Category Archives: political parties
“Bernie Sanders’s primary problem”
Charles Bass WaPo oped:
Addressing hundreds of supporters while campaigning in Keene, N.H., last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declared: “Let me tell you a secret: We’re going to win New Hampshire!”
He has some reason to feel confident,… Continue reading
Whose party is it anyway?
Coauthored with Joseph Fishkin, University of Texas Law School
In yesterday’s post, we described how major functions once performed by official party organizations are migrating instead to what we call shadow parties—groups situated outside the official party apparatus, but clearly… Continue reading
A war within the Republican party?
Coauthored with Joseph Fishkin, University of Texas Law School
A recent story perfectly embodied the central puzzle in a paper that we recently published in the Supreme Court Review. The story tells about the war between the Koch brothers… Continue reading
“The Party as Database”
Jack Balkin:
Last year, in my essay The Last Days of Disco: Why the American Political System is Dysfunctional, I explained that modern American political parties were turning into databases connected to fundraising operations. The two major political… Continue reading
“It’s Nothing Personal: The Decline of the Incumbency Advantage in US House Elections”
New Gary Jacobson in the Journal of Politics. Here is the abstract:
With little fanfare, the electoral advantage enjoyed by US representatives has fallen over the past several elections to levels not seen since the 1950s. The incumbency advantage has… Continue reading
“The Only Thing We Have to Fear Is the Other Party”
“This astonishing chart shows how moderate Republicans are an endangered species”
Must-read by Christopher Ingraham, with great data from the Poole-Rosenthal numbers.
Political scientists have known for years that political polarization is largely a one-sided phenomenon: in recent decades the Republican Party has moved to the right much faster than Democrats… Continue reading
“Sanders could face N.Y. primary ballot struggle”
“Parties Coming to More Agreement (Just Not on Who Deserves Credit)”
Carl Hulse NYT analysis.
“Potential roadblock for Bernie Sanders rises in New Hampshire”
CNN reports.
MORE from Weigel.
“State high court quickly ousts Shirley Abrahamson as chief justice”
No surprise in Wisconsin.
“Recommended Reforms to California’s Top Two”
“How ‘Negative Partisanship’ Has Transformed American Politics”
Jonathan Chiat:
Emory political scientists Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster have a new paper, not yet available online, exploring the nature of the new polarization. The paper is filled with interesting findings, but the major one is an attempt… Continue reading