Reflections on Poverty and Political Will
Intern Rachel Roncka discusses the co-existence of extreme wealth and poverty and the lack of political will to change the status quo. As a summer intern with The American Leader, I set [...]
Public History as a Guide to Decision-making
Public historian Adina Langer explains why she supports The American Leader, first as a member of the board and now as an editorial advisor. I became a public historian because I find [...]
Countering Authoritarianism in the US and Elsewhere
Although difficult to sustain, democracy builds its foundations on diversity and on the contest of ideas in the political space. Today, this very idea of diversity within a democracy has become a ubiquitous wedge [...]
Just Words: The Authoritarian Nationalist Freedom Caucus
References to “the staunchly conservative Freedom Caucus” suggest a reality that no longer exists in our politics today. A dangerous authoritarian nationalism has infected and taken control of the formerly conservative Republican Party, and the Freedom Caucus is one of its power centers.
America is an Inclusive Democracy
If you haven’t yet realized that we are beyond politics as usual, consider the reaction we had after posting our updated problem brief, Threats to Voting Rights, to Facebook: Someone posted in reply “#WeAreNOTaDemocracy” [...]
January 6: The Future We Choose
Americans are facing a choice between government by a frequently shifting set of powers that are reliant on a constant framework for rulemaking (“democracy”) and one immoveable power that bends the rules at will [...]
Our National Priorities
What are our national priorities? Fiscal responsibility, apparently, is not one of them. Otherwise, Republicans in Congress would not use the debt ceiling – and the threat of default – as a bargaining chip. Or [...]
Steady as we go
With all that's going on in the world, it's sometimes hard to stay focused on the problems that keep us from becoming a more perfect union. That's what good leadership is supposed to do [...]
Remaining Focused Despite the Insurrection
The country survived the insurrection, but the perpetrators and their allies across the country, their supporters in Congress and state and local governments, and of course, their instigator-in-chief are still out there. The good [...]
Responding to a Shaken Faith in Democracy
We are Natasha Raman and Colin Fennelly, two students studying political science, public policy, and law at Dartmouth College. We thoroughly enjoyed writing and researching for The American Leader this past summer. Most Americans [...]
