Departments

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Republican Party

  • SOURCE: The Bulwark
    9/30/2021

    My Father Harry Jaffa and the Birth of Modern Conservatism

    by Philip Jaffa

    Political scientist Harry Jaffa succeeded in cajoling the disparate elements of the right into a coalition dedicated to the pared-down goals of defeating Soviet communism and domestic socialism; after claiming victory in those battles, the coaltion has faltered. 

  • SOURCE: Boom California
    8/23/2021

    Review: Geraldo Cadava's "The Hispanic Republican"

    by Jerry González

    Historian Jerry González says that "The Hispanic Republican is a wake-up call for progressives, particularly white liberals, who uncritically believe that rising Latinx population numbers will naturally shift the political winds."

  • 8/8/2021

    The Republicans Have Abandoned the Big Tent

    by Donne Levy

    The Republicans have decisively parted ways with their past "big tent" strategy of placating the right wing while appealing to moderates. Now, it seems the party will try to win as a smaller right-wing party, making vote suppression, gerrymandering and the Electoral College more important.

  • SOURCE: The Atlantic
    6/17/2021

    There Once Was a Republican Fight for D.C. Statehood

    Historian Derek Musgrove's research on DC statehood shows that prominent Republicans, including conservative Barry Goldwater and segregationist Strom Thurmond, have strongly supported the cause in the past. 

  • SOURCE: Jacobin
    6/5/2021

    There’s Less Than Two Years to Save American Democracy

    Voting Rights scholar Ari Berman discusses the past, present, and future of the ballot, and the parallels between the overthrow of Reconstruction-era voting rights and today's proposals to empower state legislatures and suppress the vote. 

  • SOURCE: Substack
    6/4/2021

    9/11 and 1/6: How an American Nightmare Becomes Real

    by Timothy Snyder

    A historian and analyst of democratic collapse describes a slow-moving nightmare unfolding to ensure minoritarian rule. Will Americans, and their elected representatives, wake up in time? 

  • 6/6/2021

    The New Meaning of "The Loyal Opposition"

    by Glenn C. Altschuler

    The concept of a loyal opposition depends on the deference of non-governing parties to the authority of democratic institutions and the normative framework in which they operate. That deference seems to be collapsing. 

  • SOURCE: Substack
    6/3/2021

    We Don't Need a Commission to Study January 6

    by Claire Potter

    The Republicans' success in blocking a January 6 Commission is a disturbing sign of political extremism in one party, but there's no reason to believe that such a commission would have solved the problems underlying the insurrection.

  • 5/30/2021

    The Post-Trump GOP: Rebirth or Stillbirth?

    by Michael A. Genovese

    The Republicans are betting that sticking with Trump's MAGA posture will usher in a political realignment with a broader GOP base. History shows that with anger and resentment standing in for a substantive policy agenda that meets the challenges of the times such a realignment is unlikely.

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    5/20/2021

    What Liberal Comparisons between Bush-Cheney and Trump Get Wrong

    by Joseph Stieb

    Liberal critics of Liz Cheney have suggested she's a hypocrite, blasting Trump's "Big Lie" while having championed the deceptions that led to the Iraq War. This is an imperfect comparison, which ignores the real lessons of Iraq – that fixing the fact-finding process to fit a policy is a common and continuing danger. 

  • SOURCE: Made By History at the Washington Post
    5/12/2021

    House Republicans’ Leadership Fight Signals A New Direction

    by Zack C. Smith

    Intramural leadership fights in Congress are nothing new; a battle for Republican leadership that began with the Reagan Revolution led ove a decade to a party committed to confrontation. It remains to be seen what the fallout will be from today's purge of Liz Cheney from the Republican House leadership. 

  • SOURCE: Heather Cox Richardson
    4/7/2021

    April 6, 2021: On the Republican Party

    by Heather Cox Richardson

    Since the time of Lincoln, the Republican Party has been part of a bipartisan understanding that expanding the nation's infrastructure – meaning investing in all sorts of supports to economic and social activity – has been a boon to prosperity. That commitment is fraying today.