Filter Content
What’s Missing in the Polarization Debate? Congress.
Currently, the debate over American polarization is dominated by electoral considerations: gerrymandering, sorting, PACs, campaign finance, etc. Most of these arguments are based on underlying assumption that the American people,… Read More
Voting Against the Debt Limit Is for Losers!
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
Government Shutdowns != Thelma and Louise
As we watch the Ted Cruz filibuster-ish thingy on CSPAN, I’m reminded of Harry Reid’s claim yesterday that the GOP’s effort to defund the Affordable Care Act, and ultimately… Read More
Simulating the Syria Resolution Vote in the Full Senate
Yesterday, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 10-7 to approve President Obama’s request to conduct military strikes against Syria (one member of the committee–Ed Markey–courageously voted “present”). Read More
Colbert Busch vs. Sanford: Who Will They Represent?
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
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
The State of the Union: Putting First Things First
State of the Unions. What are they good for? Absolutely nothing. Ok “absolutely nothing” is an oversimplification. But as best political scientists are able to discern, presidential speeches in… Read More
The Ratings War: Does It Matter?
Nothing epitomizes the horse race nature of presidential politics quite like the conventions ratings war. For example, Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh were quick to dismiss the DNC’s higher… Read More
Reforming Polarization and Gridlock: Series on Congressional Reform
For someone who studies congressional development, the past couple years have been frustrating. Many people with noble intentions proposed reforms to remedy our dysfunctional Congress. However, these discussions have almost universally… 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