Political science, not political science-fiction. A student-run magazine at Binghamton University.
Our thoughts on the theories that have shaped past and present politics
The United States prides itself on democratic and egalitarian values. Despite this, we choose to elect our executive by means of an Electoral College, which due to its nature, sometimes produces antimajoritarian election outcomes. These results go against the wishes of a majority of voters.
“Eat the Rich.” “Power to the People.” “Make America Great Again.” These populist slogans pop up everywhere, from graffiti under an overpass to TikTok “For You” pages. The basic populist message—“the people” versus “the elites”—isn’t new. It was used by American revolutionaries in the 1700s, rebellious farmers in the late 19th century, and even anti-communist politicians in the 1950s (Gillon 2025). But over the past half-century, populist rhetoric has dramatically increased on both the right and left.
Elections in the United States are dominated by a two-party system with Democrats on the centre-left and Republicans on the centre-right. Although there are other parties, they receive negligible amounts of support and often fail to win any significant elections. For voters who support third parties, elections can be frustrating, as it seems like there is no good outcome when casting a vote.
The Trump administration has made it clear: it wants Gen Z to catch baby fever. At an anti-abortion rally in January, VP J.D. Vance said that he wanted “more babies” in America (The Columbus Dispatch 2025). In March, Trump dubbed himself the “fertilization president” and suggested a “national medal of motherhood” for women with six or more children (Stechyson 2025).
Vandalized Teslas, hundreds of protests, stormed dealerships, and scared owners—what’s going on here? The target is Elon Musk, owner of Tesla, and appointed “head” of Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The motive? A widespread belief that Musk has used his wealth to meddle in politics to the detriment of our democracy.
The evolution of GOP policies from the Reagan era to the Trump era is complex and influenced by numerous political, economic, and social factors. While this essay provides a broad comparison, it does not capture the full scope of nuanced policy shifts, ideological debates, and external influences that have shaped the party over time.
It’s a worrying paradox—information used to evaluate trust in the media is itself vulnerable to distrust. It is indicated that there is a consensus in the numbers across the political divide—Americans’ trust in the media is at an all-time low.
The Constitution says very little about the Supreme Court – its role is outlined in just a few sections. The document truly does not delve deeply into the size, structure, or detailed operation of our nation’s highest Court. Despite knowing the difficulties of constitutional interpretation, the framers deliberately chose not to prescribe a specific method of interpretation.
What makes a nation successful? By what metrics do we measure how well a nation is doing? As an alternative to GDP, a government’s competency in promising and fulfilling its obligations to its population could be a better metric of success.
The ability to express one’s beliefs on political and social matters through speech—verbal or nonverbal—without fear of government-led censure for doing so is a central element of American democracy.
Over the course of American history, there have been efforts to ensure all citizens have the right to vote. However, there is still one final group in the United States that has been unfairly disenfranchised: former felons.
Could minting a single trillion-dollar coin help the Biden administration circumvent political and economic havoc?
If you ask any politically aware person about the state of American politics today, they will likely characterize it with one word: polarization.
At stake? Democracy itself—a broad adoption of the ISL doctrine could result in rogue legislatures stripping previously-guaranteed voting rights protections from the state constitution with no ability for state courts to protect these rights.
The international plan to increase democracy has seemingly been the introduction of direct democratic items, such as referendums and initiatives, especially in cases of contentious policies or fundamental political changes. However, direct democratic components can be dangerous to democracy in all but a few cases.
The debate between shareholder theory and stakeholder theory is ongoing in the world of business. These two ideas pivot on whether or not corporations hold responsibility for anything besides increasing profit for themselves.
On Tuesday, February 1, Amnesty International published a report titled “Israel’s Apartheid Against Palestinians: Cruel System of Domination and Crime Against Humanity”—officially joining B’Tselem, Human Rights Watch, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia in condemning Israel’s systematic oppression of Palestinians as a criminal act of apartheid.
Representation, at its core, is defined as “a making present again” or “the making present in some sense of something which is nevertheless not present literally or in fact.” However, in a democratic sense, representation goes beyond the simplistically unrefined definition above.
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