Superdelegates: The Last Defense Against Political Parasites
The way the talking heads discuss them, you’d think superdelegates were some magical and inscrutable species. Numerous shows and articles have been devoted to discussing the strangeness and specialness of this class of party delegate. Yet they are quite mundane. Superdelegates are simply the party officeholders and officials who make …
The Coming Democratic Party Civil War
“Party powerbrokers seek to stop the grassroots surge.” “Establishment candidates accused of conspiring to steal delegates.” “Candidate’s supporters feel cheated by an unfair electoral system.” “Campaigners claim primary opponent is bought and paid for.” “Party Establishment facing revolution from the grassroots.” These are the kinds of headlines that have …
The Long, Slow Death of the Republican Establishment
The deaths of Nancy Reagan and Antonin Scalia have come to be emblematic of the death of that age-old beast: The Republican Party Establishment. These two figures, deeply embedded in the conservative hierarchy for many decades, were some of the last figures of a bygone era in GOP politics, one …
Why We Need to Stop Using the Unemployment Rate
Discouraged workers are notoriously difficult to bring back into the workforce, so it is easier to ignore the problem than to address it. If we want real meaningful discussions, and real solutions, for our economy, we need to start talking about total unemployment including discouraged workers.
Iowa Caucuses: One Last Ride Before
With mere days before the Iowa Caucuses, Republican candidates are still vying to position themselves for the fight after the first votes are cast. Some are aiming to win and gain momentum, while others are simply trying to survive to fight on into the primary season.
Election 2016: The Last Rumble Before the Vote
It’s nearly time. After months of campaigning and debating, the first primary contests of the 2016 election season are about to begin. On Feb. 1 Iowans will go to the caucuses, and on Feb. 9 New Hampshire will host the first primary vote. Less than two weeks after that, South Carolinians go to the polls.
Lindsey Graham : Farewell to Yet Another Candidate
This week marks the departure of yet another contender for the Republican presidential nomination. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina struggled from the very beginning to gain any traction, rarely polling better than one-percent and being perpetually relegated to the undercard debates.
Donald Trump : The Powerlessness of an Independent President
Defying all expectations (including my own), Donald Trump remains the Republican frontrunner as we enter the final stretch to the early primary polls. The smart money still bets he’ll lose in the end, as the weaker candidates are winnowed away and voters in the “undecided” column make their decisions. It is expected that these erstwhile supporters of fallen candidates and so-far undecided voters will break disproportionately against Trump and toward a safer and more conventional candidate.
Election 2016: Ben Carson’s Feet of Clay
The success of Ben Carson has baffled the political establishment (and me) since he began his rise in the polls. I certainly thought after each of three low-knowledge, low-energy debate performances that the good doctor would fade. Yet he has only risen, and even pipped Donald Trump, the longtime frontrunner, in recent polls.
The GOP Has Lost Control
While the Democrats have been running a fairly ordered campaign season (thanks in no small measure an unstoppable frontrunner scaring most challengers off), the Republican race has gone off the rails. It is clear that the Republican National Committee and party grandees no longer have control of their party or their nominating process.
