Democrats gained even more power in the DHS/immigration debate, and it happened last week
It’s well known that any Republican attempt to reverse Obama’s executive action would be an uphill battle. Because any congressional response required a legislative fix, Republicans face a… Read More
What does DHS/immigration tell us about the power of Congress and the President?
Institutional power is more of an academic topic. Nonetheless, it has enormous ramifications. The current immigration debate is a great example of that. Despite the rhetoric around the DHS… Read More
Flaws in shutdown logic: It is different this time.
Republicans’ flirtation with a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security intensified over the weekend. Boehner appears entrenched and suggested Sunday that a shutdown is possible. On President’s… Read More
Have Republicans Gone M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction) on the Filibuster?
Frustrated House Republicans lashed out against their Senate colleagues Thursday. Without a clear path forward on the DHS funding bill, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) and others blamed Majority Leader McConnell… Read More
Obama wants filibuster reform. Would it help polarization?
Obama had some interesting things to say about polarization and the filibuster in his interview with Vox. When the question of if government can work in the midst of polarization… Read More
Why three failed votes is not necessarily a failure
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received a fair amount of flak this week for his attempts to move forward on the DHS funding bill that expires at the end of the… Read More
The Senate’s Return to Regular Order?
For the past week, Majority Leader McConnell experimented with an open amendment process in the Senate. Members offered amendments on everything from climate change, to federally protected land, to limiting… Read More
It’s not all Gridlock: What Republicans can accomplish in the 114th Congress
Can decades of dysfunction reverse course in a single Congress? No. But despite the general pessimism surrounding Congress there are several reason to expect the 114th to be more productive… Read More
Can Republicans roll back Obama’s executive order? It’s hard but not impossible.
Republicans have rallied behind the idea of defunding Obama’s executive order on immigration either through the omnibus or a rescission – a bill passed after an appropriations bill. However, this… Read More
113th Congress: Arguably the least democratic in American history
The 113th Congress may very well go down as the least democratic in our nation’s history. Except probably not in the way you are thinking. This has nothing to do… Read More