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alan-greenblatt

Alan Greenblatt

Alan Greenblatt is a former editor of Governing. He is the co-author of a standard textbook on state and local governments. He previously worked as a reporter for NPR and CQ and has written about politics and culture for many other outlets, print and online. He can be reached at Alan.greenblatt@outlook.com and on X at @AlanGreenblatt.

The attack on Congress has led to impeachment and increased security in Washington and state capitols. Governing spoke with historian Jonathan Earle about political violence in the nation's past.
With Democrats in control of the Senate and the rest of Washington, further stimulus is a near-certainty. State and local aid, which has been held up by the GOP, will be part of the mix.
For months, protesters have been targeting government buildings and even the homes of public officials, with some making death threats. Their actions reflect a growing acceptance for political violence.
Around the country, legislative leaders are still scrambling to figure out the safest way to meet in person. At least a half-dozen legislators have died from COVID-19, with dozens more infected.
Political polarization has become so familiar and entrenched that we barely think how it came about. The backstory is more than a half-century long, involving race, media and a diverging economy.
The new congressional stimulus package does not include direct aid for states and localities. Only a few states have seen revenues increase from last year, meaning cutbacks are coming due to COVID spending pressures.
Officials at all levels of government are receiving increased threats. They're not getting as much support as they should from officials at the highest levels or, in some cases, from law enforcement.
Nearly every great modern crisis has led to an expansion of federal power, but President Trump left the pandemic response largely to the states. This year, federalism was a boon both to health and election management.
Politicians who have imposed some of the nation's toughest coronavirus restrictions have been caught violating them. Their lack of self-control makes safety messages less convincing to the public.
Coronavirus dashboards are built on a pyramid of faxes, spreadsheets and phone calls. Public health technology investments have lagged behind other data-driven systems, making real-time information impossible to come by.