Donald Trump is the worst president? Ever? In the entirety of U.S. history? Throughout all time and space? After only one year? Yes, said 170 presidential scholars who were asked last month to rate the performance of all Oval Office-holders as part of a survey published by two political scientists, […] Read more »
Polls show support for gun control is widespread
Although there are several gun control measures, such as universal background checks, that enjoy broad support among the general public, Congress has not enacted laws in the wake of mass shootings from Newtown to Parkland. Nor it is clear that the mass murder of 17 people on Valentine’s Day will […] Read more »
What Motivates Voters More Than Loyalty? Loathing
Hostility to the opposition party and its candidates has now reached a level where loathing motivates voters more than loyalty. The building strength of partisan antipathy — “negative partisanship” — has radically altered politics. Anger has become the primary tool for motivating voters. Ticket splitting is dying out. But perhaps […] Read more »
Nothing Affects the Washington Climate Like Presidential Job Approval
There are many ways in which the Trump presidency is historically distinctive, but one of the most consequential is how unpopular it has been right from the start. Before Trump, even those new presidents who won a close election or entered office amidst controversy enjoyed a “honeymoon period” of elevated […] Read more »
Trump ranks as worst president in poll of scholars
President Trump came in last place in an expert ranking of “presidential greatness,” according to the 2018 Presidents & Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey released by Boise State University Monday. The survey was conducted among 170 current and recent members of the Presidents & Executive Politics Section of the American […] Read more »
Russian Meddling Was a Drop in an Ocean of American-made Discord
… “Partisanship can even alter memory, implicit evaluation, and even perceptual judgment,” the political scientists Jay J. Van Bavel and Andrea Pereira wrote in a recent paper. “The human attraction to fake and untrustworthy news” — a danger cited by political scientists far more frequently than orchestrated meddling — “poses […] Read more »