Category Archives: Legislative Politics

Follow Up: Simulating Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s Vote on “The Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act”

Tuesday’s post simulated Elizabeth Colbert Busch’s roll-call record taking into consideration the 1st district’s partisanship and the campaign contributions she has received from unions.  The main point was that voters in the 1st district will have a much larger effect on her voting record than … Continue reading

Posted in Elections, Electoral Institutions, Legislative Politics, Political Parties, Voting Behavior | Leave a comment

The State of the Union: Putting First Things First

State of the Unions.  What are they good for?  Absolutely nothing. Ok “absolutely nothing” is an oversimplification.  But as best political scientists are able to discern, presidential speeches in general—like last night’s State of the Union—have little independent effect on … Continue reading

Posted in Legislative Politics, Policy Agendas, Political Behavior, Separation of Powers, The Presidency | Leave a comment

On (the lack of) Gun Control Laws: How Much is the NRA to Blame?

This is a reblog of one of Nate’s posts from January of 2011 in response to the Gabby Giffords shooting.  I think it’s germane to the present conversation.  And for the record, this is not an endorsement of the NRA by any means, just an attempt … Continue reading

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The Filibuster: An “Accident of History”? On the Common Cause Lawsuit.

A few months back, we at the blog had a semi-regular series: “things institutionalists know that you should” (see for example see Josh on timing, Nate on Plott’s fundamental equation, and myself on the status quo bias of institutions).  This … Continue reading

Posted in American Political Development, Filibuster, Legislative Politics, Legislative Procedure | 1 Comment

Did Strategic Disagreement Kill the Disability Treaty?

Yesterday the Senate rejected the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) treaty.  As political scientist Jeff Peake noted, this was the first treaty to die on the Senate floor in over a decade (since the … Continue reading

Posted in Legislative Politics, Polarization | 1 Comment