Democratic Party Archives - Public Seminar

Activism

What Democrats Lose in Ignoring the Uncommitted Movement

The party has learned the wrong lessons from 1968

October 24, 2024 • by Abby Lloyd

In anticipation of the Uncommitted National Movement’s arrival at this summer’s Democratic National Convention, press and political commentators made frequent reference to the anti-war protests turned police riots of the 1968 convention. It had been more than 50 years since internal discord among Democrats had been organized into an electoral ...

What Democrats Lose in Ignoring the Uncommitted Movement

Politics

If Republicans Can’t Elect a Speaker, What Else Can’t They Do?

Kevin McCarthy’s epic fail reveals Nancy Pelosi’s legacy to the Democratic Party

January 10, 2023 • by Claire Potter

Nancy Pelosi’s greatest strength as a liberal was in her mastery of the possible while at the same time accommodating dissenters, idealists, and change-makers to this fact of life. This is what she taught her caucus....

If Republicans Can’t Elect a Speaker, What Else Can’t They Do?

Sex & Gender

It’s Time for Democrats to Claim the Moral High Ground

We need creative, large-scale, intersectional solutions that put out many small fires all at once and fundamentally change the way our system works

June 28, 2022 • by Hannah Leffingwell

In my class on the history of sexuality and gender, I’m trying to teach my students that every one of these labels is an argument with a past....

It’s Time for Democrats to Claim the Moral High Ground

Politics

The Growing Power of American Social Movements

And why elites still matter

March 29, 2022 • by William Galston

Social movements often fail, the scope of their concerns is limited, and their impact on parties is cyclical, rather than ever-expanding. ...

The Growing Power of American Social Movements

Democracy

In Voting, Demographics Is Often Destiny

Sex, race, religion, and party polarization

January 21, 2022 • by Jo Freeman

In voting, demographics is often destiny. In particular sex, race and religion are primary sources of partisan conflict. Race and religion are long standing themes. Sex, more specifically the role of women and how it affects relationships between the sexes, manifested itself less directly until late in the twentieth century....

Politics

We have now entered the “Hunger Games”-era of American history. Does Joe Manchin care?

Monique Judge: “This is some weird power play.”

December 21, 2021 • by John Stoehr

Monique Judge and John Stoehr discuss Joe Manchin and the fate of the Build Back Better bill....

We have now entered the “Hunger Games”-era of American history. Does Joe Manchin care?

Politics

The Moderates Have to Catch Up

In the fight over his agenda, Biden is making liberals the center

October 6, 2021 • by John Stoehr

I continue to think regime change is a useful way of understanding politics. That’s the idea that American political history turns in cycles. For 40 or 50 years, one party and its ideas prevails over the other with a majority of voters. From the 1930s to the 1970s, it was ...

History

Politicians Should Get the History Right—Particularly Their Own History

If Democrats want to be trustworthy they must account for, not hide, how they have changed over time

July 14, 2021 • by Janet Golden and Richard Harris

_____ The Democratic Party’s successful struggle to reject its ugly history of racism and sexism is a source of pride, and justifiably so. So you can imagine how gobsmacked we were upon reading the official history of the national Democratic Party on its own website. Such distortion and historical misrepresentations! According to ...

Politicians Should Get the History Right—Particularly Their Own History

Democracy

The Democrats’ Four-Year Reprieve

How did Donald Trump manage to win an even larger number of votes than in 2016, despite lies, corruption, and a bungled pandemic response?

November 19, 2020 • by Dani Rodrik

As Joe Biden eked out a victory in the U.S. presidential election after a few suspenseful days, observers of American democracy were left scratching their heads. Buoyed by polls, many expected a landslide for the Democrats, with the party capturing not only the White House but also the Senate. How ...

North America

The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Past Present Podcast, Episode 254

November 10, 2020 • by Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela and Neil J. Young

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: Vice President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. is the President-Elect of the United States. Natalia mentioned this New York Times interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in reference to possible challenges within the Democratic coalition. In our regular closing feature, What’s Making ...

Democracy

The Day After?

We have much work yet to do

November 9, 2020 • by Jeffrey C. Isaac

The votes have been counted, and Joe Biden is now the President-elect. On Saturday night, he gave a Victory Speech, following a speech by his running-mate, Kamala Harris. I have been very cautious, very concerned that Trump might obstruct the electoral process and cling to power. I remain concerned, about the ...

Democracy

Confessions of a Poll Worker

When I volunteered to work on Election Day, my melting pot neighborhood taught me about the complexity of Trump’s America

November 5, 2020 • by Mitchell Abidor

It’s not the least of the paradoxes of the Trump era that this wannabe authoritarian did more than any decent man to lead Americans to assume their civic duties. Trump’s attacks on the electoral process led 52,000 New Yorkers to sign up for work at the polls, 18,000 more than in ...

Democratic Party

What Democrats Lose in Ignoring the Uncommitted Movement

The party has learned the wrong lessons from 1968

If Republicans Can’t Elect a Speaker, What Else Can’t They Do?

Kevin McCarthy’s epic fail reveals Nancy Pelosi’s legacy to the Democratic Party

It’s Time for Democrats to Claim the Moral High Ground

We need creative, large-scale, intersectional solutions that put out many small fires all at once and fundamentally change the way our system works

In Voting, Demographics Is Often Destiny

Sex, race, religion, and party polarization

We have now entered the “Hunger Games”-era of American history. Does Joe Manchin care?

Monique Judge: “This is some weird power play.”

The Moderates Have to Catch Up

In the fight over his agenda, Biden is making liberals the center

Politicians Should Get the History Right—Particularly Their Own History

If Democrats want to be trustworthy they must account for, not hide, how they have changed over time

The Democrats’ Four-Year Reprieve

How did Donald Trump manage to win an even larger number of votes than in 2016, despite lies, corruption, and a bungled pandemic response?

The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election

Past Present Podcast, Episode 254

The Day After?

We have much work yet to do

Confessions of a Poll Worker

When I volunteered to work on Election Day, my melting pot neighborhood taught me about the complexity of Trump’s America

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