My memory of what I learned in early grade school about the history of American voting rights went something like this. Prior to 1776, we were ruled by the king of Great Britain. He was a tyrant who oppressed us with taxation without representation, so we rebelled and set up a democracy. (UK readers, I see … Continue reading America’s long path to universal voting rights
Tag: Politics
Lessons from the election of 1824 and Silvio Berlusconi
Understandably, a lot of people continue to be upset about the results of this election. One thing that keeps coming up in my feeds are people advocating for the electoral college to change that result. The idea is that if 37 Republican electors can be convinced to change their vote, Trump can be prevented from … Continue reading Lessons from the election of 1824 and Silvio Berlusconi
Why Trump won, and a calmer assessment of the situation
The filmmaker Michael Moore, who had predicted a Trump win several months ago, went on Morning Joe on Friday and discussed why Trump won. It was painful to watch, but the main point that struck home was when Moore pointed out that many Trump voters were previously Obama voters. What this tells me is that we … Continue reading Why Trump won, and a calmer assessment of the situation
Well, we went and did it
Obviously I see the results of this election as a tragic mistake, one that we'll be feeling for a long time. It's hard not to see this as a victory for fear, hatred, and bigotry. The man who came to political prominence by calling into question the citizenship and legitimacy of the first black president … Continue reading Well, we went and did it
Early access to exit poll data, universal suffrage, and other election ruminations
So, tomorrow is election day here in the US. If you're a US citizen and you haven't voted yet, now's the time to make plans. As I noted in the last post, this is not the year to sit the election out. The most recent projections still show Clinton with a slight to modest lead, … Continue reading Early access to exit poll data, universal suffrage, and other election ruminations
Voting in the general election, 2016 edition
Today early voting started in my state, and because voting on November 8 would be a hassle, I made use of it. It probably won't surprise any of my regular online friends that my vote went to Hillary Clinton. To be upfront, the Republican candidate would not have gotten my vote, even if they had been … Continue reading Voting in the general election, 2016 edition
Why the US two party system is so entrenched
The other day, I came across this Big Think explanation by historian Sean Wilentz on why the US always seems to gravitate to a two party system. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wnju7zOH_Zs Unfortunately, while I think Wilentz touches on the main points, his explanation doesn't seem as clear as it could be. To start off, he refers to the … Continue reading Why the US two party system is so entrenched
Sites for tracking the US election
One of the problems with following election news here in the US, is that the various media outlets often try to convey a sense of drama in the outcome, even when it's not really there. For this reason, I try not too pay much attention to most of the prognosticators out there. Their track record been … Continue reading Sites for tracking the US election
Voting in the primary
Yesterday was the Presidential primary in my state. My vote went to Hillary Clinton, principally because I'm a Democrat and Clinton's views are slightly closer to mine than Bernie Sanders. At heart, I'm a pragmatist who isn't a big fan of hopeless battles. I agree with many of Sanders's aspirations, such as universal healthcare and free college, … Continue reading Voting in the primary
Which political candidate do your views align with?
I took this political test, which provided the results below. For the most part, they're what I expected, although I'm mildly surprised I agreed with Jeb Bush that much. I couldn't imagine what healthcare and science issues I had in common with Ted Cruz, but it turns out he supports the legalization of marijuana, which … Continue reading Which political candidate do your views align with?
