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Trump’s plan for Social Security risks undermining its future

A fictional, fanciful sign depicts the results of voter suppression through the unfair, partisan manipulation of district lines (gerrymandering).

The worst congressional gerrymanders of the 2020s

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Luke Combs, politics and healing our nation's divide

Just four money-in-politics reforms remain in Democracy Madness

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The Fulcrum
By The FulcrumMay 11, 2020
The Fulcrum
The Fulcrum staff.
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The two top-seeded proposals for reforming the campaign finance system cruised to victory over the weekend, setting up some pretty predictable match-ups in our Money in Politics "regional" Final Four.

Repealing the Supreme Court's 2013 Citizens United decision (No. 1) blew away the idea of giving taxpayers vouchers for donating to political candidates (No. 9). Similarly, the No. 2 seed, requiring public disclosures to shed light on so-called dark money donations, mopped the floor with the 10th seed, curbing campaign donations by lobbyists.

There was one tiny upset: Proposals for stopping the "revolving door" between public service and the money-making world (No. 5) slid past the idea of making more influence-peddlers register as lobbyists (No. 4).

Voting is open through Tuesday so you can set up the final in this region.

Click the Vote Now button to make your two selections. (You can click the matchups, then each label, for more about the proposals.)



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There’s a lot of speculation about what Donald Trump’s second term in the White House will bring. But there’s one thread that’s likely to tie together many of the changes and conflicts: the subject I teach – called “administrative law.”

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In the aftermath of this year’s contentious presidential election, it is imperative to heal a democracy fractured by polarization, emphasizing the importance of dialogue, accountability, and inclusive and transparent governance.

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This was a big year for the open primaries movement. Seven state-level campaigns and one municipal. Millions of voters declaring their support for open primaries. New leaders emerging across the country. Primary elections for the first time at the center of the national reform debate.

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Is the rule of law in trouble? If so, judges could be the problem.

The results of a new Gallup poll offer alarming evidence of a serious erosion of confidence in the American judicial system. And if that was not enough of a signal, a survey done by Monmouth University delivered more bad news for people concerned about the rule of law in this country.

It found that almost a quarter of the American public would not be “bothered at all” if the president suspended some “laws and constitutional provisions.” Another quarter would only be bothered “a little.”

Reading these results, I was reminded of the quote from the Pogo comic: “We have met the enemy, and it is us.”

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