Category: Politics

This is the third piece in our series of six features on the Midwestern Democratic decline where we’ll be diving into consequential parts of the Midwest and the prevailing headwinds faced by the Democratic Party in the region. We’ll use ...

This is the second piece in our series of six features on the Midwestern Democratic decline where we’ll be diving into consequential parts of the Midwest and the prevailing headwinds faced by the Democratic Party in the region. We’ll use ...

Welcome to Politics Express, The Postrider‘s new all-encompassing politics podcast. Lars Emerson is joined by Michael Lovito and Chris Choban for the kick off of the show and their 2024 Republican primary draft. Follow along with the draft on the ...

The world changes dramatically over the course of George W. Bush’s presidency. One place it changes most visibly is Hollywood, as Lars and Michael unpack through 2004’s Team America: World Police in his first term and 2008’s The Dark Knight ...

This is the first and introductory piece in our series of six features on the Midwestern Democratic decline where we’ll be diving into consequential parts of the Midwest and the prevailing headwinds faced by the Democratic Party in the region. ...

As American presidencies approach the modern day, Lars and Michael dive into the world of scandal, neoliberalism, and partisanship in the Clinton era through the films Wag the Dog and The American President.

America gets a little grungier as President George H.W. Bush comes into office and Lars and Michael explore trends in cinema during his brief tenure, focusing on a zeitgeist of decline and the new American economic reality through the films ...

We love covering Senate elections here at The Postrider, and after some narrow misses in our 2020 forecast (we stacked the odds against some candidates that won but were pretty accurate by being far more conservative than other outlets with ...

Sometimes it’s difficult to be proud of your country. Americans especially seem to fluctuate between a state of religious fervor for their flag and one of apocalyptic remorse for a nation as divided as it is paramount. And when Americans ...

It was nice while it lasted. In 2019, Democrats, Republicans, and President Trump agreed to legislation suspending the debt ceiling through the 2020 election, kicking the can on a showdown over one of Washington’s most notorious and most dangerous sticking ...

Knock knock, McFly! Lars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Reagan era — how a decade of nostalgia viewed both the past and the future — through the lens of the films Back to the Future and Back ...

We have a tendency to think of elections as referendums — not just on the candidates running, but on the economy, other elected officials, and the prevailing political zeitgeist. The idea is that voters aren’t just selecting a leader or ...

Lars and Michael discuss their film picks for the Carter era — a blend of optimism, underdogs, and perhaps naivety over the coming backlash Jimmy Carter would face through the lens of Rocky and Star Wars.

This is part two of a series of pieces on premature deaths in America and the role our distance from the centers of power in this country have on that. Click here to read part one. Last week, we examined ...

Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Ford administration, exploring government incompetence and corruption (or maybe it’s just about a shark) through the lens of Jaws and Chinatown. But in true Gerald Ford fashion, they spend most of the ...

Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Nixon administration, reflecting on hippie culture, racism, a developing “us versus them” mentality within the United States — and a whole bunch of dirty tricks — through the lens of the films ...

To say presidents dominate our pop culture is an understatement. We often take for granted how ingrained they are in the American psyche and our comedic outlets, even when they epitomize the dull tepidness of Gerald Ford or George H.W. ...

Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Johnson administration, reflecting on dramatic domestic progress and a distrust of foreign policy apparatus through the lens of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and Dr. Strangelove.

Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Kennedy era, discussing themes of heroism and elitism in American society through the lens of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Lolita.

Lars and Michael discuss the films of the Eisenhower era, comparing the infamous The Blob and the more-critically-acclaimed Shane. The narratives on being driven from one’s home, McCarthyism, and generational strife give context to Eisenhower’s above-the-fray approach in his presidency.

With the confirmation of Marty Walsh as Labor Secretary on March 22, President Joe Biden’s core Cabinet is complete. With the vice president and the 15 heads of the executive departments, 16 officials sit in the president’s “core” Cabinet, with ...

The 2020 election opened several new electoral pathways for Democrats and expanded on Republican wins in 2016 and 2018. It also reinforced existing trends for formerly perennial swing states. How should the parties prioritize those states in the next few ...