How Republicans Came to Win Just About Everything
There were 25 'swing' districts. By gerrymandering, Republicans could win every one of them for at least the next 10 years.
Sessions's Roots Lie in the Lazy, Laughing South
The attorney general is the true white nationalist messiah and the wheelhouse of the Trump Revolution.
The Alt-Right Is Gunning for Anti-Trump Protesters
At demos and online, Trump's extreme supporters come armed and ready for violence.
The Fake Journalists Helping Sean Spicer Spin the News
The White House blocks The New York Times, CNN and Politico but lets in Breitbart.
How Bannon Cranked Up His Propaganda Machine
Bannon directed the movie "Occupy Unmasked," an homage to Leni Riefenstahl.
The Press Continues to Give Trump a Free Pass
Trump boasts of immunity from prosecution for using the White House for personal gain.
The Long Winding Right Wing Road That Led to Trump
The more Trumpism fails, the more scapegoats will be blamed.
Why Is Clinton Playing Nice With Republicans Like Ryan?
Clinton could lose the best chance in a generation to turn the Republican Party into pariahs.
Hillary Wooing Republicans Can Only Go Wrong
Ryan might be forced to work with Hillary if the GOP is devastated. But defeat has to come up and down the ticket.
I Was So Looking Forward to a Brokered GOP Convention
No smoke-filled chaos, no fisticuffs over obscure procedural fights, no riots: We'll miss the high drama at the GOP Convention in Cleveland.
'King Donald' and the Threat to the Constitution
Cut Donald Trump to his essence, and laws, norms and constitutional constraints, taken together, are what he finds the most objectionable in human history.
New York Republicans: Before You Vote Today, Read This
The conservatism of avenging angels protecting white innocence in a "liberal" metropolis gone mad: this is how we can understand the rise of Trump.
Why Trump's on Top, by the Pundit Who Saw Him Coming
Why did lower-working-class Americans know Trump? Because he had been a regular visitor to their living rooms, while the D.C. elite had ignored them.
Reagan Packed Heat. Now Everyone's In on the Gun-Toting
Asked why he was wearing a pistol, Reagan replied, "In case you guys can't do the job, I can help out."
How Jimmy Carter Pioneered Electoral Reform
His attempt to maximize the number of Americans who vote soon fell foul of those crying "electoral fraud!"
The Story Behind the POW/MIA Flag
What began as a protest against the Vietnam War became a symbol of deceit and hatred.
Trump: The Only Capitalist So Callous He Can Stun a Fox Audience
"Being the also-ran idiot younger brother, tutored in lobbing spitballs by a childhood of resentful rage, is good training for Fox."
Woeful Political Punditry Leaves Readers Dazed and Confused
There is an utter failure to inform voters about presidential nomination contests.
As the Confederate Flags Come Down, Trump's Open Racism Rises
Conservatives are stuck not saying what they believe for fear of people understanding their bitter prejudices.
What Would Ronnie Do?
Obama starts the second half of his term with a set of obstacles similar to those that bedeviled Ronald Reagan. On Reagan's centennial, the president is looking to the past for inspiration.
Feeling the Wrath of Bill O'Reilly's Army
Run afoul of the conservative commentator, and feel the wrath of his avid Army
GOP Elites Fall Out of Love With Palin's Crowd
Why the GOP is falling out of love with gun-toting, churchgoing, working-class whites.
Perlstein on Populism: Our American Common Sense
Our pundits worry that a populist rage is loose in the land—pitchforks everywhere! My first reaction upon hearing that was to dismiss the word "populist" as a distraction, an epithet meant to recall episodes in which mass rage made sound policy deliberation impossible.
Perlstein: My Bus Ride to Obama's Inauguration
On an overnight bus from Chicago to D.C. to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama.
Nixon's Dirty Secrets
Beyond the juicy tape excerpts, there are riches in the 90,000 newly released pages of Nixon papers.
Rick Perlstein: A New Message From Watts
We've been on the verge of what seemed like permanent ideological transformation before. For liberals, the most dramatic such moment came with Lyndon Johnson's landslide victory in 1964. "These are the most hopeful times since Christ was born in Bethlehem," Johnson declared while lighting the White House Christmas tree that year.