How to Save America's Vanishing Political Middle
Photo by Unsplash+ Community. Unsplash+ license obtained by editor.
Dan SallyPublished: 09 Dec, 2024
1 min read
Photo by Unsplash+ Community on Unsplash
After leading the city's turnaround, Detroit's Democratic Mayor Mike Duggan has opted to launch a bid for governor as an independent rather than enter into a primary race with his fellow Democrats. This is part of a larger trend in America where centrist politicians capable of building coalitions across the aisle often find their biggest opponents are members of their own party.
In this episode, Dan and Shawn explore how America's electoral system has hollowed out the political middle, and how Ireland's recent election shows different rules can help the center hold in the face of rising left and right-wing populism.
In this article
You Might Also Like
Can The Military Remain Apolitical?
Last week, Donald Trump deployed the National Guard and active-duty Marines to Los Angeles over the objections of state leaders, delivered a highly partisan speech to uniformed troops at Fort Bragg, and held a military parade in Washington, D.C. on his birthday....
16 Jun, 2025
-
1 min read
The Politics of Pandering: From Blockades to Bro-Outreach
Last week, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who led a one-man blockade preventing military promotions under the Biden Administration, announced he would not be seeking reelection. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats launched a $20 million campaign to learn how to talk to men....
02 Jun, 2025
-
1 min read
Presidential Health: Who Determines When a President Is Unfit to Serve?
In this episode, Dan and Shawn examine how the system let this happen, how similar failures have played out in American history, and what it says about a two-party structure that forces voters to choose between different flavors of dysfunction, rather than ensuring effective governance....
20 May, 2025
-
1 min read
Is Trump About to Outflank Democrats on Cannabis? Progressives Sound the Alarm
As President Donald Trump signals renewed interest in reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III, a policy goal long championed by liberals and libertarians, the reaction among some partisan progressive advocates is not celebration, but concern....
08 Dec, 2025
-
5 min read
From the Palisades to Simi Valley, Independent Voters Poised to Decide the Fight to Replace Jacqui Irwin
The coastline that defines California’s mythology begins here. From Malibu’s winding cliffs to the leafy streets of Brentwood and Bel Air, through Topanga Canyon and into the valleys of Calabasas, Agoura Hills, and Thousand Oaks, the 42nd Assembly District holds some of the most photographed, most coveted, and most challenged terrain in the state. ...
10 Dec, 2025
-
6 min read
Ranked Choice for Every Voter? New Bill Would Transform Every Congressional Election by 2030
As voters brace for what is expected to be a chaotic and divisive midterm election cycle, U.S. Representatives Jamie Raskin (Md.), Don Beyer (Va.), and U.S. Senator Peter Welch (Vt.) have re-introduced legislation that would require ranked choice voting (RCV) for all congressional primaries and general elections beginning in 2030....
10 Dec, 2025
-
3 min read