Democracy Deferred: The Missing Democratic Primary

At the heart of the American experiment is the principle that our government’s authority and legitimacy are derived from the people that it governs. Primary elections are not formalities; they are tests by which candidates have to prove their fitness to lead, earn the voters’ trust, and establish their platforms before facing the general electorate. […]

Progressives Sparked a Movement; The Democratic Party Killed It

As the progressive movement advances past the leadership of Bernie Sanders, it must come to terms with the difficulties in challenging the Democratic Party establishment. When Senator Sanders entered the presidential race in 2016, he hoped to shift the Overton window — the range of policies politically acceptable to the mainstream population — to the […]

The Power in a Political Narrative

It may be a cliche, but the phrase “Trump means it seriously, but not literally” may be quite telling about the power of rhetoric that supports a particular worldview. Narratives, or larger stories about the way the world is, are essential to political candidates. When one thinks of former president Ronald Reagan, we not only […]