IdeaLog
Group identification, rather than policy, explains the 2016 election
Posted on June 22, 2016
Political activists have a notion that there is something beyond logic and self-interest that drives the choices of average voters. We know that low-income Whites often vote against their own economic interests. We know...
American Culture is Threatened by Hate Speech
Posted on June 5, 2016
America is not really a nation of laws. Our legislative system governs only the most egregious behavior. The way Americans treat each other day-to-day—attitude and etiquette, willingness or wariness, prejudice or tolerance—is driven mostly...
Now more than ever, we need to give voice to our progressive values
Posted on May 25, 2016
Americans who avoid politics are far more likely to pay attention in a presidential election year. This is our chance to persuade. I suspect you may want to talk about single-payer health insurance, a...
New poll illustrates confirmation bias, Trump less popular than lice
Posted on May 10, 2016
A just-released Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey found that Donald Trump supporters inhabit an alternate reality. They believe in obvious falsehoods. Why is that and what does it mean for political discourse? The poll,...
Both states and localities can curtail job piracy
Posted on April 26, 2016
Does anybody like job piracy? By that we mean tax breaks and subsidies to a few corporations for the supposed purpose of enticing them to move jobs from another jurisdiction. As Good Jobs First...
How to find logical fallacies in opponents’ arguments
Posted on April 13, 2016
Since Aristotle in the 4th century B.C., educated people learned the rules of rhetoric and how to identify opponents’ fallacies. Although Americans don’t often learn the intricacies of rhetoric today, political organizations and individuals...
Second Amendment mess demonstrates why we need an honest Supreme Court
Posted on March 30, 2016
On March 21, the United States Supreme Court issued an embarrassing ruling. The Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts had decided that stun guns are not protected by the Second Amendment; after all, they are...
The anti-government theme is getting nowhere in 2016
Posted on March 16, 2016
Are Americans really anti-government? Based on the progress of the 2016 campaign, it doesn’t seem like it. Neither Donald Trump nor Ted Cruz are succeeding because of anti-government attacks. Look at Trump’s successful message....
Dear Justice Kennedy
Posted on March 1, 2016
As you know, on March 2 the Supreme Court heard arguments on Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt, a case that considers the constitutionality of a Texas anti-abortion law (HB 2). I write because you...
Winning the Battle between Conservative and Progressive Principles
Posted on February 17, 2016
Most Americans are progressive on most issues. By margins of at least two to one, our fellow citizens: believe corporations and upper-income people are paying too little in federal taxes; oppose repealing the federal...