by jpitney | Aug 1, 2020 | Civility
From the Civility Project: Celebrated journalists Nolan Finley and Stephen Henderson have been longtime friends, despite their different perspectives on pretty much everything. The one thing they agree on is the importance of their friendship—which includes a healthy...
by jpitney | Jul 31, 2020 | Congress, Public Opinion
Megan Brenan at Gallup: After hitting 20-year highs in April and May, Americans’ approval of Congress continues its downward slide to 18%. The last time congressional approval was below 20% was in September 2019. The latest reading is from a Gallup poll...
by jpitney | Jul 30, 2020 | Constitution, Elections, Electoral College, Emergency
Jacob Shelly at the Congressional Research Service: Unlike the practice of some states that allow the Governor to postpone an election during emergencies, neither the Constitution nor Congress provides any similar power to the President or other federal officials to...
by jpitney | Jul 29, 2020 | Newspapers, Social Media, Tocqueville
Brooke Auxier at Pew: From global protests against racial injustice to the 2020 election, some Americans who use social media are taking to these platforms to mobilize others and show their support for causes or issues. But experiences and attitudes related to...
by jpitney | Jul 28, 2020 | Coronavirus, Social Media, Vaccine
At STAT, a bipartisan message from Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. (R-TN), California State Senator Richard Pan, M.D. (D), and Max G. Bronstein, founder of the Journal of Science Policy & Governance: We must also invest in grassroots public outreach...
by jpitney | Jul 27, 2020 | Civility, Congress, Deliberation
The Association of Former Members of Congress interviewed 31 Members who left Congress in 2018 and 2019, from both sides of the aisle. The results are n a publication we’ve entitled “Congress at a Crossroads.” At The New York Times, Carl Hulse summarizes: The study...
by jpitney | Jul 26, 2020 | Civil Rights, Disabilities
President George H.W. Bush on signing the Americans with Disabilities Act, 30 years ago today: Our success with this act proves that we are keeping faith with the spirit of our courageous forefathers who wrote in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these...
by jpitney | Jul 25, 2020 | Civility, Deliberation
Emily Ekins at Cato: A new Cato national survey finds that self‐censorship is on the rise in the United States. Nearly two-thirds—62%—of Americans say the political climate these days prevents them from saying things they believe because others might find them...
by jpitney | Jul 24, 2020 | Civility, Deliberation
President George H.W. Bush, University of Michigan Commencement, May 4, 1991: The freedom to speak one’s mind — that may be the most fundamental and deeply revered of all our liberties. Americans, to debate, to say what we think — because, you see,...
by jpitney | Jul 23, 2020 | Civility, Coronavirus, Deliberation
Shaun Cammack at The Deseret News: When the stakes are high, like during a pandemic, we often click into a tribal psychology that identifies the problem, or problematic persons, and desires to eliminate them. It’s the kind of “us versus threat” response that kept...
