Institutional Advancement: Do Dan Boren’s Claims Add Up?
Politico published an insightful article yesterday provocatively titled “Members of Congress: This Job Sucks.” Much of the article centers on and interview with Oklahoma Representative Dan Boren (D). Boren is retiring… Read More
How Air-Conditioning increased Polarization
John Farrell has a take on polarization in the National Journal. It’s a really interesting read and I recommend it, particularly if you are interested in the electoral forces… Read More
Left and Right are Still Important: The Flux of National Debate
Ezra Klein is frustrated with the fluctuation in party positions. His most damaging critique of this dynamic: “Parties — particularly when they’re in the minority — care more about power… Read More
What Next: Gabrielle Giffords’ Resignation
With Gabrielle Giffords’ resignation today, it looks like Arizona’s 8th Congressional District is up for grabs. Though Governor Jan Brewer has 3 days to announce a special election, the… Read More
In Defense of South Carolina: Institutions Matter
We all know the story of the 2000 Republican presidential primary in South Carolina. John McCain won New Hampshire by double digits, leading a massive increase in campaign donations, campaign volunteers… Read More
Should Ron Paul “Pray for Rain” on the 3rd?
A common elections adage is that Republican candidates should “pray for rain” on election day. The logic is that rain suppresses voter turnout among unlikely voters (who, in turn, disproportionately identify as… Read More
Unfairly picking on Ezra Klein
Ezra Klein wrote a article about “No Labels,” a non-partisan group dedicated to “Not left. Not right. Forward.” I don’t have a qualm with either the group’s objective or… Read More
Does Iowa Matter?
In the mist of an extremely long presidential primary and campaign – as long or longer than I can remember – conversations always reach this question: “Who cares about Iowa?”… Read More
Don’t Play With Your Food: Reconsidering The “Cracker Barrel v. Whole Foods” Meme
According to David Wasserman of the Washington Post, every presidential election has its cultural divisions: The 1896 presidential contest, for instance, is remembered as a battle between William Jennings… Read More
The Debt Ceiling and the Decline of American Democracy
Jacob Hacker and Oona Hathaway, both professors at Yale University, have a very good op-ed in today’s New York Times. I definitely recommend it. To sum up their argument,… Read More