How the Red-Blue Narrative Kept Us from the Real Story of Rising Extremism in a Fracturing GOP
The takeover of the Republican Party by anti-democracy extremists and the intra-party friction it generated, on full display in the House of Representatives’ battles over the House speakership this year, has been the big political story of this century. Only now is the story [...]
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 out to conduct research on the state of economic inequality [...]
Public History as a Guide to Decision-making
Public historian Adina Langer explains why she joined the board of The American Leader. I became a public historian because I find that the world of the anthropocene (the age of human dominance on the planet) can easily become overwhelming and difficult [...]
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 issue that has fueled authoritarian, ethnonationalist, and xenophobic movements in [...]
Just Words: The Authoritarian Nationalist Freedom Caucus
Contrary to most political and media expectations, democracy stood its ground in the November elections. But even before all the votes were counted and the celebrations subsided, the Washington Post unintentionally gave us a reminder of one big reason why this country remains in [...]
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” and within moments, someone else had liked the post. America [...]
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 to suit its needs (“authoritarianism”). When my daughter sought her [...]
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 is it less a bargaining chip and more a device [...]
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 – keep us centered so that we can solve the [...]
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 news is that a large majority of Americans, including some [...]
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 grow up believing that American democracy is invincible. We were [...]
Celebrating the Women’s Suffrage Movement
We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are [...]
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