Seth Masket
What Makes a Good Nominee?
Mondale got annihilated in his run against Reagan; does that mean he was a bad nominee?
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MISCHIEFS OF FACTION
Reflections on Parties and Their Place in Politics
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Gregory Koger
- Apr 19, 2021
- 8 min
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...
Seth Masket
- Apr 7, 2021
- 5 min
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.
Matthew Green
- Mar 22, 2021
- 4 min
To delay or not to delay?
House Republicans wrestle with an age-old dilemma: cooperation versus confrontation.
Jennifer N. Victor
- Mar 4, 2021
- 6 min
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.
Seth Masket
- Feb 22, 2021
- 3 min
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.
The Staff
- Feb 15, 2021
- 4 min
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 Staff
- Feb 10, 2021
- 4 min
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?
Seth Masket
- Jan 26, 2021
- 4 min
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.
Dominik Stecuła
- Jan 21, 2021
- 4 min
The politicization of covid
By Dominik Stecula After over 9 months of the novel coronavirus pandemic in the United States and over 400,00 lost Americans, the initial...
Amy Erica Smith
- Jan 19, 2021
- 5 min
Trump’s failures could illuminate a path for Bolsonaro’s success
By Amy Erica Smith [Note: This is the English version of an essay that appeared in the 18 January 2021 issue of the Brazilian...
The Staff
- Jan 19, 2021
- 5 min
Does the U.S. Really Resemble Latin America?
How does the US compare to so-called "banana republics"? Public opinion data show the US is not exceptional.
The Staff
- Jan 18, 2021
- 4 min
Impeachment Puts Presidential Power on Trial
Trump is more likely to "go public" in dealing with senators of his own party than to use presidential "soft power."
Matthew Green
- Jan 12, 2021
- 5 min
From freedom to sedition
How the House Freedom Caucus abandoned its constitutional conservatism and led an effort to subvert the 2020 presidential election.
Julia Azari
- Jan 11, 2021
- 4 min
Who is "we" the people?
Guest post by Carolyn Holmes At 1:24 PM on Wednesday, Congressman Steve Scalise stood to speak on the floor of the House of...
Seth Masket
- Jan 9, 2021
- 4 min
We Freaking Warned You
Political scientists have been taking Trump seriously and literally since 2015. We told you this would happen.
The Staff
- Jan 7, 2021
- 3 min
Remove Trump Immediately
The person inciting insurrections can not also be the person in charge of federal law enforcement. This is how democracies die.
Julia Azari
- Jan 7, 2021
- 4 min
We all live in the America Trump has made. Normal politics isn't enough.
At around 2pm eastern time yesterday, I watched the speeches on the Senate floor, both struck by the contrast between Pat Toomey and Ted...
Matthew Green
- Jan 7, 2021
- 4 min
A dark day
The violent attack on the U.S. Congress put a glaring spotlight on two disturbing features of contemporary American politics.
Gregory Koger
- Jan 4, 2021
- 3 min
The Origins of the 1887 Election Count Act
The 1877 filibuster of the electoral vote count exposed a flaw in the presidential election process. The Electoral Count Act was the result.
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