Hill column  .

In the inaugural rituals just completed, we pledge fealty to the concept of national unity. The commentariat, though, raises the specter of polarization. The election, the commentators contend, reflected deep…

Americans may be bowling alone, but they are voting together. In his influential book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam decried the decline of Americans’ participation in everything from civic organizations to…

Just a few months ago, George Bush was presenting himself to the country as a strong leader, willing to do what’s right regardless of the consequences. He submitted exactly one…

As vacations have ended and politics reemerges from its holiday hiatus, a number of “analyses” of Election ’04 have appeared in various publications. These theses on the Democratic Party’s future…

In recent columns both David Hill and I have discussed religion. There is a simple reason for that: it is an increasingly important part of our politics. Future columns will…

Pundits love a good gap. We had plenty in the last election. One of the largest was the marriage gap, which brings together the social and economic forces that help…

In 1994, Democrats had been soundly beaten. We lost control of the House for the first time in 42 years and saw eight Senate seats switch to the Republicans. But…

Before the election, we were urged to focus our attention on the usual collection of semifictional swing groups – security moms, NASCAR dads and the like. But with the exit…

Don’t believe what you read!! A strange admonition with which to begin an article in a newspaper, but much of the gossip that passes for post-election analysis is way off…

A misleading interpretation of Election 2004 is being quickly etched in stone. It was, they say, a values election, with such issues as gay marriage providing the touchstone. Too simple.…