Dylan Matthews has a well-meaning but ultimately misguided column in today’s Crimson arguing for compulsory voting. Let’s start with what Dylan gets right. He is absolutely right about this: “One reason why higher economic classes’ interests are so overrepresented in government is that rich people vote at disproportionately high rates, and poor people vote at disproportionately low rates.” He is ... Read More
Last night probably could not have gone better for Democrats, even though the party establishment is shedding crocodile tears over Arlen Specter and Blanche Lincoln (the latter of whom is in serious trouble, as Lt. Gov. Bill Halter outperformed polls and has three more weeks to close the deal). Even in Kentucky, Democrats probably got the more exciting (not to ... Read More
Disgrace is the only word apt to describe Governor Charlie Crist these days. After being passed up as John McCain’s VP choice, perhaps the apex of his political success, Crist decided to abandon running for reelection for the governorship of Florida, a position he would likely have won easily. Instead, Crist continued a lifelong power-grab, running for the US Senate ... Read More
Barack Obama gained two more interesting supporters this week, following Kathleen Sebelius’s endorsement last Wednesday. On January 31, former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker announced he was backing the senator from Illinois. Volcker ran the Fed throughout most of the 1980s, and was widely praised for his work mopping up the economic mess of the late 1970s. He has almost ... Read More
