Category: Elections

Five Myths About the Trump Tax Plan

Democracy suffers when the largest tax reform in three decades that is opposed by a majority of Americans is signed by a president voted in by only 19.5% of the electorate, who has approval from just 35% of Americans (the lowest of any president in their first year) and 41% want to impeach. This is a fundamental violation of government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

No, This is Not Normal

The impending presidency of Donald J. Trump presents a challenge for those who study and comment on politics because it is a challenge to keep up with the conflicts and scandals. Take the last week, for example. On Tuesday, Buzzfeed published a dossier with flimsy but damning allegations that inspired the hashtag #goldenshowers. Trump responded with a meltdown about… Continue reading No, This is Not Normal

The 2016 Election: Sexism and the Failure of Men on the Left

I trusted the polls because I believed that men on the Left were with us in this struggle, but in the end, too many left us to vote for a racist, sexist, xenophobic, hyper-masculine demagogue. This was not a victory on the Right, but a failure of the Left.

How Survivor Activists Changed the 2016 Presidential Election

This new awakening did not happen overnight, it did not happen for everyone, and our country still has a long way to go to truly reform our rape culture. But it is fair to say that survivor activists have made electoral politics a hostile environment for sexual predators.

Five Ways Trump Lost A Debate He Was Supposed to Win

Clinton won the first debate last night, according to scientific polls, focus groups, and my Grandma Lois. Trump should have won the debate. His bar was set quite low — perhaps the lowest in presidential history — but he didn’t bother to prepare, and it was apparent. History favored Trump in that first debates boost the… Continue reading Five Ways Trump Lost A Debate He Was Supposed to Win

“The Emperor Has No Balls”:Virility, Masculinity, and the American Presidency

By: Meredith Conroy and Caroline Heldman (originally posted at The New West blog) Two weeks ago, the guerilla art collective Indecline unveiled a series of statues featuring a naked Donald Trump in New York City, Cleveland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Indecline entitled the installation “The Emperor Has No Balls” in reference to Hans… Continue reading “The Emperor Has No Balls”:Virility, Masculinity, and the American Presidency

Panicked About a Trump Win? Relax, and vote.

Many of my progressive friends are panicking about the possibility of Donald Trump winning the White House. This post lays out why Hillary Clinton is heavily favored to win in November. I begin with an overview of the data and then respond to three questions that were recently posed by my skeptical Grandma Lois. The Odds are… Continue reading Panicked About a Trump Win? Relax, and vote.

2 Conventions, 1 Cup

This post is a recap of the Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Philadelphia in terms of viewership, production quality, speakers, themes, truthiness, protests, post-convention bounce, and significance.

Democracy in Action at the 2016 RNC

Becca Cooper (a.k.a. Wreck-It-Beck) and I travelled to Cleveland last week to interview everyday Americans who had gathered outside the Republican National Convention to express their political beliefs. We spoke with homemakers, engineers, the founder of the Alt Right (think “kinder, gentler” white supremacy), presidential candidate Vermin Supreme, small business owners, large business owners, students,… Continue reading Democracy in Action at the 2016 RNC

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