Political scientists have long argued that party identification is the best possible predictor of voting behavior and is remarkably sticky over time. Rick Perlstein arguebehavioridentification Change image and share on social
There's no question that Kennedy was an utter failure as a passer of laws during his proverbial thousand days. Rick Perlstein dayfailurekennedy Change image and share on social
Somehow, failures in the public sector are always judged as systematic. The private sector thus exists to ride to the rescue - and their failures are only judged anomalies. A pretty nice arrangement for investors. The only people who suffer are the citizens. Rick Perlstein anomalyarrangementcitizen share on social
Polling only works in a country without a depressed, frightened populace. Where the public trusts authorities enough to tell them the truth without fear of retribution. Rick Perlstein authoritycountrydepress Change image and share on social
My big subject as a historian is how Americans divide themselves. What are the divisions that structure our political lives. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan were perfect foils for that story. Rick Perlstein americanbigdivide Change image and share on social
When I was a teenager in Milwaukee in the 1980s, life was pretty boring, and I found myself riveted by the sheer melodrama of everyday life of the 1960s. Rick Perlstein 1960s1980sbore Change image and share on social
What is considered 'conservative' and what is considered 'liberal' changes in any given era. Rick Perlstein conservativeconsiderera Change image and share on social
What does it mean to truly believe in America? To wave a flag? Or to struggle toward a more searching alternative to the shallowness of the flag-wavers - to criticize, to interrogate, to analyze, to dissent? Rick Perlstein alternativeamericaanalyze share on social
Anticommunism in its modern form was invented by liberals like Harry Truman, the architect of the national security state. The proportion of the voting population that was not anticommunist in 1961 was miniscule. Rick Perlstein anticommunismanticommunistarchitect share on social
There's a certain kind of cultural energy pursued by the gatekeepers of elite discourse, who want to argue that Americans fundamentally agree with each other, and that's the health of the nation. Rick Perlstein agreeamericanargue Change image and share on social