The Biden administration appears to have adopted a two-pronged strategy to reduce the corrosive impact of hot-button social, cultural and racial issues: first by inundating the electorate with a flood of cash via the $1.9 trillion Covid relief act and second by refusing to engage fractious issues in public, calculating […] Read more »
Donald Trump and the Lie
The legitimacy of democratically elected governments rests in part on widespread acceptance of the outcome of elections, especially among those who lost. This “losers’ consent” allows the winners to govern and, when the incumbent is the losing party, it allows for a peaceful transition of power. What happens in a […] Read more »
Can Republicans Win Back Congress Next Year by Running Against ‘Cancel Culture’? Sure They Can
… Democrats are hoping that the Republican politicians who opposed the Rescue Plan will be punished at the polls next year. But history suggests that voting in favor of an unpopular bill is more likely to inspire a backlash than voting against a popular bill—especially one that passed anyway. Members […] Read more »
Why the GOP can’t quit Trump
… Understanding why MAGA, also known as the Republican base, supports Trump, reveals why the GOP can’t break away from him: They are intensely loyal to Trump, motivated by status threat, and convert their anxiety and commitment into votes. If any Republican tries to do disavow Trump, they will face […] Read more »
A less Trumpy version of Trumpism might be the future of the Republican Party
Is Sen. Marco Rubio, espousing a polished populism, the future of the GOP? Joe Raedle/Getty Images Morgan Marietta, University of Massachusetts Lowell and David C. Barker, American University School of Public Affairs Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, but his populist ideas may continue to animate the Republican Party. As […] Read more »
Mitch McConnell Would Like Trump to Fade Away
Mitch McConnell is savvy enough to know that when he took the Senate floor to blame Donald Trump for the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol, he was pouring gasoline on an intraparty feud. As accurate as McConnell’s statement may have been — “There’s no question — none — that […] Read more »