Parties, Presidential Power, and (Potential) US Collapse

A cheerful set of links from Thanksgiving week.

My usual apologies to the pieces out there I missed. In my defense, I was juggling between four computers this week. Don’t ask. I hope those celebrating had as good a holiday as I did. Unpopular opinion: Standard, basic roast turkey is delicious. Cole Porter was correct. The haters are wrong. (Okay, the sides may still be the best part of Thanksgiving, but only because they’re excellent, at least at my table).

1. Henry Farrell on how to improve US political parties. As, I suppose, a defender of the Democratic Party status quo…I have nothing at all against building up traditional-style formal party organizations into thicker (as it were), less “hollow” entities. I guess I’d say a couple of skeptical things. On the one hand, I’m not really convinced by the indictment of the current “blob”-like party. Does it really fail to connect people properly given what parties have to work with in the 21st century? I’m not sure. And I’m always a bit suspicious about outsider-designed reforms, even if they sound sensible. That said, however, this particular form of party strengthening sounds like something worth trying. Oh, a third thing: If successful, I think it could be good for democracy, but I don’t necessarily see it as yielding electoral gains. Perhaps! But I’m not so sure.

At any rate, I have more to read, and I’m sure I’ll return to this topic again. But this a good item to click through to get started.

2. Nadia E. Brown and Christine M. Slaughter at Good Authority on Black women and the 2024 election.

3. Meredith Conroy has more on gender in the 2024 election.

4. Matt Grossmann talks with Kenneth Lowande about presidential power and Trump’s second term.

5. Carolyn Holmes on invisible work.

6. Dan Drezner on the US in the world after two Trump terms.

7. Miranda Yaver on the internet, health care, and Ted Cruz.

8. And Seth Masket on the dangers of false election stories –such as the (likely false) one about Kamala Harris losing because voters won’t support women.