An Ideological Mapping of South Carolina’s Senate Candidates

July 22, 2014
When it comes to politics, South Carolina is full of intrigue. From Lee Atwater’s Southern Strategy and the 2000 Republican primary to Joe Wilson’s “You Lie!” and Stephen Colbert’s… Read More

Who’s the Worst President? Evaluating the Quinnipiac Poll

July 7, 2014
Quinnipiac University’s “worst president” poll got a lot of press. Washington Post, the New York Times, CNN, Fox, and virtually every other news outlet have carried the headline, “Obama is the… Read More

Why the Logic of “Throwing the Bums Out” is Wrong

July 7, 2014
As the election season ramps up, Americans offer dozens of claims about the “problems” facing our country and their purported “solutions.”  But while many of these claims are amenable to… Read More

Obama, a Republican Congress, and Impeachment

June 19, 2014
Some Republicans are eager to impeach the President. Some are so eager that they go on the record saying that impeachment would probably pass the House of Representatives. Barletta (R-LA),… Read More

Are Career Politicians “Out of Touch” with Constituents?

June 9, 2014
On Tuesday, Republican voters in South Carolina head to the polls to elect a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Lindsey Graham.  Graham, who’s held the position since 2002,… Read More

Bergdahl, Benghazi, and Beyond: The Politics of Congressional Investigations

June 6, 2014
Is Bowe Bergdahl the new Benghazi? It would certainly seem so.  Several Republicans are calling for investigations into the now infamous prisoner swap.  Calls for impeachment… Read More

Could Boehner be the first Speaker to Win Seats and Lose Job?

May 14, 2014
The Fix recently wrote about how “A 2015 rebellion against John Boehner would be unprecedented.” In the piece Philip Bump argues that “no speaker has overseen a pick-up of… Read More

Assessing Congressional Productivity: Getting it Right

May 12, 2014
The Washington Post’s Wonkblog had a write up on congressional productivity not long ago. Its central thesis is Congress is more productive in election years than in non-election years. This is… Read More

Senatorial Courtesy, Blue Slips Caught in the Fallout

April 18, 2014
Ian Millhiser has a very good piece on judicial nominations and blue slips over at Think Progress. It covers a lot of ground and is a wonderful read. Read More

A Caveat on Congressional Productivity

April 14, 2014
On Thursday, Chris Cillizza examined an Obama statement in Texas: “This has become the least productive Congress in modern history, recent memory. And that’s by objective measures, just basic… Read More