U.S. democracy passed a milestone on January 20, 2021 with the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Donald Trump’s presidency presented unprecedented challenges to this country’s democratic norms and practices. His role in a violent insurrection, sparking a second impeachment has fueled further debate over how to preserve American […] Read more »
After the ballots are counted: Conspiracies, political violence, and American exceptionalism
Americans have experienced one of the most turbulent postelection periods in recent memory. The 2020 presidential election was marked by record turnout amid new voting procedures in many parts of the country, a response to the coronavirus outbreak. In all, more than 155 million voters cast a ballot in the […] Read more »
Republicans’ Biggest Problem is That They Need Trump Supporters’ and Extremists’ Votes
The divisions within the Republican Party have been on clear display in the wake of the tumultuous end to Donald Trump’s presidency, which included a violent insurrectionist takeover of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In the aftermath, will the party remain loyal to Trump and embrace its more extremist […] Read more »
Many Republicans sympathize with those who stormed the Capitol
The storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Trump’s supporters last week has been met with overwhelming condemnation by political leaders and the broader American public. … Lurking beneath the surface in the Republican Party, though, is something else: significant sympathy for the cause and even the actions of those […] Read more »
Capitol Losses
… At times like this, I turn to religion — or rather to Durkheim’s ideas about religion. In Durkheim’s view, religion is all about the group. Whatever benefit the individual may draw from it, religion, including American “civil religion,” is of the group, by the group, and for the group. […] Read more »
What Americans Make of the January 6 Chaos at the Capitol
On January 6, a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building, overwhelming police forces, and forcing the emergency evacuation of the House and Senate who had gathered to certify the presidential election results. Polls taken while the events were unfolding show an American public deeply divided along partisan […] Read more »