“Politics ain’t bean bag,” quipped the late 19th century, fictional barfly and political analyst, Mr. Dooley. That is an eternal truth about American politics, wherein combatants have deployed everything from lies to bribes to fists, clubs, and even “violent laxatives” to win office and get their way. Yet, last year’s invasion of the Capitol along […]
Congress can prevent another Jan. 6 by u...
The American public does not tend to think highly of Congress. Gallup’s historical poll shows public approval of our national legislature has hovered around 20 percent over the past decade. Very rarely have more than half of John and Jane Q. Public given the thumbs-up to the first branch of government. That being so, why […]
How are elections fueling partisan polar...
Last month, some Republicans in the House of Representatives called for the ousting of some of their colleagues. What crime had these GOP legislators committed? They voted for an infrastructure bill that had been supported by Democrats. Never mind that the legislation would actually benefit these members’ constituents. Never mind that voting for infrastructure spending historically has […]
How can we get election losers to admit ...
“We were robbed” is an age-old kvetch in American politics. Candidates, who toil and suffer innumerable indignities while campaigning understandably will feel pain when votes tallies indicate it was all for naught. And, it must be admitted, election fraud and mischief do occur — although rarely on a scale that affects outcomes. In recent years, […]
One congressional committee is rejecting...
Jan. 6, 2021, was a very bad day for our nation. A mob gathered on Capitol Hill. Some of them erected gallows. Others smashed onlooking journalists’ cameras and equipment. Still, others flew Confederate battle flags, the banner of mid-19th century southern insurrectionists. Then the crowd assaulted police officers and broke through the doors and windows […]
What is the one-vote system? A Q&A with
Across the country, debates are erupting over the use of partisan primaries and first-past-the-post voting. There is a concern that this century-old way of voting is producing extreme candidates who have little incentive to govern competently. Various municipalities and states are experimenting with open primaries, ranked choice voting (RCV), and other systems to try to […]