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- Nov 20, 2022
- 2 min
Except for Evangelicals, Majority Believe Gay Marriage has been Positive for America
When I started teaching political science in 1991, gay marriage was still a very divisive topic and few college students were willing to argue openly for laws protecting the rights of the LBGT community. Gay sex was still illegal in many states and conservatives argued that allowing gays to marry would destroy the moral fabric of the nation and undermine the "structure of family life." Republican politicians like Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania compared gay marriage to bes
- Oct 24, 2022
- 3 min
Kevin McCarthy's Dangerous Suggestion that a Republican-Controlled House Would Cut Aid to Ukraine
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed last week that a Republican-controlled House could shut off funding for Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion. It's probably the best news Russian president Vladimir Putin has had in months and McCarthy's comment comes at a pivotal moment in the conflict. US and European aid has allowed Ukrainian forces to go on the offensive to regain territory lost to Russia during the first months of the war. The last thing we should
- Oct 14, 2022
- 2 min
GOP Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama Demonstrates the Racism in the Republican Crime Narrative
In the final weeks of the 2022 midterm campaign, Republicans across the country are blaming Democrats for the uptick in crime rates since the end of covid-related lockdowns. At a Trump rally in Nevada last week, GOP Senator Tommy Tuberville injected some overt racism into the Republican narrative on the issue of crime. It had always been an unstated part of the message, but Tuberville said the quiet part out loud. C-span: "I have never seen like the crime in this country. We
- Oct 8, 2022
- 3 min
How Could Herschel Walker be a Viable Senate Candidate & What it Says About the GOP
There was a very funny piece in The Onion this week in which fictitious Georgia voters gave their reasons for voting for Herschel Walker as Georgia's next Senator. Some examples: “His incoherent ramblings on the issues really speak to me.” “He’s living proof of the American dream of running a grift while having a personality disorder.” “I like his moderate stance on whether it’s okay to hold a gun to your wife’s head.” The piece got me thinking about the Senate race in Georgi
- Sep 3, 2022
- 2 min
Organized Labor is Finally Making a Comeback in the United States
Organized labor saw deep declines in membership and popularity starting in the late 1970s and continuing into the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s caused by the offshoring of manufacturing jobs, automation, and changes in labor laws that favored management. At the peak of the union movement in the 1950s, more than a third of American workers belonged to one, but by 2020 only about 6% of workers in the private sector held a union card. However, this year may mark the beginning of a
- Aug 30, 2022
- 2 min
The GOP's Hypocritical & Childish Attacks on College Graduates After Loan Forgiveness
After President Joe Biden announced his student loan forgiveness plan, writing off $10,000 to $20,000 in loan balances, Republicans began an unprecedented and increasingly bizarre attack on college students. Sen Ted Cruz of Texas, the master of weird political hyperbole, had this to say: Cruz, Business Insider: "If you are that slacker barista who wasted seven years in college studying completely useless things, now has loans and can't get a job, Joe Biden just gave you 20 gr
