We ran a new PredictWise/Pollfish Poll on facts about politics on January 26, 2017 and found that Republican talking points are much more salient than Democratic talking points. This is not a story about partisan asymmetry around what people believe (although that exists), but about how Democrats also believe key […] Read more »
Can a president who disregards the truth uphold his oath of office?
… In the simplest terms, a conception of truth outside what the government tells us to be so is foundational to democracy because it allows us to stand up against power. It’s also necessary to lay the groundwork for any kind of democratic deliberation among citizens. After all, if we […] Read more »
The Numbers Game of Donald Trump
… Mr. Trump, who has branded himself as everything from a world-class developer to a reality-television star to, later, a plausible presidential candidate, has long deployed what he described in his first book, “The Art of the Deal,” as “truthful hyperbole,” and others might call lies. … But to the […] Read more »
Reaction to Trump Inauguration Similar to 2005, 2013 Inaugurations
Americans’ reactions to the inaugural ceremonies for Donald Trump were more positive than negative. Thirty-nine percent say they are more hopeful about the next four years based on what they saw, heard or read about Friday’s inauguration, 30% are less hopeful, and 30% say what they heard or read made […] Read more »
Trump set down his own marker: The time for action is now
… Trump’s inaugural address has drawn considerable criticism for its overall tone, for the dark portrait he drew of the state of the country, for its inward and insular vision, and for the general absence of typical inaugural themes of unity and American exceptionalism. Those are all valid critiques of […] Read more »
Trump’s Uneasy Gamble
Donald Trump’s usually combative and confrontational inaugural address encapsulated the defining political gamble he is presenting to a Republican Party still uneasily settling into his harness. Trump’s narrow victory last November pushed at every fault line in American politics, sharply dividing the country along lines of race, generation, education and […] Read more »