Israel-Hamas War’s Massive Destruction

The 21st century’s most brutal conflict and the laws of war.

Heads of UN Agencies Call for Israeli Ceasefire

The laws of armed conflict aren’t designed for this war.

Home Schooling Exploding if You Were Taught Math at Home

The innumeracy hurts.

Where Does Europe End?

An idea, not a continent.

Cashing Out?

Americans have largely stopped using checks and are rapidly doing the same with cash.

Proposed New Congressional Map for Alabama

The process that could chance Alabama’s congressional delegation begins.

Pandemic Closures Crushed Kids

We’re seeing our lowest test scores in decades among a key cohort.

Class Sorting in American Politics

Most high-income Congressional Districts are Democratic and low-income Districts are Republican.

Most of the World Doesn’t Care About Ukraine

Many in the Global South see the war very differently than we in the West.

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Colleges Fear Affirmative Action’s Demise

A pending Supreme Court ruling could be more impactful than many realize.

Mass Protests Across China

Anger over COVID lockdowns has activated myriad frustrations.

Republicans Winning House Popular Vote?

A surprising factoid in a bad election for the party.

The Prevailing Myth of American Politics

A bit of a rant, I expect.

An Observation on Geography-Based Representation

A thought inspired by the PA Senate race.

Democracy Scholars for Proportional Representation

A lot of folks who study democracy have sent an open letter to Congress.

American Civil War II is Unlikely but Not Impossible

A repeat of 1860 can’t happen. But something even worse could.

Abortion and the Filibuster

Assuming they had the votes, should Democrats carve out yet another exception?

Minority Rule in a Winner-Take-All System

How long can the unsustainable be sustained?

Depending on the Kindness of Strangers

Has the Internet made us more selfish?

Putin Invades Ukraine in Defiance of West

The much-anticipated escalation has happened. Now to see how the United States and its allies respond.

People Moving for Politics?

It seems that some Americans are relocating to be with people who share their social and cultural views.

Evidence Isn’t Going to Persuade Anti-vaxers

Hesitancy is a complex phenomenon largely immune to facts.

Gerrymandering State Legislatures

Representatives Choosing Their Voters Rather than Vice Versa, Chapter 412.

Evangelical Politics in the Time of Polarization and Covid

A piece in The Atlantic inspires thoughts.

The Collegiate Gender Gap

Women are increasingly dominating American higher education.

Scapegoating Immigrants

Whataboutism about a visit to Whataburger (and other tales of obfuscation).

Following the Science Isn’t Our Nature

The reaction to the pandemic has long since been about much more than the pandemic.

Some Thoughts on Representation

How well do single-seat districts lead to representation? (And of what?)

It’s the Single-Seat Districts

Our insistence on relying on an 18th Century understanding of electoral systems is our ongoing bane (if one values representative government).

The Rise of Negative Partisanship

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

Alabama Reaches #1 for 13th Year in a Row

A mind-boggling statistic.

Against Packing the Supreme Court

Legitimacy hangs in the balance.

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All’s Fair, Even if It’s Unfair?

A defense of the indefensible.

Harris and Racial Labels

There are different, and not equally good, reasons to talk about labels.

Do Violent Protests Get Results?

If the goal is to change politics, not just vent frustration, messaging is important.

Coronavirus Has Been Politicized to Dangerous Effect

Republicans are half as likely to take the outbreak seriously.

Why Democrats Have to Play By Different Rules

The Republicans are playing a different game.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez To Endorse Sanders

Not surprisingly, AOC is getting behind Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Understanding Ukraine

Trying to nail down some basics about a very complicated situation.

Trump’s Electoral College Advantage Growing

He could lose the popular vote by an even larger margin in 2020—and still coast to re-election.

Florida School Guard Who Retreated From Gun Fire Charged

Scot Peterson, the school resource officer who hid from fire during last year’s school shooting in Florida has been charged criminally. The legal basis for those charges seems flimsy.

Trump’s Crazy Immigration Plan

The President unveiled some incoherent ideas yesterday that have no chance of becoming law.

Time for a National Primary

The consolidation of Super Tuesday makes the current system even more broken than before.

Trump’s Attacks On The Media Come Home To Roost

It was only a matter of time before Trump’s rhetoric against the press would lead to something violent. Last night in El Paso, it happened.

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Trump’s Foreign Policy Ignorance

More than any recent President, Donald Trump displays a tremendous amount ignorance about the world. Even worse is the fact that he seems proud of it.

Kirsten Gillibrand Enters The Race For President

New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is the latest Democratic entrant into the 2020 race for President.

Trump at the G20

Trump continues to struggle at major international meetings.

Speaking of the Popular Vote…

Some examples from 2018 of the problems with single seat districts.

Washington State Supreme Court Declares Death Penalty Unconstitutional

Last week, the Washington State Supreme Court declared the death penalty unconstitutional. The latest in a string of victories for opponents of capital punishment.