When It Comes to Impeachment, False Negatives are More Dangerous for Democracy than False Positives
Here's what we learn about impeachment from statistics, democratic theory, and a tour through Latin America. It bodes ill for US democracy.
MISCHIEFS OF FACTION
Reflections on Parties and Their Place in Politics
Search
Bernie Sanders is the logical successor to the Trump presidency
As the Iowa caucuses approach, there’s been lots of talk on the internet about whether Bernie Sanders can win. He’s gained support in the...
The Case for Covering Bernie Differently
Sanders has significant strengths, but may have a harder time than other candidates in translating those into a majority of delegates.
What Andrew Johnson’s impeachment may tell us about Trump’s
Brenda Wiseapple's book The Impeachers suggests ways that Trump's impeachment is not so different from Andrew Johnson's.
Why Political Science Doesn't Like Term Limits
The political science literature on term limits is almost uniformly negative.
Impeachment fits Trump's populist strategy perfectly.
Donald Trump’s electoral appeal is populist. It is populist in the specific sense in which Cas Mudde and Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser...
Most House Democrats will vote to impeach Trump. Is pressure from party leaders the reason why?
Pelosi says she is not whipping this week’s impeachment vote. The truth is more complicated.
How Star Wars Reflects – and Shapes – Real-World Politics
The Star Wars universe not only tells us things about politics, but reflects and even shapes politics in the real world.
Yes, parties can become less democratic, too
Want to make parties less democratic? It turns out state parties do this quite a bit.
The Mandalorian, and when government fails
How "The Mandalorian" shows the problems of Imperial decline.
Political beings are we, not this crude matter.
Announcing some political "Star Wars" content as we await the new film.
Kamala Harris is out. What have we learned about party politics?
ProPublica’s Dara Lind tweeted earlier today that the correct analogy for Kamala Harris was the 2016 bid of Scott Walker – not Marco...
Not all Democratic primary voters are as “woke” as your Twitter feed
Many engaged Democrats debate the merits of the large field of presidential candidates on social media, and this conversation can...
What explains the troubles facing Evo Morales, Trump, and Lula? Maybe the problem is the presidency.
The culprit isn’t just norms--it’s the rules of the presidency itself. By Amy Erica Smith It’s been an exhausting year for those of us...
To understand why Republicans are sticking with Trump, think like a gambler
Aversion to loss, fueled by polarization, explains why a disgraced Trump is better for Republicans than President Pence
How to Detect Election Fraud: the Bolivian Example
By Dr. Calla Hummel and V. Ximena Velasco-Guachalla A basic challenge for any democracy is to accurately count votes, both to ensure the...
Approval ratings and vote shares
Using approval ratings to predict vote shares finds that the odds are difficult for Trump's reelection, but not prohibitive.
India’s Ayodhya Verdict Threatens Democracy, not Secularism
India's Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Hindu god in the country's most famous religious dispute. Why is there so little protest?
House Republicans are drawing from the minority party playbook
Republicans' defense of presidential conduct and complaints about unfair proceedings are par for the course for a House minority party.
When Trump’s coattails just weren't enough
In the recent KY-GOV race, Bevin only won among Trump supporters, while Beshear made inroads among various parts of the population.