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  1. Home>
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In this issue: young adults fear for democracy’s future, our constitution, and should Supreme Court justices have term limits?

The Fulcrum
December 01, 2021



Top Story

Young Americans are fearful about the future of democracy

David Meyers

Young adults, who comprise an increasingly influential voting bloc, are pessimistic about the state of democracy in the United States, according to new polling by Harvard University.

The data, released Wednesday, shows that only 7 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds believe the United States is a “healthy democracy” while 13 percent say it is a “failed democracy.” Another 39 percent describe the U.S. as “a democracy in trouble.” Just over a quarter of respondents said the U.S. is a “somewhat functioning democracy.”

The research team sees the results as a call to action, saying the nation’s leaders must pay more attention to young American adults.

Debate

Americans need a better Constitution. Trying to create one would be a big mistake.

Lawrence Goldstone

Goldstone is a writer whose most recent book is "On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights."

Much like an only child of parents in a divorce proceeding, the U.S. Constitution has been clutched at by both sides of the ideological divide, each of which insists that its claim is the more legitimate and the other’s distorts reality. The right is certain the Constitution protects “religious liberty,” “individual freedom” and the ability to own any variety of weaponry, while the left asserts that the document protects the right of women to have an abortion and ensures all Americans are allowed to vote, thereby preserving the Framers’ goal of majority rule.

Both sides are wrong.

Keep reading.

Podcast

Podcast: Should Supreme Court justices have term limits?

Our Staff

Term limits for Supreme Court Justices have been proposed as a way to make the Court more representative of the partisan makeup of the country. In this episode of You Don’t Have To Yell, Suzanna Sherry, Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University, explains how this would result in more partisan judges, more partisan rulings, and legal instability.

Listen now

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Contributors

Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

Layla Zaidane

Two technology balancing acts

Dave Anderson

Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

Jeremy Gruber

Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

Kevin Johnson

Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

Christine Todd Whitman

Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

Henry Santana
Jerren Chang
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Podcast: Who stole the American dream?

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Crime, immigration and the peaceful transfer of power

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Understanding mass violence and what we can do about it

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Podcast: Dinner and a​​ ​dialogue​

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Speaker of the House faces political peril from member deaths and resignations – especially with a narrow majority

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Too Much Democracy?

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Videos

Video: #ListenFirst Friday End of Year

Our Staff

Video: Minnesota Gov. Walz asks fellow Democrats to ‘Think Big’ when it comes to fixing voting issues

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Video: What’s up with Elon Musk?

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Video: Happy Xmas

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Video: An alternative look at the Midterm Elections

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Video: USC student interview with political icons James Carville & Reince Priebus

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Podcast: Who stole the American dream?

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Podcast: Dinner and a​​ ​dialogue​

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Podcast: McCarthy’s headaches & what rebels want

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Podcast: What will we fix in 2023?

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