… Research finds that populist voters do not have much in common — at least not along traditional political lines. … In a recent study, we found that supporters of populists do have something in common: their personalities. Psychologists distinguish among five general traits that determine our personalities: openness to […] Read more »
The Audacity of Hate
… The Tea Party changed what it was permissible to debate openly in contemporary politics. Within a few years, it enabled Trump to further erode the norms of political combat and more openly instigate partisan conflict based on racial and ethnic antagonism. Under Trump, coded rhetoric like Reagan’s “welfare queen” […] Read more »
Fine, Dems are in Disarray. Here’s Why.
I usually push back at claims that the Democratic Party is in disarray, particularly right in the middle of a nomination contest. It’s supposed to be a messy process, after all. Messiness needn’t prevent the party from finding a nominee and rallying around that person. But it seems reasonable to […] Read more »
Is the two-party system good for democracy?
Facing extreme partisanship and polarization, America’s two-party system has come under fire. Critics argue that the two-party system runs contrary to the founders’ intent and has created a political system that fails to represent the electorate, concentrates power for the elites, and makes compromise impossible. They say it’s time for […] Read more »
There Are *Still* No Lane Markers on the Road to the White House
… Political scientists have long known that ideology does not play nearly as strong a role in the thinking of regular citizens as it does in shaping the perceptions and preferences of political elites; in fact, this finding is one of the most foundational insights of the academic study of […] Read more »
Is America’s Two-Party System Fracturing?
Neither Donald Trump nor Bernie Sanders are conventional leaders in their parties. NPR’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks to political scientist Diego von Vacano about the breakdown of the two-party system. Weekend Edition, NPR News Read more »