How Does it Feel?
An armchair cub reporter watches and comments on the success of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August 2024, taking Bob Dylan as an inspiration.
Democratic Snowflakes and Republican Ice Crystals
Politics is a brain game in which the opposing players have to come up with strategies to persuade and convince voters. The game is played to a great extent with language wrapped up in signs and speeches. Social scientists understand more and more how to craft that language to be effective.
I’m the Best, You’re the Worst!
Evaluating the claims of political candidates, you hear a lot of superlatives. From some candidates that's all you hear. But how do you evaluate those claims?
Political Allegiance: Party or Policy?
Is political allegiance still significant today? Many argue that policies, not party loyalty, truly impact our lives. Yet, some cling to political identities passed down through generations. Ultimately, political allegiance may only be as strong as the party’s ability to address real-life issues.
Conservative West Virginia
West Virginia is a conservative state politically and culturally. But it's most conservative in its strong ties to the mountains, rivers, and valleys that make up our stunning geography. Conservative in that sense maps to a desire to maintain those ties and to pass them on.
Ideology: Does it play an important role in our political decisions?
Red versus Blue, Right versus Left. These political distinctions have existed for a long time but does identifying yourself in one, or the other camps guarantee you'll see the changes you expect for your loyalty? The answer is that it depends on one's perspective.
Having and Lacking Political Clout
West Virginia in the days of Democrat Robert Byrd had huge clout in Washington. Today not so much.