Goodbye to Swing Districts?

A largely mythical beast may become even more rare.

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Election Results Validate Everyone’s Priors

Too woke! Not woke enough!

There is No ‘Manchin Dilemma’

He beats the alternative.

9/11 at 20

Two decades after a day we’ll not forget.

Is Texas Undemocratic?

The Lone Star State has enacted some peculiar new laws.

Alabama, Disney, and the Quest to Be a National University

The cost of raising a university’s profile.

Billionaires in Space

Magical? Impressive? Or just too much money?

Democrats Increasingly Frustrated with Congress

It turns out a 51-50 Senate majority isn’t enough.

Supreme Court Ends ‘Amateur’ Collegiate Sports

Most NCAA restrictions violate anti-trust law.

How Critical Race Theory Suddenly Hit the Mainstream

A pandemic and the rise of Zoom meetings unleashed an academic theory into the wild.

Manchin Opposes Democracy

Or, at least, he’s willing to kill democracy in order to save it.

Sinema’s Misunderstanding of the Senate (and of Basic Politics)

The post really isn’t about Sinema as much as it about a theory of poltiics.

More Census 2020 Takeaways

The trends over the last half century are really something.

The Filibuster Isn’t The Problem

It’s undemocratic and we should get rid of it. But doing so isn’t a panacea.

Joe Manchin’s Weird Filibuster Defense

It doesn’t work like the movies, Senator.

United States Less Democratic Than it Used to Be

Multiple indicators point to a decline in the representativeness of the American system.

Arguments Over Definitions

The lack of common understandings and shared assumptions makes political conversations challenging.

The Republican Advantage in the House

Any “fair” drawing of districts will yield a GOP advantage over time.

David Bowie Predicts the Internet

An interesting blast from the past.

The Rise of Negative Partisanship

Yes, partisanship is real. And it influences more than just voting behavior.

Is CDC Being Too Cautious?

Underplaying the value of vaccination is counterproductive.

CPAC as a Leading Indicator

The annual gathering showed us what the Republican Party would become years ago.

Fact-Checking in a Fact-Free World

Debunking urban legends and Internet rumors is harder than it used to be.

Stop Blaming the Framers for Everything

America’s institutions are undemocratic but only some of them are a product of the Constitution.

Trump Trial Fallout: Who Knows?

Early analysis merely confirms analysts’ priors.

We Are Not QAnon Nation

Most Americans have never even heard of it.

Romney’s Child Welfare Plan

An opportunity for unity and a restoration of normal order.

The Leaderless GOP

The Republican Party is not really a thing.

Republican Leaders Rallying to Impeach Trump

Some key GOP figures are at least testing the waters.

41,549,808

A startling number than may understate the problem.

Trump’s Solipsism Doomed COVID Fight

The story played out just as we all thought it would.

Republican Recovery

Further musings on the future of the Grand Old Party.

Trump’s Legal Team Imploding

We won’t have Sidney Powell to kick around any more.

Colorado Passes National Popular Vote Compact

We may be a little closer to ending the tyranny of the Electoral College.

Trump Yahoos Swarm Biden Bus in Texas

Just when you thought the 2020 campaign couldn’t go any lower.

Biden Open to SCOTUS Expansion

After weeks of evasion, the frontrunner hints at a compromise policy.

Majority Rule, Plurality Rule, and Minority Rule

Definitions are fun, right?

Minority Rule

The problem is real.

Plug-in Weirdness [UPDATED]

Some upgrade-related wonkiness.

Is Federalism the Real Problem?

A fundamental building block of our system makes it nearly impossible to fix.

Against Packing the Supreme Court

Legitimacy hangs in the balance.

Political Culture Eats Institutions For Lunch

Institutional reform is necessary, but we can’t accomplish much in the face of tribalism.

Harris’ VP Chances Redux

She would hardly be the first running mate who criticized the nominee in a debate.

A Timeline Of Nihilism And Fecklessness

How about crowd sourcing a timeline for all of Trump’s enablers?

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Demography is Destiny

It’s just not immediate.

NPR Hit Hard by Pandemic

Telecommuting has taken a bite out of an industry built on commuting.

Supreme Court Upholds ‘Faithless Elector’ Laws

States can punish Electors who substitute their judgment for those of the voters.