West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin is increasingly drawing the ire of progressive Democrats. With the slimmest of majorities in the Senate, Democrats need every vote and Manchin’s unwillingness to bend on issues such as filibuster reform is getting in the way of the party’s legislative priorities. But as I noted […] Read more »
Democracy Is Already Dying in the States
While Senator Joe Manchin is demanding that both parties agree on any further federal voting-rights legislation, a new study quantifies how completely Republicans have excluded Democrats from the passage of the restrictive voting laws proliferating in red states. In places such as Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, and Montana, the […] Read more »
Split Decision: An analysis of the 2020 presidential election
… The central strategic interaction for this election was between a better political and ideological environment in 2020 than 2016 for Republicans versus Biden’s strategy of focusing on personal qualities, given that his favorables were over 50% and Trump’s unfavorables were over 50%. This produced a slim 51% majority vote […] Read more »
Republicans Really, Really Dislike Biden. But It’s Not Just About Him.
… Most Republicans don’t just disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president — they strongly disapprove of his job performance. … This lack of crossover support for presidents in their first term in office points toward one of the most animating forces in American politics today: Increased disdain […] Read more »
Democrats Increasingly Say American Democracy Is Sliding Toward Minority Rule
The American political tradition enshrines majority rule, with rights for the minority. But some wonder whether the United States is sliding toward minority rule. More and more Democrats are saying the system is out of whack. Twice in the last 20 years, their presidential candidate got more votes but lost […] Read more »
How Far Are Republicans Willing to Go? They’re Already Gone.
Determined to enforce white political dominance in pivotal states like Georgia, Arizona, Texas and North Carolina, Republicans are enacting or trying to enact laws restricting the right to vote, empowering legislatures to reject election outcomes and adopting election rules and procedures designed to block the emergence of multiracial political majorities. […] Read more »