Stuart Chinn (Oregon): Threats to Democratic Stability: Comparing the Elections of 2016 and 1860. Democracy faces the enemy within: What kind of sensible political system generates 63 million votes for a thuggish incompetent to become its supreme leader? The problem with democracy is that it relies on voters: Sean Illing interviews Christopher Achen and Larry Bartels, authors of Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government. Daniel Little on democracy and the politics of intolerance. Populism, X: Roger Kimball on the imperative of freedom. Socialist survivalism: Curtis White on a democracy beyond democracy (and part 2 and part 3 and part 4).
Stephen M. Griffin (Tulane): Trump, Trust and the Future of the Constitutional Order. How would removing Trump from office affect U.S. democracy? Political science research and other nations’ experiences suggest that, without a careful process backed by a broad national consensus, removing the president would only worsen the country’s polarization. American democracy remains healthy, but its health has worsened for the first time in recent history, according to a new survey of 1,126 political scientists (and more). Masha Gessen on why Trump’s incompetence won’t save our democracy.
