Can Incivility help Congress?
In the wake of Tucson, political rhetoric and incivility has taken on a new focus. John Sides at the Monkey Cage has a great post on the effect of… Read More
Are Better Legislation and Lower Federal Spending on the Horizon?
One of my favorite places to take in varying perspectives of current political events and issues is Politico’s “The Arena.” In this forum, Politico poses a question to a panel… Read More
“The Lens of Deep Suspicion.” Why Americans disapprove of Congress.
Most Americans disapprove of Congress and have for a long time. However, today Congress matched its historic best in disappointing US citizens. Gallup released a poll today showing that… Read More
Handicapping the 112th Congress
Inspired in part by Adam Bonica’s (really cool) estimates for the 112th House, I’ve made my own projections for the characteristics of the House. Beyond calculating the party… Read More
Voting on the Coburn Amendment: Distributive or Horse Race Politics?
On Tuesday the Senate voted on an amendment sponsored by Tom Coburn of Oklahoma—political science’s favorite senator—that would have placed a temporary moratorium on the practice known as earmarking. … Read More
“Why won’t They Reform the Filibuster?”
Ezra Klein posted an article Friday about “Six things Obama has done Wrong.” His last point on the administration’s failures is their inability to change the filibuster. The… Read More
Proposition 19: A “Moment of Clarity?”
Josh and I thought we would collaborate for a post on one of this election’s direct democracy initiatives in California, Proposition 19. He and I, along with Dan Smith,… Read More
“The Man Who Never Was”: Social-Psychology and Congressional Roll-Call Behavior
Todd Purdum, the national editor for Vanity Fair, penned an article recently titled “The Man Who Never Was.” In his provocative article, and in numerous subsequent media appearances,… Read More
Is the Liberal Media hurting Democrats?
It used to be that the talking heads were supposed to help their party. We all assume Glenn Beck helps Republicans get votes. We all assume that Maddow and Olbermann… Read More
The “Constitutional Option”: Beating an Already Dead Horse
There is an increasing amount of confusion about what exactly the constitutional option is, and further, how often it’s invoked to enact rules changes. It’s gained recent momentum as a result… Read More