Are primary debates different?
06/25/2019
Primary debates can be different. Despite all the hype, general election debates rarely, if ever, determine presidential election outcomes. If they did, Michael Dukakis and John Kerry would now be celebrated former…
Eroding the rule of law
06/18/2019
The rule of law rests on respect for the law. Economists would have us believe that obeying the law is all about sanctions. If we fear swift and certain punishment,…
Changing views of transgender rights
06/11/2019
As I’ve noted here before, opinions on gay rights generally have changed faster than those on almost any subject in the history of polling. While views on transgender rights took…
Trump can win — again
06/04/2019
As I’ve argued before, Donald Trump can be beaten in 2020. “Can” and “will” are two very different things, however. While I’m not a lawyer, I can argue both sides of the…
Infrastructure week is past due
05/28/2019
To its discredit, the Trump administration has turned “infrastructure week” into a running joke, betraying both the president’s core constituency and the country at large. The need is no joke.…
Poll failure, again
05/21/2019
The big news in polling this week: the Australian election! In our Netflix world, I’ve become a fan of Australian TV, but don’t recall anything from down under being big…
The death of Israel’s left
05/14/2019
For 41 of its 71-year history, prime ministers of the social democratic left presided over Israel. For the last decade, and at least until the next election, a prime minister…
A populist revolt?
05/07/2019
Don’t get me wrong. The pollsters at The Washington Post are extraordinary. But even extraordinary people aren’t perfect. Consider the headline attached to their poll a few days ago: “Populist…
Let’s hope it’s not just the economy
04/30/2019
Last week, one of my very smart, and very distinguished, colleagues told The Washington Post in no uncertain terms that the 2020 “election is going to be about the economy.”…
How well does Congress represent America?
04/23/2019
Americans don’t feel Congress represents them very well. YouGov reported only 25 percent of respondents felt people like them were even somewhat well represented in Congress, with 60 percent saying…