Mar 9PolitifalseA Fact-Checker Does Biden an Injustice on Taxes Paid by Billionaires I wrote something on the ITEP blog complaining about a terrible fact check on a Biden assertion about how much taxes are paid by the rich. Wonkiness alert! https://itep.org/a-fact-checker-does-biden-an-injustice-on-taxes-paid-by-billionaires/Tax Policy1 min readTax Policy1 min read
Mar 9The Multigenerational Debt TrapLow-income families often accumulate debt and suffer poor credit ratings as they try to make ends meet. Unfortunately, and unfairly, the children of those families, as adults, all too often also end up with poor credit solely because of their family’s past borrowing. The median debt on credit cards for…Poverty3 min readPoverty3 min read
Feb 22A Note on David Wessel’s Only the Rich Can PlayI’ve been meaning to write something on David Wessel’s book Only the Rich Can Play for some time. I had in mind a review/commentary, but Jason Furman more than ably covered the main points I was going to make (and some I hadn’t thought of), so that took the wind…David Wessel6 min readDavid Wessel6 min read
Dec 5, 2022The 2023–2024 U.S. Senate Is Exceedingly Unrepresentative in Multiple WaysRacial and Partisan Under- and Over-Representation in the U.S. Senate By Michael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley [Updated March 10, 2023] The U.S. Senate is under Democratic control by a bare 51–49 majority. The Democrats got the most votes in the 2022 elections and won enough Senate elections, so that is…Us Senate3 min readUs Senate3 min read
Jul 13, 2021The Vastly Varying Importance of American Voters (Updated and Revised July 2021)By Michael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley It is no secret that the American version of democracy does not guarantee a national government reflecting the preferences expressed by the majority of voters. Over seven million more people voted for Joe Biden than Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, yet the…Democracy8 min readDemocracy8 min read
Jul 7, 2021The 2021 Senate is Exceedingly Unrepresentative In Multiple WaysMichael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley The population of states represented by Democratic senators sums to 26% more people than the population of states represented by Republican senators — 202 million compared to 160 million. Yet only half the Senate’s seats are held by Democrats. A Black American is 16% less…Senate2 min readSenate2 min read
Jan 19, 2021Getting Real on the FilibusterMy article in Vox is up. It catalogs and discusses compromises to weaken the filibuster that might pass muster with sufficient Senate Democrats.1 min read1 min read
Jan 15, 2021A Big Filibuster ReformMaking the Senate more democratic via the filibuster — Michael Ettlinger One of the reasons some Democrats have opposed eliminating or weakening the filibuster is that it would allow Republicans as well as Democrats to more easily pass legislation. …2 min read2 min read
Nov 12, 2020The 2021 Senate Will be UnrepresentativeMichael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley (AN UPDATED VERSION OF THIS STORY IS AVAILABLE) As of now, the Democrats are trailing Republicans 50–48 in their attempt to gain control of the U.S. Senate in 2021 — with the two Georgia run-offs set to decide the final tally. Although the Democrats have…Senate3 min readSenate3 min read
Jun 26, 2020Effect of DC Statehood on Black Under Representation in the SenateMichael Ettlinger and Jordan Hensley In an earlier piece we showed the impact of the undemocratic nature of the U.S. Senate on the representation of members of different groups. Black, Hispanic and Asian residents are notably under-represented. A reader asked how adding senators from Washington DC and Puerto Rico would…Dc Statehood2 min readDc Statehood2 min read
