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Listening to Trump Voters

The commentariat spends a lot of time talking about Donald Trump—time that might be better spent listening to the people who are voting for him.

In Defense of the Practical Politician

Why government by political outsiders doesn't necessarily leave us better off.

A Conversation with William F. Winter

In this first Better Angels episode, David talks with William F. Winter, who has spent a lifetime in Mississippi politics, beginning as a state legislator in 1947, when he was still in law school at Ole Miss, and culminating in 1979, when he was elected Governor of Mississippi. David is also from Mi...

Donald Trump, Ted Cruz and the Stakes on the Republican Side

The Lost Virtue of Thrift

To live in working-class and lower-income America today is to be surrounded by the debt culture. Need money? Get "EZ Cash" from your friendly neighborhood payday lender "in minutes!" It was not always this way. The deep commitment to thrift that once characterized our society would strike many Ameri...

With the Anti-Trumpers in New York

I believe that the tactic of shouting down Trump at his rallies – of trying to bully the bully, silence today's loudest voice – is stale and self-defeating. That's why this still-aborning movement so badly needs and deserves better tactics, tactics in the tradition of Lydia Marie Child...

Are We Still Married? Family Structure and Family Policy in the Emerging Age of the Unformed Family

Understanding Trump

American Interest Podcast Series host Richard Aldous talks Trump and polarization with David Blankenhorn. Blankenhorn discusses Donald Trump's recent victories in the presidential campaign, what his rise says about an increasingly polarized society, and what historical context there is for his succe...

To the Editor: Where Our Political Compass Points

The Seven Habits of Highly Depolarizing People

But if polarization is all around us, familiar as an old coat, what about its opposite? What would depolarization look and sound like? Here is an attempt to answer these questions, by way of proposing the seven habits of highly depolarizing people.

Trump's America

God help us, there's some of Donald Trump in all of us. He's an American type, reflecting abiding strains in our national character. His emergence as a serious candidate for president has alarmed many Americans, as well it should. But it should not have surprised us as much as it did, and it should ...

Populist Revolt and Uprising in the Political Parties

It’s a populist moment in America. Across the country, voters seem to be in full-throated revolt against the ruling classes. On the left, large and growing numbers, especially among the young, passionately support for president Bernie Sanders, a 74-year-old socialist whose main idea is a “politi...

The Life of A.J. Muste and Trying To Be a Better Christian

I'm not a very good Christian, but I wish I was a better one, and toward that end I've been studying the life of A.J. Muste. I never met him—he died in 1967—and I don't ultimately share his left-wing, pacifist views, but my admiration for him continues to grow.

Why Polarization Matters

What do we mean when we talk about polarization in American politics? It depends who's doing the talking, but two basic guidelines can help us clarify the problem.

Pope Francis Is an Example of How to Ignore Culture Wars

One of the qualities I most admire in Pope Francis is that he seems intent on ignoring the Culture War Handbook which so dominates U.S. politics today. In Argentina, when the country was experiencing great conflict and brutality, he sided with neither the Marxism of the left nor the restorationist a...

What's the Real Divide in U.S. Society?

Listening to many Democrats, I get the impression that the country's main division is between the super-rich and the rest of us. … Listening to many Republicans, I get the impression that the country's main division is between the federal government and the rest of us. … These theories l...

Lincoln v. Obergefell: A Reply

Dear friends: The issues we've joined are important. In your recent public statement and "Call to Action", you declare that the recent Supreme Court decision holding that gay couples have the right to marry is "not the law of the land" and should not be treated as such by U.S. elected officials. ...

What Would Lincoln Do?

Ever since his death, politicians and activists have recruited him for their pet causes. It's time to leave Lincoln alone.

Can Rethinking Diversity Unite Us?

"Diversity," like so much else these days, divides us. Because the term has become entangled in political correctness, liberals in good standing are expected to praise it while conservatives are expected to criticize it. Diversity divides us in another way as well. Scholars report that growing racia...

Can Rethinking Diversity Unite Us?

"Diversity," like so much else these days, divides us. Because the term has become entangled in political correctness, liberals in good standing are expected to praise it while conservatives are expected to criticize it. Diversity divides us in another way as well. Scholars report that growing racia...