Reporting the ideas at the center of our political moment

As I write this, the Monitor’s national news desk is scrambling to cover the aftermath of the Democratic wave in the U.S. midterm elections. Our reporters have crisscrossed the country – from Michigan to Texas, California to Maine – to talk with voters, policymakers, and candidates. Our goal is to not simply document the winners and losers, but to try to better understand the big ideas shaping the country, and to find those glimmers of compromise and shared values that might lay the foundation for civil and effective governance.Our latest in political reporting is on our website – please take a look.In this issue, we delve into a subject that was at the core of this recent election – and has, according to much research, undermined the confidence of many Americans in their government. In May of this year, Politico and Public First found that 80% of 2024 Kamala Harris voters and 77% of Donald Trump voters agreed with the statement: “There is too much money in American politics.”A YouGov poll from last year found that 76% of Americans (84 % of Democrats, 68% of Republicans, and 77% of independents) agreed that the “appearance of wealthy donors or corporations gaining influence over or access to elected officials causes me to lose faith in this democracy.”I first reached out to Jeffrey Winters, a political science professor at Northwestern University, after I heard him talk about his recent book, “The Blind Spot: How Oligarchs Dominate Our Democracy.” I was struck by his argument that oligarchy is structurally baked into our political system. But I was even more taken by his lack of partisanship, and the calm, historically minded, and above-the-fray approach he took to an issue that is riling both sides of the political aisle. I found myself thinking of his work repeatedly as I read about the midterms – including our reporting about artificial intelligence companies pouring funds into both Democratic and Republican campaigns.(Dr. Winters urged me not to call these funds “donations.” They are, he told me, “political investments.”) Deepen your worldviewwith Monitor Highlights.Politics with respectGet political stories with respectful analysis.There‘s a world of new ideas in everyBooks newsletter.There‘s more to life, enrich yours withCulture & Learning weekly.Follow humanity‘s discoveries withScience & Nature stories in your inbox.Gain a spiritual perspectivefrom the stories in your inbox.Want to understand the deeper impact of critical events? Learn the Monitor‘s insight.Already a subscriber? Log in to hide ads. You can read his piece on page 25. It is the second installment of our new “terms” essays – writings by scholars and thinkers on common words that have a rich history and nuance worthy of exploration.If you missed Harry Boyte and Trygve Throntveit’s essay, “Reclaiming citizenship,” which ran in the Nov. 2 issue, check it out on our website. You’ll find it under “What does citizenship mean? A case for a broader definition.” And if you have suggestions for a term that you think deserves a deep dive, please get in touch. ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LoginReal news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.The Christian Science Monitor was founded in 1908 to lift the standard of journalism and uplift humanity. We aim to “speak the truth in love.” Our goal is not to tell you what to think, but to give you the essential knowledge and understanding to come to your own intelligent conclusions. Join us in this mission by subscribing.