As congressional Democrats negotiate the size and scope of a budget bill that could significantly remake the social safety net in the United States, a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS finds 75% of the party’s rank-and-file prefer a bill that goes further to expand the social safety net and […] Read more »
Conservatives have long stoked distrust in government — and now we’re paying for it
Ending the pandemic has proved hard in the United States, and decades-long political dynamics are a big part of the problem. Not only has distrust in government contributed to vaccine hesitancy, but following a script too long in the making, many Republican leaders have encouraged citizens to see mitigation methods […] Read more »
‘The president’s decline is alarming’: Biden trapped in coronavirus malaise
In a focus group last week, Pennsylvania Democrats one after another articulated the issue vexing top White House aides, party operatives in Virginia and voters in Georgia: Why isn’t President Joe Biden’s diminished job rating rebounding? All nine participants from Tuesday’s session gave Biden C- grades or lower. And their […] Read more »
Independents aren’t a unified political bloc. Here’s what they really think
Political independents are among the most heavily scrutinized groups in American politics. They’re also, as a new analysis of CNN’s most recent polling shows, not much of a bloc at all: Their backgrounds and viewpoints cover a wide spectrum. A dive into independents’ views highlights two basic principles for thinking […] Read more »
The Democrats Don’t Appear Doomed, Unless Losing Half the Time Means Doom
… On Friday, the New York Times published a column by liberal journalist Ezra Klein profiling the Democratic political strategist and data analyst David Shor. … We are, of course, currently in a moment of what history tells us is a rare and temporary period of unified Democratic rule, likely […] Read more »
David Shor Is Telling Democrats What They Don’t Want to Hear
President Biden’s agenda is in peril. Democrats hold a bare 50 seats in the Senate, which gives any member of their caucus the power to block anything he or she chooses, at least in the absence of Republican support. And Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are wielding that leverage […] Read more »