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Analysis: What to Make of Republicans' Chances in 2021

Last week’s polls show the potential for Democratic underperformance in 2021 and 2022. President Joe Biden’s approval rating dropped six points in a month in Gallup polling , and Emerson College’s survey of California indicates that Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom will be fighting for his political life ahead of the September 14th recall election. Gallup pegs Biden’s approval rating at 50%, with 45% disapproving, down from 57% approval in April and 56% in June. Former President Donald Trump achieved 49% approval per Gallup on several occasions and never crossed the 50% threshold, but the 2016 and 2020 elections indicated that polls systemically understate Trump’s support among American voters. Democrats and independents, not Republican partisans, are the reason for Biden’s plunge. His support among Democrats declined from 98% in February to 90% today, and he similarly went from 61% to 48% among independents. 12% of Republicans give Biden good ratings, up one percentage point from Fe
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Analysis: Florida's COVID Outcomes Better Than New York's

Florida and New York have comparable population sizes and densities . However, their governors—Ron DeSantis (R., Florida) and Andrew Cuomo (D., New York)—have taken starkly different approaches to the coronavirus pandemic. Ron DeSantis ( Naples Daily News ) Florida's DeSantis has implemented few COVID-related restrictions, with a local CBS affiliate reporting that "there is no statewide mask mandate. There are no restrictions on restaurants, and the governor says restaurants will stay open." In an acknowledgment that COVID-19 primarily affects senior citizens, DeSantis dispatched the National Guard to nursing homes and banned visits until September. Even today, indoor visitation at nursing homes is limited to family members and caregivers. Conversely, New York's Cuomo has opted for centralized control, dictates, and regulations, basing his decisions on regional hospitalization statistics, test positivity rates, and other metrics. Indoor dining in New York City
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Editorial: Congress's Latest 5,593-Page Nightmare

In the past several days, congressional Democrats and Republicans compiled a 5,593-page spending bill that is “so unwieldy that it kept crashing Congress’s computers.” Unfortunately, it is likely that the bill—which provides COVID-19 relief and funds the federal government through 2021—will pass without any member of Congress having read it in full. Among other things, the $900 billion of coronavirus-related funds  extends $325 billion for small business loans, boosts state unemployment benefits by $300 a week, allows for 50 weeks of unemployment benefits instead of 26, and offers a $600 check to Americans who made less than $75,000 in the previous year (and another $600 for each of their children). Separately, the $1.4 trillion in government funding provides everything from foreign aid money to plans for presidential libraries . The Washington Post , hardly a bugle for austerity, disapprovingly reports , “The proposal includes numerous provisions -- from Smithsonian American W
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President Trump Appoints Larry Schweikart to National Board for Educational Sciences

On Tuesday, historian Larry Schweikart announced that President Donald Trump appointed him to the National Board for Educational Sciences, which assists in the management of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES). The IES's mandate is to gather the statistics necessary for developing federal educational policy. Larry Schweikart Schweikart announced his appointment on Twitter, writing, "Pleased to report I have been appointed by President Donald Trump to a 4-year appointment to the Board of Directors for the National Board for Educational Sciences. This is a non-revocable appointment." He added, "I am now an embed in the unfortunate case Trump cannot overturn the fraud." Schweikart is a longtime supporter of Trump. He is a retired professor of history at the University of Dayton who co-authored A Patriot's History of the United States and Why Trump Won , along with many other books and pieces of academic research. All unsigned FDL Review content is the p
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Our Election Diarist's Final Entry (11/2/20)

America, we have reached the eve of the most important election in our lifetimes. The fate of the United States is on the ballot. Allow me to offer my predictions and my recommendation. President Donald Trump The State of the Race: Today, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are making their final rounds on the campaign trail. Biden spoke in Cleveland and will proceed to Pennsylvania, where he will spend the remainder of his day. Trump started his day in North Carolina and will proceed to Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan. As the story has been all campaign, Trump will be in front of a large crowd and Biden will be speaking in front of a few Honda Civics. Enthusiasm is in favor of Trump headed into election day. Headed into tomorrow, the states to watch are Minnesota (10), Michigan (16), Pennsylvania (20) and Florida (29). As I noted above, it is very telling that both Biden and Trump are spending the majority of their final day on the trail in Pennsylvania. Al
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Our Election Diarist: The Momentum is With President Trump

We are now a week away from the election that will change America forever. Considering all that has happened in 2020, it is an accomplishment that we made it to this most crucial point. The stage is set. President Donald Trump is facing off against former Vice President Joe Biden for the position of “Leader of the Free World.” President Trump in New Hampshire Regardless of what anyone says, no one knows who is going to win this election. If an outsider were to predict the election results based on enthusiasm, Trump would win every state and the Electoral College. Trump supporters for the most part are proud, vocal, present at rallies, and excited to vote. Biden supporters are for the most part quiet, reserved, not present in any campaign events and quite honestly embarrassed that their party leader is Biden. The enthusiasm is so great for Trump that many people are unable to conceive how many pollsters have Biden as the resounding favorite. Just a few days ago, Trump held a small meet
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The Supreme Court: What's Next?

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a celebrated lawyer, jurist, and cultural icon, passed away on Friday at age 87. My first instinct was to post “Requiescat in pace, Justice Ginsburg,” but Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., New York) had different ideas. He tweeted, “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.” The late Justice Ginsburg Keep in mind that the Senate has the constitutional power to “advise and consent” to presidential appointments to the courts. In 2016, the Senate—which had a 54-46 Republican majority in part due to voter anger at former President Barack Obama—declined to consider Judge Merrick Garland, Obama’s nominee for the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat. The Senate’s stated rationale, given by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Kentucky), was Obama’s status as a lame-duck president—and the upcoming 2016 presidential election. This mov
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