The presidential election system in the United States depends more on norms than rules. So when you remove the norms, there’s not much left. You’ll read all kinds of hyperbolic headlines about the just completed debate. “Trainwreck,” “Disaster,” “Chaos.” It’s worse than that. There’s a reason Chris Wallace couldn’t manage the debate, and it’s not […]
Tag Archives: Donald Trump
State of the States: Delaware
You can argue Delaware is the most anonymous state in the Union. The one people forget when listing the states. Rhode Island is the smallest, Wyoming the most sparse. This is the one they overlook. I’d suspect a good amount of Joe Biden supporters don’t remember what state he represented. He likes being called Scranton […]
A Few Quick Thoughts About the New Nominee
It’s so tempting to come up with quick takes. I did this last week upon the passing of RBG and already disagree with a couple of things I said. But I’m a glutton for punishment, so let’s try again. Here are the first things that crossed my mind in the immediate aftermath of Amy Coney […]
State of the States: Nebraska
Nebraska is red. This is easy to picture. The Nebraska football team wears red and white. The electoral results match the reputation too. The state has favored Republicans by no less than R+13 in every election from 1940 to the present. Only one Democrat has won Nebraska in the past 80 years, Lyndon Johnson in […]
State of the States: South Carolina
South Carolina is currently the most consistent state in the Union. In the 8 elections between 1988 and 2016, the state was between R+14 and R+16 each time. Current poll averages are showing R+14. This is a place that knows what it is. Except when it changes its mind. From 1896 to 1944, South Carolina […]
State of the States: Indiana
During his 2020 primary campaign, (which now seems 1,000 years ago) Pete Buttigieg claimed electoral legitimacy because he won re-election being openly gay in “Mike Pence’s Indiana.” It’s a good setup. Pence isn’t exactly gay-friendly. Indiana is red. It’s a great David v. Goliath tale. It was also some quality political prestidigitation. South Bend does […]
State of the States: Vermont
Quick, what’s the state that has historically supported Republicans the most? That’s right! The home of Ben & Jerry’s and Bernie Sanders. The land of maple syrup and green mountains. The place with the progressive bastions of Burlington (where Bernie was mayor) and Brattleboro (pretend Berkeley was a giant B&B.) Yes, Vermont has given more […]
Earthquake
As I was getting ready to work on a post about Indiana or Louisiana (hadn’t figured out which), the news about the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg reached the world. Suddenly, trying to sort out why FDR and the election of 1932 pushed Indiana from purple to red wasn’t urgent. It’s always a big deal […]
State of the States: Arizona
Looks like Arizona is front and center from now until November 3 (plus however long it takes them to count.) Of all the traditionally red states (AZ has voted for a Democrat only once since 1948), it looks like the best opportunity for Joe Biden to flip. He’s got a stronger lead there than in […]
State of the States: West Virginia
In 1996, Bill Clinton won West Virginia by 15 points. In 2016 Hillary Clinton lost West Virginia by 42 points. This wasn’t a fluke. It was the logical conclusion of a pattern: 1996: D+6 2000: R+7 2004: R+10 2008: R+20 2012: R+31 2016: R+44 In case you’re wondering, this isn’t normal. States and regions change […]
