… In a televised Oval Office meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) in December, Trump famously said he would shoulder the blame for a government shutdown if the Democrats refused to fund a border wall. “I will be the one to […] Read more »
Many Americans think that climate-change deniers ‘get what they deserve’ when disasters strike
… Americans in earlier decades were motivated to participate in politics largely by having strong and positive attachments to their own political party. That’s no longer true. Today’s voters are driven instead by what political scientists Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster have called “negative partisanship”: Democrats loathe Republicans, and Republicans […] Read more »
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Leading and Following at the Same Time
The most active wing of the Democratic Party — the roughly 20 percent of the party’s electorate that votes in primaries and wields disproportionate influence over which issues get prioritized — has moved decisively to the left. With all the attention that is being paid to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, […] Read more »
Why Trump Will Lose in 2020
With several major Democratic primary candidates having declared, the palace intrigue of America’s 2020 presidential election is already in nearly full swing. But what if I were to tell you that barring a significant unforeseen shock to the system, the outcome of 2020 is already set in stone? The high […] Read more »
Could A Slew Of New Congressional Investigations Erode Trump’s Approval Rating?
Investigation season is here. The House Oversight and Reform Committee announced Michael Cohen, the president’s former lawyer, will testify publicly on Feb. 7, which will be followed the next day in the House Judiciary Committee by public testimony from acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker. … At their core, congressional investigations […] Read more »
When More Democracy Isn’t More Democratic
… There is the ideal of rule by the people. And there is the more complicated reality, in which institutions and representatives balance majority opinion against considerations like universal rights and the common good. Unable to reconcile those contradictory demands, once solid-seeming democracies are breaking down. Faith in a system […] Read more »