by jpitney | Jan 21, 2022 | Elections, Electoral College
[On Jan 13] Committee on House Administration Chairperson Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) released a Committee Staff Report on the Electoral Count Act of 1887 (ECA). The report, compiled over a months-long review, examines the ECA and argues it is badly in need of reform. Part...
by jpitney | Jan 20, 2022 | Congress, House of Representatives, Senate, Violence
Jim Saksa at Roll Call: CQ Roll Call asked every member of Congress whether they had received a death threat since 2020. Of the 147 who responded, 110 — or about 75 percent — said yes. While more Democrats replied to our inquiry than Republicans, 95 to 52, death...
by jpitney | Jan 19, 2022 | Mass Media, Polarization
Steven W. Webster, Elizabeth C. Connors, and Betsy Sinclair have written a study titled “The Social Consequences of Political Anger.” The abstract: A functioning democracy relies on social interactions between people who disagree—including listening to...
by jpitney | Jan 19, 2022 | Russia, Ukraine
As Ukraine faces an existential threat from Russia, this 2014 recruiting video is all too timely.
by jpitney | Jan 17, 2022 | civic virtue, Civil Rights, Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Patriotism, Religion
The “I Have a Dream” speech contains many references and allusions to key ideas, sites, and documents of American civic culture. The text below contains relevant links in red. Many passages in the speech refer or allude to Bible verses, spiritual songs,...
