Inside a Senate Fillibuster
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
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”
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
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
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?
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
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
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
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
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