On the Median Voter

A David Brooks column inspires some thoughts.

One Year Out

Looking ahead to November 5, 2024

Will Jim Jordan Bullying Backfire?

Will at least four Republicans have a spine?

The Injustice of Place

A new book looks at the confluence of geography and disadvantage.

Some Electoral College Thoughts

It really is rife with problems.

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States, the Feds, and Revenue Transfers

All states but one receive more in federal money than they pay out in taxes.

Another Reason to Dislike the Electoral College

“Red States” and “Blue State”

Child Labor and Immigration

Mostly a policy lament.

Biden Student Loan Forgiveness in Danger

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is signaling an unfavorable ruling.

Looking to the 2024 Senate Map

A tough map for the Democrats.

Zealots and Pluralists

A moderate Republican almost diagnoses the problem.

The free high-resolution photo of outdoor, field, farm, meadow, prairie, rural, food, cattle, herd, pasture, grazing, livestock, ranch, mammal, agriculture, farmland, cows, grassland, domestic, habitat, bulls, domestic animals, farm animals, dairy cow, natural environment, cattle like mammal , taken with an NIKON D3200 03/12 2017 The picture taken with 18.0mm, f/0.6s, 1/800s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of outdoor, field, farm, meadow, prairie, rural, food, cattle, herd, pasture, grazing, livestock, ranch, mammal, agriculture, farmland, cows, grassland, domestic, habitat, bulls, domestic animals, farm animals, dairy cow, natural environment, cattle like mammal , taken with an NIKON D3200 03/12 2017 The picture taken with 18.0mm, f/0.6s, 1/800s, ISO 400 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

Farm Veterinarian Shortage

We can’t find enough people to treat cows, pigs, and horses.

Republican Governors Don’t Like Trump

Alas, it probably doesn’t matter.

Calcified Democracy

A deep dive into why our politics are so broken.

NFL and College Football Going Head to Head

The most popular television product is running out of room to expand.

Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Survives Initial Legal Challenges

Opponents lose at the district and SCOTUS level in opening salvos.

Democracy and ZIP Codes

The rules for voting in America vary widely.

Ben Sasse to Leave Senate to Become Florida President

The Nebraska Republican got an offer he can’t refuse.

Dems in Midterms: You’re Saying There’s a Chance?

A 2020 blowout has long been presumed. But maybe it won’t happen.

‘Don’t Tread on Me’ License Plates

States are sponsoring an increasingly controversial image.

Minority Rule in a Winner-Take-All System

How long can the unsustainable be sustained?

Two Republican Parties?

Some GOP governors are taking a stance against Trump.

Harry Reid, 1939-2021

The longtime Senate leader is gone at 82.

President Joe Biden observes trainers and apprentices at work at the final assembly station during a tour of Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5 Training Facility, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Lanham, Maryland. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz) President Joe Biden observes trainers and apprentices at work at the final assembly station during a tour of Plumbers & Gasfitters Local 5 Training Facility, Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2021, in Lanham, Maryland. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

Selling the ‘Build Back Better’ Plan

The Catch-22 of passing a massive spending bill in an undemocratic system.

Southernification of Rural America

Rural-urban is now a bigger divide than North-South.

College Conference Chaos

Texas and Oklahoma have reopened Pandora’s Box.

NC State DQ’d from College World Series

Stupid is as stupid does.

Keystone XL Developer Abandons Project

The project that has been on-again, off-again since 2008 seems to be off for good.

The Consolidation of Journalism

The Internet killed the newspaper without really replacing it.

Florida Governor Bans Vaccine Passports

He probably lacks the legal authority. And business interests in is state will fight hard against him.

Duckworth and Hirono Holding Biden Nominees Hostage

Appoint more Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Or else!

Trump Pardons More Cronies

Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and Charles Kushner are among last night’s lucky recipients.

The Republican Party’s Shame

The Party of Lincoln went over the cliff like lemmings in support. It’s tough to see how they recover.

Republicans Stuck Between Trump and a Hard Place

Explaining the continuing cowardice of GOP Senators.

Meanwhile, in the Pandemic

It’s getting worse, not better.

Supreme Executive Power Derives from a Mandate from the Masses

Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!

AZ and PA

Trump needs them both.

Could Biden Win Texas and Lose Ohio?

The state polling is not lining up along usual patterns.

The Senate’s Rural Skew

Injecting data into the conversation.

Big Ten Cancels Football

A nation that failed to control the pandemic is going to be without college sports this fall.

President Trump at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference Monday, July 27, 2020, at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) President Trump at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies President Donald J. Trump listens to a reporter’s question during a press conference Monday, July 27, 2020, at the Bioprocess Innovation Center at Fujifilm Diosynth Biotechnologies in Morrisville, N.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead)

Trump’s Free Fall Over?

The President has hit rock bottom.

Supreme Court Says Eastern Oklahoma is Indian Country?!

Congress forgot to disestablish a Creek Reservation created by treaty in 1833 and 1856 when it made Oklahoma a state in 1909.

A Democratic Tsunami?

Even Republicans are wondering if President Trump is at his “Katrina moment.”

Supreme Court Upholds ‘Faithless Elector’ Laws

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

Why Roberts Sided with Abortion Rights

Is the Chief Justice laying a trap or simply ‘calling balls and strikes’?

Justin Amash Not Running for President After All

We won’t have whatshisname to kick around any more.

What if the Electoral Vote was Proportional?

What if instead of the unit rule, states doled out electoral voter based on the proportion of votes each slate of electors received?

Are Electors Free to Choose?

SCOTUS and “faithless electors.”