Thomas Frank made a splash a decade ago with a bestseller called "What's the Matter With Kansas?" In his book, Frank attempted to answer the question: why do so many Americans -- working-class Americans -- vote against their economic and social interests -- i.e., Republican?
While most Americans say they’ve donated time or money to clean up the environment, they don’t feel strongly that Earth Day, a tradition established in 1970, has been all that important in increasing environmental consciousness.
Home-state candidates notched up impressive victories in New York's presidential primaries Tuesday. Donald Trump topped 50 percent for the first time -- and handsomely, with 60 percent of Republican votes. And Hillary Clinton won 58 percent of Democratic votes in her adopted home state.
In Samuel Eliot Morison's "The Oxford History of the American People," there is a single sentence about Harriet Tubman.
The Trump train appears to be back on track following his big win in Tuesday’s New York primary.
Last week, movie theater chain AMC announced plans to allow text messaging in certain theaters during movie screenings, then quickly reversed its decision after a swift backlash. But even the mention of the idea was enough to get people talking, and their reaction was decisive: no texting during the movie.
A major national insurer’s announcement that it is cutting back its involvement due to big financial losses is the latest problem besetting Obamacare. Few voters want to leave the health care law as is, even though more than ever say they have benefited from it.
Unfair! Rigged! Corrupt!
We’re hearing a lot of harsh adjectives being applied to aspects of the presidential nominating system this year — from “double-agent” delegate placement on the Republican side that may frustrate the plurality of GOP voters, to the establishment-based superdelegates (fully 15% of the convention, though down from 19% in 2008) on the Democratic side.
Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders may not be winning most of the state presidential primaries, but his strong criticism of the government’s treatment of Wall Street institutions certainly resonates with most Americans.
Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. Bernie Sanders went into the New York Democratic primary with essentially no path to catching Hillary Clinton in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, and he leaves it with even less of a path after Clinton’s victory. Despite some national polls showing the race effectively a tie, Clinton has a lead in pledged delegates and superdelegates that Sanders cannot catch. Unless Clinton is somehow forced from the race, she will be the nominee. Sanders assuredly still has some victories to come, but the eventual outcome really is not in doubt.
The surprising level of support for Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders suggests voters in the two major parties are getting more extreme in their thinking than their respective party leaders. A sizable number of voters agree, though Democrats are more likely than Republicans to think their party’s voters and leaders are in sync.
What strange bedfellows and broken pretzels politics do make!
The presidential contest that no one ever expected and many claim not to want is back on track and coming to your ballot box this fall.
Canada's sloppy, rushed and reckless Syrian refugee resettlement program is America's looming national security nightmare.
Voters remain more conservative on money issues than on those that pertain to social matters, but attitudes really haven’t changed much in recent years. Democrats and Republicans continue to disagree.
Noo Yawk. That's the state with this week's presidential primary, in which candidates who have spent time in New York recently are currently running ahead, according to polls.
If there is one pattern that is emerging from this year's political campaigns, it is that rhetoric beats reality -- in both parties.
Donald Trump has brought out the largest crowds in the history of primaries. He has won the most victories, the most delegates, the most votes. He is poised to sweep three of the five largest states in the nation -- New York, Pennsylvania and California.
For all of the talk about Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders potentially running as third-party candidates in this year’s presidential election, most voters aren’t betting on a third-party candidate taking the White House anytime soon.
