thought. As part of this strategy, Republicans and the Trump campaign are attempting to focus voters’ […] Read more »
Why they follow
President Trump has a knack for getting Republicans to reverse their stances on important policy issues. Free trade is probably the best-known example. … These trends can seem disconcerting, because they appear to reverse the idealized direction of influence in a democracy, where the views of citizens are supposed to […] Read more »
Conventions Can Boost the Incumbent. Did It Work This Time?
The last two presidential re-election campaigns followed a similar playbook: define the opposition early on the most important issue, emphasize a few cultural wedge issues to rally the base while appealing to a few swing voters, and reinvigorate supporters at the convention. It was enough for George W. Bush in […] Read more »
For the GOP, Much More Than the White House and Senate Hangs in the Balance
… There is a good reason for Republicans to be concerned, but not just at the top of the ticket. With virtually all of the political air in the room consumed by the battle for the White House and control of the Senate, there isn’t much left for the 435 […] Read more »
Religion Takes Larger Role for Democrats This Year
It looks to me as if religion is going to be a bigger part of the presidential election process this year than it has been historically. This, to some extent, reflects a renewed emphasis on religion by Democrats and Joe Biden’s campaign, particularly as evidenced during the recent Democratic National […] Read more »
Ron Brownstein on Trump’s, Biden’s Paths to Victory
Ronald Brownstein, a senior political analyst at CNN and senior editor at The Atlantic, rejoins the podcast to look back at the spot-on 2020 Democratic ticket prediction he made two years ago. How does this seasoned analyst assess the U.S. political landscape in the 10th presidential election he has covered? […] Read more »