The most significant storyline coming out of the June 27/28 Democratic primary debates was Sen. Kamala Harris’ attack on front-runner Joe Biden’s opposition to school busing in the 1970s, while he was serving as U.S. senator from Delaware. … I find at least nine different times during the 1970s when […] Read more »
Effective but never popular, court-ordered busing is a relic few would revive
… The Supreme Court agreed, unanimously endorsing busing as a legitimate means of unraveling the segregation of children by race. The 1971 decision launched an explosive chapter in American history, touching off a long and polarizing battle that set public opinion against busing for decades, even as the programs succeeded […] Read more »
Trump Needs His Base to Burn With Anger
… Trump portrays his political opponents — Democrats are “sick people” and the media are “enemies of the people” — as threats to the social order, aware that tapping into voter anger and anxiety is one of the most effective tools to drive up election turnout. Alex Gage, head of […] Read more »
More on busing
In March, I had a post on public opinion concerning busing in the 1970s. I didn’t expect that to become an issue in the presidential campaign, but in the wake of the exchange between Kamala Harris and Joe Biden in last week’s debate people are talking about busing again (although […] Read more »
Context Is Critical When Parsing Biden’s Words
Few ardent supporters of former Vice President Joe Biden would argue with the suggestion that he chose his words poorly when discussing his ability to work with Sen. James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia in the context of the civility that once existed in the Senate. … […] Read more »
There Are Really Two Distinct White Working Classes
… Marginal shifts in partisan balloting by the white working class have been a crucial determinant in the outcome of elections since 1968. This non-college white constituency — pollster shorthand for both the white working class and the white middle class without college degrees — makes up a massive bloc […] Read more »