Corruption, the age-old critique of local politics. And this year, San Francisco mayoral candidates seem to enjoy singing that worn-out tune. September 19th’s mayoral debate was no exception, with Mayor London Breed being slammed for her involvement in corruption. Breed was quick to dismiss these accusations. She seemed to claim that corruption is a natural […]
Tag: 2024 Elections
A Deeper Shade of Blue: the Tories’ Leadership Woes
On the 5th of July 2024, members of the British Conservative Party, or Tory Party, woke up to their biggest-ever general election defeat. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the parliamentary party was reduced to a rump of 121 seats, merely a third of the 365 seats they earned in the 2019 election. […]
Prop. 36 Would Curb Rates of Theft and Drug Addiction
A national drug crisis and a shoplifting epidemic have combined to make California, and the San Francisco Bay Area in particular, a hotbed of petty crime. Now Californians will have the opportunity to undo this trend, at least in part.
JD Vance: Donald Trump’s Achilles Heel
On the debate stage, JD Vance pulled off a miracle: He made Trumpism sound polished, polite, and coherent. He delivered his lines with a glossy veneer that concealed their inanity. You could catch yourself believing him for a split second—that is, until you take a peek into his past. Vance is a master con artist […]
2024 Elections: Redefining Global Politics
“I voted … I’m so happy … I’ve voted for the ANC, is that OK?” One woman, who had just cast her first vote in South Africa’s first democratic elections, asked Elizabeth Sidiropoulos, now the Chief Executive of the South African Institute of International Affairs, this question. This fundamental premise for the people to freely […]
A Tale of Two Tax Inspectors
On April 2nd, 2024, Bassirou Faye became the youngest president in Senegal’s history, less than a month after his release from prison. Faye, a relatively unknown figure in the political arena, received the support and endorsement of Ousmane Sonko, the main opposition leader against former Senegalese president Macky Sall. Sonko himself had been disqualified from […]
Why Identity is Important: How Exploring Ethnicity Can Help Fight Racial Divides
It feels like every other day we hear about a young black person who was murdered by police. In 2023, 1,160 black people were shot to death by law enforcement. African Americans are 12% of the population, but they were 24% of those killed in police shootings, which is a stark contrast when one considers […]
For someone who possibly had one of the easiest paths to the presidency set up for him, Ron DeSantis is doing all the things he needed to do right, wrong.
Traditional conservative voters wanted to be excited about Ron DeSantis. Independents and fed-up Democrats wanted him to be tolerable. His recent tack to the hard right is pushing these crucial voters away. With about half the country identifying as Independent voters, the path to victory for any major candidate in a general election must involve […]
The Democrats’ Branding Failure
The midterm election set to take place this year has significant potential to upset the delicate balance of Congress. With an effective 50-50 split in the Senate accompanied by a slim eight seat majority in the House, Democrats face an uphill battle in the coming election cycle that signals the need for the party to […]