Is the Senate filibuster a "Jim Crow Relic"? No.
Legislators from across the country--not just the South--contributed to the development of filibustering in Congress.
MISCHIEFS OF FACTION
Reflections on Parties and Their Place in Politics
Search
How years of mandate-claiming paved the way for the crisis of democracy
Elections are at the center of Trumpism. A recent report finds that “Republicans widely support Donald Trump and believe his claims about...
The Two Republican Presidential Contests
The traditional presidential nomination contest has already begun. But Trump has yet to make a decision that could upend everything else.
To Reform the Filibuster, Parties Need to Protect Marginal Senators
If majority parties can help marginal members navigate the tension between the policy demands of their party base and the moderate preferenc
The Tea Party and the Rise of a Conservative Insurgency
A conversation with Rachel Blum about her recent book How the Tea Party Captured the GOP.
Why Republicans are Ousting Liz Cheney
The House GOP has decided it can’t win without Trump’s voters and it can’t keep Trump’s voters if a party leader is condemning Trump.
California recall: Why this ain't 2003
Whatever it took for the GOP to win a California recall in 2003, they have none of that now.
It Takes (At Least) Two to Do Democracy
A third of state legislative contests regularly go uncontested, undermining one of the basic facets of democratic governance.
The faculty lounge discourse* is a red herring
Academics are mad at James Carville for dismissing what he calls "faculty lounge" politics in his Vox interview with Sean Illing. His...
Mayor of Crazytown
John Boehner’s new memoir underscores the challenges of governing in today’s Congress.
Mondale and Minnesota's DFL
Mondale saw statemanship inextricably linked with partisanship.
What Makes a Good Nominee?
Mondale got annihilated in his run against Reagan; does that mean he was a bad nominee?
Aaron Burr is not to blame for the Senate filibuster
The recent debate over the Senate filibuster has led to a lot of fruitful conversation, but also the revival of bad arguments I hoped to...
Letters to a Publicly Engaged Academic
If you're a publicly engaged scholar, there are critics who want to silence you. Here's how to keep them from winning.
To delay or not to delay?
House Republicans wrestle with an age-old dilemma: cooperation versus confrontation.
Integrity versus Democracy: the battle for voting rights in 2021
You can have a democratic system with weakly defined sovereignty, but you can’t have a sovereign democracy that excludes groups of people.
Covid Offers a Brief Glimpse of a World Without Lobbyists
Covid restrictions have kicked lobbyists out of some state legislatures, and that's both a relief and a loss for legislators.
Are voters' preferences over stimulus checks driven by party loyalty or financial gain?
Experiment shows Republicans' fealty to Trump overrides their desire for stimulus money
The Freedom Caucus is not just a D.C. phenomenon
The House Freedom Caucus is not only highly influential in Congress; it has inspired state lawmakers to form caucuses of their own. Why?
Does a Party Lose for Doing Too Much or Too Little?
Majority party members often get punished for being part of a productive party, not rewarded.