The Polity Project
The United States slipped towards dangerous anocracy, but has improved. (more…)
06
Dec
19
Oct
Election Deniers in Kansas
Some candidates for high office in Kansas believe in the lie that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. (more…)
20
Mar
Kansas jobs since pandemic
Examining the effect of the pandemic on Kansas jobs using industry groups. These charts show data from January 2019 through January 2021. Data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, part of the United States Department of Labor. The industry groupings are as defined by BLS. This data is adjusted for seasonality. The first chart shows the count of jobs in each industry. The vertical axis is different for each industry. This is useful for seeing how many jobs are in each category. For the interactive versions of the chart, click here. Click charts for larger versions. The second chart…
22
Jan
Visualization: Kansas 2020 presidential election
An interactive visualization of the 2020 general election for president in Kansas, at the precinct level. (more…)
12
Oct
Fake news: How it happened
When politicians condemn fake or phony news, it may be of their own making. A favorite topic of President Donald J. Trump is "fake news." In this passage by Jonathan Karl, who is ABC News Chief White House Correspondent, a Trump administration official briefed reporters on background, meaning the information may be used, but the official may not be named. A newspaper then reported what the official said, respecting the rules by not naming the source. Then, President Trump criticized the newspaper for using phony sources. Here's how it happened, as described by Karl: The next day, May 25, the…
14
Sep
Partisan Conflict Index
Have you suspected that the country has become more partisan? An index supports that. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia produces a monthly index that measures one aspect of political partisanship. The authors explain: The Partisan Conflict Index tracks the degree of political disagreement among U.S. politicians at the federal level by measuring the frequency of newspaper articles reporting disagreement in a given month. Higher index values indicate greater conflict among political parties, Congress, and the President. The index is an outgrowth of recent Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia research that finds that the index tends to increase near elections…
29
Aug
Libertarian campaign visits Wichita
In Wichita Story, Tim O'Bryhim reports on the visit of the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate to Wichita: "It is another hot August day in Kansas; a good day to be inside. But a crowd gathers in the (sadly only proverbial) shadow of the Keeper of the Plains to welcome Spike Cohen, the vice-presidential candidate of the third largest political party in the United States of America. If elections were the Olympics, the Libertarian Party would proudly climb on the medals stand every four years with a bronze medal around its neck. But in American politics, third place is almost…
30
Jul
Herman Cain, RIP
Today we learned that Herman Cain has died at the age of 74. He had been hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a statement on his website. He was an interesting man. In 2010, as he was rising in national prominence, I interviewed him in his hotel suite in Las Vegas. He ran for president in 2012. For my interview, click on Herman Cain: Conservatives should dream, be united, informed, inspired.
02
Jun
Candidate lists for August 2020 primary election
Here are easy-to-use spreadsheets holding candidates for the August 2020 primary election. These are presented as Google Docs spreadsheets. Click here for candidates for Kansas state and federal offices. Click here for candidates in Sedgwick County.
29
Jan
All Kansas Republicans should have a voice
A presidential nominating caucus or primary would allow Trump skeptics in Kansas to have their say. It could provide a safety valve, a way to release the pressure that builds up from being told they are traitors to not only their party but to the country as well. In September, leaders of the Kansas Republican Party decided to deny giving rank-and-file party members a voice in choosing its presidential nominee for 2020. In a release, the state party said : "The Kansas Republican Party will not organize a Caucus for the 2020 election because President Trump is an elected incumbent…