It’s natural for people to fight the last war. And sometimes it’s absolutely necessary. Understanding how to limit the penetration and impact of fake news is critical. Preventing hacking into American political assets by Russia or other nefarious actors is vital. But we can’t let the last war blind us to the new and different…
We regularly hear that American politics is polarized. Those doing the talking mean very different things by the term. Some look at any 50/50 division as “polarized,” though such a definition does not comport particularly well with the history of the term. For others, polarization refers to deep differences. That is, the spread of increasingly…
A blue wave is building, but it will crash into a relatively stable political system surrounded by high walls. The damage that wave will do to the GOP depends on the height of the wave relative to the walls — and no one can confidently assess that yet. While Democrats understandably cheer every poll highlighting…
“I think it [Facebook, Twitter, Instagram] helped me win all of these races where they’re spending much more money than I spent.” President Donald Trump, on “60 Minutes,” Nov. 13, 2016 “Facebook and Twitter were the reason we won this thing.” Brad Parscale, Digital Director, Trump for President, Wired, Nov. 15, 2016 “…the results of…
Consider some facts, and contemplate their implication: • The number of congressional districts producing split decisions — supporting one party for president and the other for Congress — was lower in 2016 than at any point since 1920. • For the first time since 1916, 2016 produced a perfect correlation between Senate…
There’s not an ounce of original thought in Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant bigotry. It treads an ugly, but well-worn path in American politics. In famously asserting, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best … They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime.…
President Trump and Co. are hoping to “reset” his beleaguered presidency with this week’s State of the Union address. History suggests it won’t happen. Rarely have State of the Union speeches had significant or lasting impact on presidents’ approval rating. Moreover, President Trump faces obstacles other presidents have not. First and foremost, he has created a…
Last week, we explored the complexity of authenticity and noted that scholars had identified three categories relevant to politics: Type authenticity — something true to its genre. Idiosyncratic authenticity — a commonly recognized quirky uniqueness. Moral authenticity — the sincerity of the moral and values-driven choices a person makes. We also saw that a singular…
Just after Virginia’s election, my friend Jesse Ferguson explained in these pages that one of Gov.-elect Ralph Northam’s greatest assets was his authenticity. Studies reveal that consumers will pay more for products they deem authentic. “Authentic” Asian restaurants in San Francisco command higher ratings than clean ones, according to one careful analysis. A Saudi prince…
Our country is experiencing an important moment right now concerning our response to sexual harassment. Already it has changed mores, altered who we see on television and in movies, and removed political decisionmakers from Congress and state legislatures. Such moments can affect elite behavior however, without altering public opinion. Has this moment actually changed mass…
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