The beginning of the end of Roe v. Wade arrived on election night in November 2010. That night, control of state houses across the country flipped from Democrat to Republican, almost to the number: Democrats had controlled 27 state legislatures going in and ended up with 16; Republicans started with […] Read more »
Trump’s MAGA is marching down a trail blazed by the Tea Party
A little more than a dozen years ago, a new movement erupted in American politics calling itself “the Tea Party.” In the midterm elections of 2010, that movement remade Congress and helped the Republican Party to a decade of dominance in electing the legislatures of roughly 30 states. The phrase […] Read more »
Republicans now enjoy unmatched power in the states. It was a 40-year effort.
Over the past 40 years, Republicans have quietly gained overwhelming power in state legislatures. It did not happen overnight, and it won’t reverse itself soon. The implications could linger for years. Even after the 1980 election — when Ronald Reagan was first elected president — Democrats still controlled most statehouses: […] Read more »
The Tea Party’s Last Stand
… Months ago, President Trump tweeted, “liberate” Minnesota, Michigan, and Virginia and “save your great 2nd Amendment.” The national conservative funding network and Fox News jumped in to promote the protests, but the hundreds who joined the capitol protests fell far short of the Tea Party protests against President Barack […] Read more »
Tracking The Pandemic In The Battleground: Wave 2
The Tea Party-Trump Republican Party was forced to lead the country’s response to the pandemic and that accelerated the polarization of the country and marginalization of the GOP — at a very high human cost. Donald Trump took leadership of a modern Republican Party shaped profoundly by the Tea Party […] Read more »
‘Reopen’ protest movement created, boosted by fake grassroots tactics
Protesters seeking relief from lockdown restrictions, like these in Missouri, are being marshaled and egged on by conservative political operatives. AP Photo/Jeff Roberson Marc Ambinder, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Many Americans have been under strict stay-at-home orders, or at least advisories, for more than […] Read more »