Today in Bloomberg Opinion: Opposition to Gun Control Is About Culture, Not Money

Democrats are fond of accusing their Republican opponents of doing the bidding of wealthy or corporate bankrollers, including on gun policy. Yet the power of the NRA and other gun control opponents has little to do with the money they spend on campaigns, instead reflecting the redefinition of gun ownership as a strong political identity. Most Americans may support additional restrictions on access to firearms, especially in the wake of a school shooting like this week's tragedy in Nashville. But there is no countervailing identity of "non-ownership" to motivate the other side of the debate, as I explain in today's column for Bloomberg Opinion. (The piece is also available via the Washington Post.)

Today in Bloomberg Opinion: The Parties Are Still Polarized on Economics Even Though the Class Divide Is Fading

 It used to be easy to explain the relationship between the voting constituency of each party and the positions its politicians took in policy debates: Democrats are the party of the poor and favor big, redistributive government, while Republicans are the party of the rich and favor small, business-friendly government. But even though economic class is no longer a reliable guide to how Americans vote, party leaders remain committed to very different policy goals and visions—foreshadowing a bitter debate over the federal budget this year, as I explain today in Bloomberg Opinion. (The piece is also available via the Washington Post.)

Today in Bloomberg Opinion: Whatever Happened to the New Democrats?

 Simon Rosenberg, one of the most prominent operators within the New Democrats of the 1980s and 1990s, has announced the closing of his organization NDN (formerly the New Democrat Network) and proclaimed the end of the era of the New Democrats. I wrote today about what the New Dems' rise and fall can tell us about how parties adapt to changing political times for Bloomberg Opinion (reprinted by the Washington Post).