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MISCHIEFS OF FACTION
Reflections on Parties and Their Place in Politics
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Matthew Green
Jun 1, 20234 min read
The debt limit bill passes the House
What the House's passage of the debt limit bill tells us about the speakership of Kevin McCarthy and political parties in Congress.
Matthew Green
Jan 8, 20236 min read
The struggle to select a Speaker
The historic and dramatic election for Speaker underscores some basic features of Congress and congressional parties.
Seth Masket
Jan 7, 20234 min read
The Speaker Fight through the Eyes of Lauren Boebert
Lauren Boebert had an awesome week, and not many people in the House did. She seemed to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
Gregory Koger
Jan 4, 20233 min read
Democrats should propose a plurality rule for Speaker elections
Democrats could make a point of order at the conclusion of a Speaker ballot that a plurality is sufficient to win
The Staff
Dec 15, 20224 min read
Did Republican-Leaning Polls "Flood the Zone" in 2022?
2022 saw a rise in Republican-leaning pollsters as Election Day approached, which may have biased some aggregate forecasts.
Matthew Green
Dec 14, 20224 min read
Could a bipartisan coalition elect the next Speaker?
State legislatures have sometimes chosen leaders with cross-party coalitions, but conditions in the U.S. House make it unlikely
Julia Azari
Nov 20, 20225 min read
Trump's Still Outside the GOP Establishment. That might matter more than you think.
The past couple of weeks have produced some very ambiguous news about the future of Trump and the GOP. One of the most prominent...
Seth Masket
Nov 13, 20222 min read
The States Swing Both Ways
Some states voted a lot more Democratic in 2022 than they did in 2020, and some voted a lot more Republican. Is this unusual?
Jonathan M. Ladd
Nov 4, 20222 min read
These Two Big Unknowns Make the 2022 Midterms Unusually Unpredictable
No one knows if Trump coalition will turnout. And no one knows whether Dobbs will disrupt the usual midterm backlash
Seth Masket
Nov 2, 20224 min read
Tomorrow’s Narratives Today!
We don't know the election results yet, but we know what pundits are going to say.
Matthew Green
Oct 5, 20223 min read
Assessing the “Commitment to America”
Like other congressional party platforms, it isn’t likely to influence the election -- but it does serve other purposes.
Seth Masket
Sep 29, 20223 min read
Journalists Sitting On Quotes Is Not Changing Events
Reporters holding back juicy quotes is not affecting the outcome of events. The same information is almost always already out there.
Jennifer N. Victor
Sep 29, 20226 min read
Democratic backsliding is happening. Good thing we already know what to do.
Our ancestors taught us how to defeat autocracy in the U.S.; we should heed them. It's tempting to start a 10-year retrospective on...
Matthew Green
Sep 27, 20223 min read
Political parties in Congress: a ten-year retrospective
Congressional parties have changed in the past decade -- and differently across parties and chambers.
Julia Azari
Sep 27, 20225 min read
Political Science Went Public. American Democracy Got Worse.
What the last decade has shown us about polarization, leadership, and institutions.
Seth Masket
Sep 27, 20224 min read
With or Without Parties?
Are we still better off with parties than without them? What we've learned about their vulnerabilities and dangers in the past decade.
Seth Masket
Aug 24, 20224 min read
Are the Forecast Models just plain Wrong?
In 2022, what traditional forecast models are telling is wildly different from what everything else is telling us. Here's why.
The Staff
Aug 17, 20224 min read
Dobbs and the Sorting of America
by Casey Burgat Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) may be right (well, at least about one part of one thing): the institution-shaking Supreme...
Seth Masket
Jul 6, 20225 min read
Republicans Doing Normal Party Stuff in Colorado
Something interesting happened in last week's primary elections in Colorado. In several key races, the Republican Party seemed to rally...
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