There has been a lot of hoopla about general election polls showing a Trump surge, with a concomitant lag effect for Clinton. Republicans are predictably excited, and Sanders supporters are jumping on them to argue that Sanders would be the better general election nominee. But we honestly shouldn’t be paying much attention to general election […]
David Atkins
Follow David on Twitter @DavidOAtkins. David Atkins is a Washington Monthly contributing writer, activist, and research professional living in Santa Barbara as well as an elected DNC Member from California. He is president of The Pollux Group, a qualitative research firm.
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
For Sanders Backers, a Focus on Downballot Primaries Is the Right Idea
Progressive pundits across the spectrum have been blasting out a resounding message in the last week: it’s time for Sanders to stop attacking Clinton and the Democratic Party directly. That doesn’t mean Sanders should drop out, or refrain from making his withering and accurate critiques of unrestrained capitalism, Wall Street, and big-donor fueled politics on […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Advice to Bernie Sanders from a Supporter: Keep It Positive From Here
It’s no secret to my regular readers here at Washington Monthly (and prior to that at Digby’s Hullabaloo) that I’m a Bernie Sanders supporter. It’s in my political DNA: I was a Howard Dean backer in 2004 and remain convinced that he would have won where Kerry lost. I supported Obama over Clinton in 2008 […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
The GOP Meltdown Continues: Sarah Palin and Tax the Rich Edition
No sooner do Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan go after each other, than Sarah Palin gets into the mix: Sarah Palin will work to defeat House Speaker Paul Ryan by backing his primary opponent in Wisconsin, the former Alaska governor told CNN’s Jake Tapper. Palin said in an interview that airs Sunday on “State of […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
On Mother’s Day, Let’s Remember How Far Behind America Is in Taking Care of Moms
Today is Mother’s Day, a day to appreciate the women who carried us, brought us into this world and nurtured us. Americans celebrate the day with flowers and cards and brunches and all the tokens of respect that can only provide a shadow of thanks for all that was done for us. But in typical […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Could Trump Put Georgia in Play for Democrats?
It’s no great insight that the Republican Party is in serious trouble. The presumptive GOP nominee is openly at war with the party’s establishment, which is trying to determine whether to embrace him or or pretend he isn’t running at the top of the ticket. But just how bad is it? Bad enough that even […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Yes, Voters Really Are Angry and Anxious About the Unfairness of the Economy
There is a growing amount of contrarian analysis these days suggesting that Americans really aren’t so angry about the economy after all, that what appears to be economic populism is really just a cover for racism, sexism or other cultural issues, and that ultimately the only thing the majority of voters really want is a […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Trump Can’t Win. But Clinton Could Lose By Ignoring America’s Desire for Change.
Donald Trump is probably the weakest general election nominee in modern history. His negatives are through the roof among almost all but conservative white men, and he would have to outperform Mitt Romney’s numbers among blue-collar whites by double-digit margins. Short of some outside force like a major recession or terrorist attack, there is practically […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
Shedding Light on the World of Media Ad Buys
One of the dirty secrets of politics on both sides of the aisle is the outsized amounts of cash made by television ad buyers, who rake in exorbitant amounts of money for doing not all that much work, and regardless of their particular level of campaign success. Washington Monthly has covered this beat for a […]
Posted inPolitical Animal, Politics
The Koch Brothers Play the Long Game, Making them Smarter Than the Average Republican
The biggest political news this weekend is coming in two separate stories from the from the Koch brothers. Most important is that the Kochs are staying out of the nomination fight completely now that it has functionally come down to Donald Trump and Ted Cruz: Charles Koch says he won’t “put a penny” into trying […]
