In the fall of 1969, Merle Haggard topped the Billboard country charts for four weeks with “Okie from Muskogee,” the song that quickly became the anthem of red America, even before we called it that. “We don’t smoke marijuana in Muskogee, we don’t take our trips on LSD, we don’t […] Read more »
Hillary Clinton’s Appeal Survives Scrutiny
Hillary Rodham Clinton appears to have initially weathered a barrage of news about her use of a private email account when she was secretary of state and the practices of her family’s foundation, an indication that she is starting her second presidential bid with an unusual durability among Democratic voters. […] Read more »
Huckabee May Be Doomed To Rerun His 2008 Campaign In 2016
What on earth should we make of Mike Huckabee’s 2016 candidacy. He’s announcing Tuesday that he’s running for president — we know that much. And the polling says he is a legit contender for the Republican nomination. Yet there’s evidence that the fatal flaw of his 2008 run — namely, […] Read more »
Republicans and Democrats Approach 2016 With Different Priorities
In case anyone needed a reminder of why the U.S. has two major but quite different political parties, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll provides this one: Not only do Democrats and Republicans see issues differently, their views of which issues are most important are dramatically different as well. […] Read more »
Religion, Race and Same-Sex Marriage
Attitudes about same-sex marriage have undergone a rapid shift in American society. As recently as 2009, 40% of Americans said they believed that marriage between same-sex individuals should be legal and recognized by law as valid. Those views burst through the majority level in 2011, with support reaching a high […] Read more »
AP-GfK Poll: Americans evenly split on gay marriage case
… According to the new AP-GfK poll, nearly half of Americans favor laws allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed. Just over a third are opposed. But Americans are split down the middle on what action the Supreme Court should take when it rules on the marriage case later this […] Read more »