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113th Congress: Arguably the least democratic in American history
The 113th Congress may very well go down as the least democratic in our nation’s history. Except probably not in the way you are thinking. This has nothing to do… Read More
New Republican rule complicates Rep. Paul Ryan’s future
New House Republican Conference rules prevent members seeking higher office to hold committee and subcommittee chairs. Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) said, the “idea is not to have major committees,… Read More
Income inequality did not affect the midterms – unless this was a very weird election.
Democrats are searching for explanations to Tuesday’s thorough defeat. Aside from obvious considerations – low turnout, 6th year election, etc. – there are several arguments that the economy was a… Read More
Can the midterm outcome “solve” Washington’s problems? No. But it can make things worse.
An old adage is that lawmakers win reelection by “running against Washington.” According to a recent Gallup poll, just 14% of Americans approve of Congress’s job performance. So while… Read More
Vote Scores are hurting Vulnerable Senate Democrats
Several Senate Democrats are running their campaigns as far away from the President as possible. Democrats are defending six states that Mitt Romney won in 2012. Three Democratic incumbents… Read More
Congressional Abdication at its Finest
Ebola is the most recent “crisis” (footnote: “crisis” is a loose term given Ebola’s relative lack of impact on the health of individual Americans) is highlighting a severe abdication of… Read More
Food Fight! Can Food Brands Predict Elections?
A few weeks ago on Meet the Press, Chuck Todd proposed that the fate of the Senate could come down to the distribution of Starbucks coffee shops (an elitist,… Read More
Don’t like the president’s “power grab” on ISIS? Blame Congress.
Pundits on both sides of the aisle are criticizing the Obama administration’s decision to bomb ISIS targets without seeking congressional approval. For example, Andrew Sullivan compares Obama’s actions to… Read More
Can Democrats replace Ginsburg?
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in an Elle magazine interview, announced she would not retire because, “[Obama] could not successfully appoint anyone I would like to see on… Read More
Congress out of session does not mean Congress isn’t working
The Fix blog at the Washington Post has an article arguing that since 1978, Congress has only worked a full week 14% of the time. This is a common—and extraordinarily… Read More