Voting Against the Debt Limit Is for Losers!

October 10, 2013
Greg Koger at the political science blog Mischiefs of Faction has an interesting post this morning entitled “Fiscal Conservatism is for Losers.”  In his post, Koger uses… Read More

How Can We Explain the Amash Vote to Defund the NSA?

July 30, 2013
A peculiar thing happened in the House last week.  An amendment offered by Justin Amash (R-MI) narrowly failed on the floor, with a majority Democrats voting for the amendment (offered… Read More

Are Members of Congress “Truthful?” A Response to the PolitiFact Study

May 30, 2013
The Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA) at George Mason University released a report examining PolitiFact ratings gauging Republicans’ and Democrats’ “truthfulness.”  PolitiFact developed their so-called… Read More

Perspectives on the South Carolina Special Election

May 7, 2013
Voters in South Carolina’s 1st  district head to the polls today for a special election.  What follows is my perspective on the election with links to worthwhile readings on… Read More

Follow Up: Simulating Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s Vote on “The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act”

May 2, 2013
Tuesday’s post simulated Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s roll-call record taking into consideration the 1st district’s partisanship and the campaign contributions she has received from unions.  The main point was that voters in the 1st district… Read More

Colbert Busch vs. Sanford: Who Will They Represent?

April 30, 2013
Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Mark Sanford met last night for the first—and presumably only—televised debate for South Carolina’s vacant 1st congressional seat.  There were a few notable exchanges.  For example,… Read More

A Primer on the Primary: The South Carolina Special Election

March 19, 2013
Voters in the lowcountry head to the polls today in a special election primary.  The vacancy in South Carolina’s 1st district opened when Republican Tim Scott accepted Governor Nikki… Read More

Is the GOP Debt Ceiling Proposal Constitutional?

January 21, 2013
Over the weekend, House Republicans unveiled a debt ceiling proposal that’s the subject of some controversy.  Shocking, I know.  The controversy hinges on the fact that, while Republicans tout themselves… Read More

Jim DeMint’s Retirement: Good News or Bad News for Lindsey Graham?

December 6, 2012
So yeah, this happened.  While Jim DeMint had publicly stated he would not run seek reelection in 2016, today’s announcement is surprising nonetheless.  And as if his premature retirement… Read More

Did Strategic Disagreement Kill the Disability Treaty?

December 5, 2012
Yesterday the Senate rejected the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty.  As political scientist Jeff Peake noted, this was the first treaty… Read More