Inside a Senate Fillibuster

September 9, 2010
After a long job market-fueled APSA hiatus, things are back to normal (whatever that means).  Our content should pick up soon. In the meantime, here is George Mitchell recalling… Read More

Calendar Wednesday: An Old Rule but Great Tradition

September 1, 2010
Three new ethics cases were submitted to OCE (Office of Congressional Ethics). Of course, Tom Price (R-Ga.), John Campbell (R-Calif.) and Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) never did anything wrong. Read More

The Likelihood of “Repealing Health Care”

August 20, 2010
The subject of “repealing” the health care reform package is of considerable importance for political scientists, pundits and lawmakers, both as a political issue and for the next congressional session. … Read More

Analyzing the Primary Elections Results

August 11, 2010
So, after the dust settled yesterday in our mid August primaries, where do we stand?  In Colorado, the Democratic establishment candidate, Michael Bennet, rode Obama’s endorsement to victory as he… Read More

Institutions v. Agency: Why the Senate is Weird

August 9, 2010
The “problem of the Senate” is a hot topic today. David Broder, Jonathan Chait, Jon Bernstein, and John Sides all commented on… Read More

Do the Republicans Lack a Legislative Agenda?

August 1, 2010
Though I planned this entry a few weeks back, it dovetails nicely with Josh’s previous post.  Essentially, Josh reminded us of Richard Fenno, arguing that a legislator’s electoral… Read More

Don’t Blink…You’ll Miss the Filibuster

July 30, 2010
In 1957, Strom Thurmond held the Senate floor for 24 hours and 18 minutes to stall the passage of the 1957 Civil Rights Act.  He prepared himself for his crusade… Read More

Governing v. Elections: A False Dichotomy

July 26, 2010
Pundits, particularly those supporting the majority, love to emphasize an “inherent tension” in our governing system: Governing v. Elections. You likely heard this frequently during the healthcare debate. As progress… Read More

Deficit Democrats

July 8, 2010
There is a lot of uproar about the recent deficit dispute.  Republicans say, as if they were holding hands around a camp fire, that we are mortgaging our children’s future… Read More

And now the Democrats hate the Filibuster

July 6, 2010
Maybe this title is a bit of a hyperbole. But in a recent interview, Speaker Pelosi gives the impression that filibusters are beginning to irk her. Pelosi’s… Read More