Ever since Deng Xiaoping opened China to the world in the late 1970s, many in the West wanted to see the country succeed, because we thought China — despite its brutal authoritarian political structure — was on a path to a more open economy and society.
State legislative special elections provide an interesting index of partisan sentiment these days. That wasn’t so in the late 20th century, when clever candidates and local notables often got voters to cross party lines. But in this century of increasing partisan polarization and straight-ticket voting, local special elections are a proxy for opinions on national issues.
"Religious attenders express more trust in their clergy on this issue than they do in state elected officials, local elected officials or news media." This is the key takeaway in a newly published poll that sought to determine the pulse of the majority of churchgoers vis-a-vis the COVID vaccines and whether they should take it.