National - Drake Political Review

<h1>The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?</h1><h6><i>Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?</i></h6>

7Jun

By Caroline Siebels-LindquistNo Comments

The Loss of the Iowa Caucus As We Know It: Dead Dems Walking?
Is the decision by the Democratic Party to pull out of the Iowa caucus the final nail in the coffin of a dead swing state?

Shaken. Rocked. Grinded to a halt. And so the children of the corn did scream. The era of Iowa holding the first in the nation primaries, known nationally as the Iowa caucus, has come to a close. At least, for the Democratic Party. What Happened to the Caucus and Why Does it Matter to Iowans? After President Biden’s announcement in February to grant South Carolina the official first-in-the-nation Democratic primary status, Iowans may have been stumped, but this transition seems to have been penciled in for a couple years. With the Democratic Party’s presence in the Iowa caucus coming to a close, the separation of the parties in the once first-in-the-nation primary state proves that the cessation and growing partisanship between the Republican and Democratic Parties is anything but w...

<h1>Closing the Disability Representation Gap</h1><h6><i>Candidates and elected officials with disabilities are underrepresented in all levels of government due to the accessibility barriers and systemic biases they face.</i></h6>

19May

By Grace LongNo Comments

National, People

Closing the Disability Representation Gap
Candidates and elected officials with disabilities are underrepresented in all levels of government due to the accessibility barriers and systemic biases they face.

The 118th United States Congress has been heralded as the most diverse national legislature in the history of our country. Its membership includes the first ever Generation Z representative, and the number of women in its ranks is at an all-time high. Recent data from Pew Research Center shows that this is the most racially and ethnically diverse Congress in history. That same study shows that, at 13, the number of openly LGBTQ+ members has never been higher. Yet even with all these headline-making, record-setting gains in diversity, Congress continues to lag far behind the actual demographics of the U.S. population. Unsurprisingly, minorities are consistently underrepresented. Perhaps no minority group feels that underrepresentation more acutely than the disability community. Rut...

<h1>Beyond Britney: The Politics of Conservatorships</h1><h6><i>Conservatorships came into the public spotlight in the past two years thanks to superstar Britney Spears. But what exactly is a conservatorship - and are all of them as toxic as Britney’s?</i></h6>

3Aug

By Emma BrustkernNo Comments

National, People

Beyond Britney: The Politics of Conservatorships
Conservatorships came into the public spotlight in the past two years thanks to superstar Britney Spears. But what exactly is a conservatorship - and are all of them as toxic as Britney’s?

Art by Rachel Hartley In the past year, Britney Spears has become a household name again, and it’s not because of her iconic hits such as “...Baby One More Time.” Instead, her recent spike in popularity can be accredited to her efforts to end the conservatorship she's been under since 2008. Britney’s conservatorship has not only led to greater public awareness about conservatorships, but also sparked questions from activists and fans about the ethics and conditions of conservatorships. What Even Is A Conservatorship? Laws regarding conservatorships vary from state to state. In California, where Britney’s case took place, a conservatorship is an arrangement in which a person or other entity, known as the conservator, has the ability to care for another adult who cannot care ...

<h1>An Era of Political Conspiracy Theories</h1><h6><i>Exploring how conspiracy theory groups enable the spread of misinformation and how they play a role in the politics of past and present.</i></h6>

3Aug

By Tyler StrachanNo Comments

National

An Era of Political Conspiracy Theories
Exploring how conspiracy theory groups enable the spread of misinformation and how they play a role in the politics of past and present.

Art by Amanda O'Brien Conspiracy theories are usually defined as a belief that some covert, but influential organization is responsible for certain events. They influence many individuals and could even be considered quite common. Furthermore, conspiracy theories have always had some influence in politics. Some famous conspiracies include faking the moon landing, that Lee Harvey Oswald didn’t act alone in assassinating former President John F. Kennedy, the belief in the Illuminati, and the birther conspiracy that President Barack Obama isn’t a U.S. citizen. More recently, there has been a rise in the beliefs surrounding QAnon, along with the widely circulated belief that the COVID-19 pandemic is a hoax. QAnon is an umbrella term for multiple conspiracy theories that all lead b...

<h1>Rethinking Disabilities in the Workplace</h1><h6><i>Pandemic-Inspired Accomodations Benefit the Disability Community</i></h6>

15Sep

By Grace LongNo Comments

National, National Policy

Rethinking Disabilities in the Workplace
Pandemic-Inspired Accomodations Benefit the Disability Community

art by Lila Johnson It’s no secret COVID-19 has disrupted labor markets around the world. Here in the United States, by early May 2020, over 36 million Americans had filed for unemployment benefits, a figure comparable to unemployment during the Great Depression of the 1930s, according to the London School of Policy and Economics’ United States Centre. It is evident that most individuals in the workforce have been affected by the pandemic, with those in the disability community being particularly impacted. For example, as reported in a Syracuse University article, employment rates between March and April 2020 decreased by 18% among the general population, but by 24% among workers with disabilities. In times of crisis, marginalized and vulnerable populations are often the most advers...

<h1>The Dream of Fifteen: How a Progressive Idea Paved Its Way Into the Forefront of American Policy</h1><h6><i>A federal minimum wage increase is more than likely to come in a matter of time. The question among Congress members is, to what extent and how fast? Progressives have their own idea.</i></h6>

10May

By Faith BourgeacqNo Comments

National, National Policy

The Dream of Fifteen: How a Progressive Idea Paved Its Way Into the Forefront of American Policy
A federal minimum wage increase is more than likely to come in a matter of time. The question among Congress members is, to what extent and how fast? Progressives have their own idea.

Illustration by Amanda O'Brien It’s been more than a year since the COVID-19 pandemic made its presence known in the U.S., and many Americans are still struggling to deal with the economic aftermath. Progressives have long pushed for a $15 federal minimum wage, and they believe the idea is more important now than it ever has been— but others have raised questions about the effect a wage increase would have on the country. Is $15 a fix-all policy, or will it hurt the economy? Supporters of the $15 minimum wage experienced a glimmer of hope in January when President Biden introduced a massive $1.9-trillion COVID-19 relief package into Congress. A key proposal in Biden’s initial plan included a federal minimum wage increase to $15 an hour. Their hope was short-lived, however.&...

<h1>Bringing Light to Military Misconduct</h1><h6><i>Although sexual harassment and assault has historically been an issue for the U.S. Military, the recent murder of Specialist Vanessa Guillen is causing many to reevalute how these issues are being handled at an institutional level.</i></h6>

6May

By Brandon WheelockNo Comments

National, National Policy

Bringing Light to Military Misconduct
Although sexual harassment and assault has historically been an issue for the U.S. Military, the recent murder of Specialist Vanessa Guillen is causing many to reevalute how these issues are being handled at an institutional level.

Illustration by Amanda O'Brien Content Warning: Story contains content involving sexual violence and assault On June 30, 2020, entombed in concrete and scattered under the banks of a small river near Fort Hood, Texas, Spc. Vanessa Guillen was finally found after a two-month search. Months before her death and disappearance, Guillen told her family she had been sexually harassed by a superior at her post. Her mother had urged her to report, but for fear of reprisal, Guillen declined to do so. She was later murdered—bludgeoned to death in her own place of work with a hammer by a supervisor. Guillen’s murder was said to be shocking, horrifying, and beyond comprehension by Fort Hood command leadership and much of Congress. For those congresspeople, these “shocking” repor...