Category Archives: Polarization

A Primer on the Primary: The South Carolina Special Election

Posted on March 19, 2013 by

Voters in the lowcountry head to the polls today in a special election primary.  The vacancy in South Carolina’s 1st district opened when Republican Tim Scott accepted Governor Nikki Haley’s appointment to the Senate.  This chain of events was of course … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Polarization, Political Behavior, Political Parties, Primaries | 2 Comments

Did Strategic Disagreement Kill the Disability Treaty?

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

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

Quick Response on Polarization

Posted on October 22, 2012 by

Voteview has a very interesting look into my last post. I highly recommend it for those interested in the problem. They run an experiment by eliminating all the close roll call votes in Congress and measure polarization. After eliminating these … Continue reading →

Posted in Legislative Politics, Legislative Procedure, Polarization | Leave a comment

The Polarization Culprits

Posted on October 21, 2012 by

Jennifer Victor and Seth Masket recently posted a couple very good posts over at the  Mischeifs of Faction on polarization in Congress. If you aren’t already reading their blog, you should. Both approach the problem from an electoral perspective. There … Continue reading →

Posted in American Political Development, Legislative Procedure, Polarization, Political Institutions | 2 Comments

The Ratings War: Does It Matter?

Posted on September 12, 2012 by

Nothing epitomizes the horse race nature of presidential politics quite like the conventions ratings war.  For example, Matt Drudge and Rush Limbaugh were quick to dismiss the DNC’s higher tv ratings by noting that Honey Boo Boo tied Bill Clinton’s much-anticipated … Continue reading →

Posted in Elections, Polarization, Political Behavior, Political Parties, Voting Behavior | Leave a comment