Has Polarization Broken Partisanship?

By Justin Kempf Partisan Conflicts The never-ending votes for House Speaker have challenged common assumptions about American politics. Unlike the multi-party legislatures in other democracies, the American political system features two dominant political parties. This means leadership contests are almost always routine. Behind the scenes they might involve fierce conflicts, but those get resolved before... Continue Reading →

A Pre-Post-Mortem of the 2022 Election

By María Isabel Puerta Riera The 2022 Election As we entered the final weeks of the 2022 midterm elections, the landscape was promising for Republicans. The expectation of a red wave grew with the help of pundits and pollsters building on the long-running theme of the Democrats in disarray. The sense of dread increased with the anticipation of... Continue Reading →

Democratic Backsliding in the Age of Misinformation

By María Isabel Puerta Riera Misinformation Widens the Political Divide The 2016 presidential election introduced new elements into political campaigns through information technology. The Cambridge Analytica scandal was part of a broader scheme to influence the electorate, particularly among those more vulnerable to misinformation. Of course, the role foreign entities played is still largely under debate. Nonetheless, it... Continue Reading →

What Happens When the People Decide?

By Jenna Spinelle When the People Decide From my earliest days in journalism, I’ve always gravitated toward people who zig when everyone else zags, so to speak. The people who go against the grain and aren’t afraid to put forward a bold idea and bring people along for the ride. It’s difficult to find people... Continue Reading →

Democrats Missed an Opportunity

Sole Strategies Director says Democrats overlooked the most impactful ways to shape the Midterms By Amani Wells-Onyioha, Sole Strategies Director An Opportunity Lost? The past decade in America has been one of massive change, upheaval, and political division. Never before in recent history has our very democracy been so challenged. Many progressive voters have been... Continue Reading →

The Fascist Reaction

By María Isabel Puerta Riera What is Fascism Over the past decade we have become more accustomed to hearing the label fascist when describing political adversaries, especially in struggling democracies. Although the displacement of liberal democracies has been on the rise, according to the Varieties of Democracy project, the use of this particular term remains subject to... Continue Reading →

Why Presidential Transitions Matter

By David Marchick, Alexander Tippett, and Valerie Smith Boyd Presidential Transitions in American History Asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had created for the new United States, Benjamin Franklin replied, “A republic—if you can keep it.” Franklin’s prescience became evident when, 235 years later, President Trump refused to recognize the outcome of the... Continue Reading →

The Guardrails of a Fragile Democracy

By María Isabel Puerta Riera A Fragile Democracy As we approach the midterm elections, I find myself reflecting on what almost brought the American experiment to its knees just a few years ago. First off I strongly believe historical context matters. We are simply shortsighted unless we consider the long-term causes of democracy's fragility. The... Continue Reading →

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