Recent Elections & Politics Posts
Numbers and Power: Congress and News Media
Brief #28 – Elections and Politics
By Rosalind Gottfried
Congress, responsible for policies and legislation, and the news media, responsible for dissemination of information and opinion, are two of the most powerful institutions in the country. How do they fare in terms of parity on race, ethnicity, and gender? The 117th Congress is more diverse than previous Congresses but only slightly more than the 116th. Congress is 77% white while the general population is 60% white. Women comprise 24% of all seats though women are more than half of the American population.
Who is Florida Governor Ron Desantis?
Brief #131 – Elections and Politics
By Ibrahim Sultan
The conservative-leaning state of Florida which has not elected a Democratic governor since 1999 is currently being headed by its 46th governor Ron Desantis. Before being elected Desantis joined the U.S. Navy from 2004 to 2010, serving as a judge advocate general (JAG) officer advising troops in Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay. He represented Florida’s 6th congressional district for three terms until his election as Governor over Democratic rival Andrew Gillum in 2019.
A Case for Getting Rid of the Filibuster
Brief #26 – Elections and Politics
By Ryan Campbell
The filibuster is a political procedure in the US Senate (as well as other governmental bodies) where a Senator or Senators may speak for as long as they want on any topic that they choose (i.e. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) once filibustered by reading from Green Eggs and Ham). This will allow the party (or individual) to essentially run out the clock and deny the party moving in favor of the legislation an opportunity to ever have said legislation voted on. This can only be broken if 60 senators vote for “cloture,” or a motion to bring debate to an end.
Prospects for the Biden Agenda
Brief #25 – Elections and Politics
By William Bourque
In this series, U.S. RESIST NEWS Reporter William Bourque examines the feasibility of implementing the different components of President Biden’s ambitious policy agenda. In Part 2 of the series we examine prospects for passage of Biden proposals in the areas of infrastructure and immigration.
Republicanism is Dead: How Today’s Global Challenges Invalidate Current Republican Politics.
Brief #24 – Elections and Politics
By Adrian Cole
Many people on the Left have for decades considered Republican politics anathema. But as the twenty-first century advances into ever-more perilous territory, Republicans are clinging to political and ideological stances which simply defy common sense, logic, reality and efficacy. Bearing in mind the existential nature of the problems facing the country and the world, it is clear that the foundational pillars of today’s Republican party are all premised on untenable positions, false assumptions, bad science and ill-faith, and will, if pursued, lead us all into further crisis.
Post-Election Investigations Could Yield Criminal Charges for Trump
Brief #23 – Elections and Politics
By Zack Huffman
Despite the 2020 election results decisively showing a majority of Americans wanted Donald Trump out of office, the former president showed that he was not willing to go down without a fight. And now he may face criminal charges for his post-election shenanigans.
Prospects for the Biden Agenda (Part 1)
Brief #24 – Elections and Politics
By William Bourque
After President Biden’s hard-fought victory in November, it became clear that who can vote and how they can vote would become a national talking point in his first months in office. Indeed, President Biden has focused on voting rights but has yet to push a voting rights bill through the heavily divided Congress.
Many Legal Challenges to Georgia’s Restrictive Voting Law: Can They Succeed?
Brief #23 – Elections and Politics
By Zack Huffman
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced, on June 25, that the Department of Justice was suing the State of Georgia in federal court to overturn Georgia’s recently-passed voter restriction law.
The new Georgia law, which was passed by Republicans along partisan lines, creates new hurdles for voter registration and for absentee voting, while making it easier for voters to be removed from the rolls.
The Moderate Republicans: A Guide to Who’s Who
Brief # 22 – Elections and Politics
By William Bourque
When it comes to political beliefs, a large portion of voting bloc seems to be wrought with radicals. However, the truth is that most Americans don’t have very extreme ideas at all, and are actually quite moderate. In recent elections we have seen this, with an increasing amount of folks with more radical beliefs being elected to Congress.