by jpitney | Nov 26, 2024 | Higher Education, Newspapers, Polarization
Andrew Van Dam at WP: Of those who still read newspapers, Democrats made up a narrow majority in the 1990s and early 2000s, but their lead has turned into a rout. Now, among people who read the paper multiple times a week, Democrats outnumber Republicans by more than...
by jpitney | May 26, 2024 | Civility, Polarization
Dalibor Rohac at AEI: Fast forward to Slovakia, May 15, 2024. The country’s pugilistic prime minister, Robert Fico, was shot by a 71-year old man who, in his words, “[disapproved] of the government’s policies.” The perpetrator, a retired supermarket security guard and...
by jpitney | Apr 7, 2024 | Bipartisanship, Congress, House of Representatives, Polarization
At Newsweek, Peter Weichlein explains why so many members and staff are leaving: The current dysfunction on daily display in the House—and to a lesser degree the Senate—has resulted in a toxic workplace that is simply no longer worth the sacrifice. How many of us want...
by jpitney | Mar 18, 2024 | Congress, House of Representatives, Polarization, Senate
Li Zhou at Vox: Thus far, 43 House members and eight senators have announced that they won’t be seeking another term but they’ll finish out this one. Additionally, eight House members and two Senators have left their seats early due to factors including retirement,...
by jpitney | Feb 19, 2024 | California Politics, Polarization, Public Opinion
A Leger survey for the LAT finds that 29% of Americans — and 48% of Republicans think that California is “not really American.” Other findings: Over one-third of U.S. residents believe that California is a model other states should avoid (39%),...
by jpitney | Nov 18, 2023 | Civility, Polarization
John Farmer, Jr. at The Messenger: The development of social media platforms has put the Citizens United principle on steroids. Such platforms became profitable only when they began to deploy algorithms that use commercial advertising principles to amplify every...
