Election of 1994 (midterm) — Bunk History

President Clinton pursing his lips, while Newt Gingrich looks at him from behind.

Midterm Elections: How 1994 Midterms Set Off an Era of Divisive Politics

Economic and social issues with roots in the 1994 midterms are still being debated today.

via Retro Report on August 25, 2022

Photo of Newt Gingrich speaking into a microphone.

To Understand the Modern GOP, Look at the Reactionary ’90s

The most vitriolic and morally panicked conservative figures of the 1990s contributed just as much to modern American conservatism as Ronald Reagan did.

by Paul M. Renfro via Jacobin on August 21, 2022

National Park Services sign

The Roots of the Politicization of the National Parks Service

Understanding how the National Park Service Director is chosen is important for understanding the current state of our national parks system.

by Nick DeLuca via HNN on September 26, 2021

A 1985 Recount Is Suddenly Relevant Again

In the fight over Indiana’s Bloody Eighth, Democrats won the seat, but lost the larger narrative.

by Julian E. Zelizer via The Atlantic on November 12, 2018

The Man Who Broke Politics

Gingrich turned partisan battles into bloodsport, wrecked Congress, and paved the way for Trump’s rise. Now he’s reveling in it.

by McKay Coppins via The Atlantic on October 15, 2018

Aftermath of Oklahoma City bombing.

American Carnage

A new book about Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing traces the path from Ronald Reagan’s antigovernment ideology to today’s radicalized right.

by Sean Wilentz via New York Review of Books on July 25, 2023

Bob Dole sitting next to Mike Pence at an official event

Bob Dole’s Disability Rights Legacy Marked the End of a Bipartisan Era

The former Republican leader played a key role in the Americans With Disabilities Act but stuck with the GOP as the party turned its back on the law.

by Erica Garcia via The New Republic on December 5, 2021

Gerrymandering's Surprising History and Uncertain Future

Both parties play the redistricting game, redrawing electoral boundaries to lock down power.

via Retro Report on October 18, 2021

illustration of Joe Biden and upside-down Capitol building

Is a Democratic Wipeout Inevitable?

Even when the president’s party passes historic legislation, voters don’t seem to care.

by Ronald Brownstein via The Atlantic on October 15, 2021

Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).

House Republicans’ Leadership Fight Signals a New Direction

Leadership battles tell us a lot about where a party is headed.

by Zack C. Smith via Made By History on May 12, 2021

The Loser King

Failing upward with Oliver North.

by Matt Hanson via The Baffler on March 10, 2020

How the Senate Paved the Way for Coronavirus Profiteering, and How Congress Could Undo It

Bernie Sanders pushed a measure through the House to require drugs funded by public research funds to be sold at a reasonable cost. The Senate shot it down.

by Ryan Grim, Aída Chávez via The Intercept on March 2, 2020

Joe Biden Tried to Cut Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare for 40 Years

Joe Biden was once a New Deal Democrat. Then he “evolved” and starting backing decades of Republican plans to cut Medicare and Social Security.

by Branko Marcetic via Jacobin on January 29, 2020

The Shoals of Ukraine

Why has Ukraine been a stumbling block for U.S. foreign policy since the end of the Cold War?

by Serhii Plokhy, M. E. Sarotte via Foreign Affairs on January 4, 2020

Rethinking the Construction of Ronald Reagan's Legacy

Conservatives created a rosy image of Reagan to further their political project.

by Sarah Thomson via Made By History on August 12, 2019

Walter Jones

Prosecuting Torture

Walter Jones and the unintended consequences of the War Crimes Act of 1996.

by W. Fitzhugh Brundage via Perspectives on History on March 20, 2019

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