by jpitney | Apr 22, 2021 | Civility, Deliberation, Uncategorized
Richard M. Perloff at Cleveland.com: Pollyannaish as it may sound, three lines of social science research show that treating adversaries in positive, respectful ways can overcome resistance, replacing it with, if not agreement, mutual understanding. First, research...
by jpitney | Apr 20, 2021 | Civility, Democracy, Polarization, Public Opinion
Nate Cohn at NYT: This threat to democracy has a name: sectarianism. It’s not a term usually used in discussions about American politics. It’s better known in the context of religious sectarianism — like the hostility between Sunnis and Shia in Iraq. Yet a growing...
by jpitney | Apr 19, 2021 | Budget, Congress, Deliberation
Nan Swift at LegBranch.org: Senate Democrats, frustrated their increasingly costly agenda is hitting some speedbumps (also known as business as usual), are considering a novel—and dangerous—solution to their legislative logjam: sub out the Congressional Budget Office...
by jpitney | Apr 18, 2021 | Immigration
George W. Bush at The Washington Post: The help and respect historically accorded to new arrivals is one reason so many people still aspire and wait to become Americans. So how is it that in a country more generous to new arrivals than any other, immigration...
by jpitney | Apr 17, 2021 | Civic Education, civic virtue, Civility, Supreme Court
Colin Kalmbacher at Law and Crime: Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch appeared together during a Zoom presentation in which they both argued that civility in politics is a national security issue. Hosted by the Center for Strategic and...
by jpitney | Apr 16, 2021 | Journalism, Mass Media, Russia
From the Treasury Department: Russian Intelligence Services, namely the Federal Security Service (FSB), the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), play critical roles in propagating Russian disinformation online. The FSB, GRU,...
by jpitney | Apr 14, 2021 | Democracy
Jan. 6 put American democratic weaknesses on display, and some critics quickly began to claim that America should no longer advocate for democracy abroad. Bush Institute Kelly and David Pfeil Fellow Nicole Bibbins Sedaca sits down with Christopher Walsh, the Bush...
by jpitney | Apr 13, 2021 | Bipartisanship, Budget, Civility, Congress, House of Representatives
Corinne Day at R Street: The R Street Institute announced the launch of a new online tool in support of the House Select Committee’s ongoing work on the Modernization of Congress. Guide for a Modern Congress provides easy-to-search options for reforming and...
by jpitney | Apr 12, 2021 | Congress
by jpitney | Apr 11, 2021 | Congress
John F. Harris at Politico: “All parts of the Bell Curve of society are well represented,” one lawmaker told me, pondering the assortment of many dolts and at least a few deviates who count as colleagues. A senator observed that ambition and discipline count for a...
