Hello World!
So Goes The Nation is a blog centered around the visualization of the changing American political landscape of the past three decades. From the era of Bill Clinton and down ballot Dem majorities to a new Republican order and the election of Donald Trump, this blog will use maps and media documents as the foundation for analysis that will hopefully put some sense into our political past, present, and future. While I am still toying with the scope of this project, the posts of this blog will almost certainly touch on the following subjects: presidential swing states, congressional majorities, party strength on a state by state level, money in politics, and the electoral power of demographics.
In a time of pandemic anxiety, economic turmoil, and polarization throughout the country, it may seem odd to create on a project that is, at the end of the day, a focus on the prominent political battles of recent times. I don’t really have a great answer for my personal interest… this is just what I’m into! But taking a look at the bigger picture, I fall back on a few foundational lessons I’ve learned from studying this field: politics is about power and knowledge is the key to unlocking that power. Knowledge on the communities you wish to serve. Knowledge on the political players of your state. Knowledge on impact of economic indicators on a President’s reelection bid. Knowledge on how to canvas using your smartphone. All of these are smaller pieces to a larger puzzle about power in America.
While I’m not saying that reading this blog will prepare you enough to run for your state legislature or mount a campaign against your incumbent Congressperson (but I would love it if you did anyways), I hope you leave this project with the power that comes from knowing this material. Maybe it will spark an interest in politics and you’ll setup an email notification for the latest generic Congressional ballot polls (I’ll save you a click: Democrats are up 7.7 points according to FiveThirtyEight.com). Maybe it will inspire you to run for local office. Maybe (i.e. most likely) you will just pick up on more details when a story about Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy plays on NPR. Either way, there’s something for everyone here. All I hope is that you leave with a greater understanding about our current political moment and the power that comes along with that knowledge.