Max Cleland, 1942-2021

The Vietnam War hero and one-term Georgia Senator has died at 79.

Minority Power in the Senate

Senator Romney and the latest edition of the senatorial pro-filibuster op/ed.

President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room. President Joe Biden takes notes doing a G7 Leaders’ Virtual Meeting Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in the White House Situation Room.

Biden: Democrats Have Reached a Deal

$1.75 trillion ain’t $3.5 trillion but it’s something.

Manchin in a Nutshell

The West Virginia Senator is the epicenter of contemporary American politics.

The Power of Mythology

It does not create better deliberation.

Canada and Single-Seat Plurality Elections

Canada has more parties than the US, but still suffers representation problems due to FPTP elections.

What’s Kyrsten Sinema’s Game?

The political calculus of Arizona’s senior Senator is unclear.

Manchin’s ‘Strategic Pause’

More machinations from the mischievous mining mouthpiece.

There is No ‘Manchin Dilemma’

He beats the alternative.

One Child, One Vote

J.D. Vance’s cynical suggestion.

Money and Intra-Party Competition

More in a series of ongoing observations about the GOP primaries.

Democrats Increasingly Frustrated with Congress

It turns out a 51-50 Senate majority isn’t enough.

Party-Switching and the Senate

Are Sinema and Machin going to jump ship?

Sinema’s Filibuster Defense

It’s no better than Joe Manchin’s.

Book Review: Kill Switch

Discussing the filibuster.

Virginia’s Weird Politics

The Commonwealth is much more diverse than national election returns might indicate.

Texas Democrats Deny Quorum, Delay Elections Bill

A special session looms. (And how this is not like the filibuster in the US Senate).

Bipartisan Commission Dies From Lack of Bipartisanship

The country is in peril.

Joe Manchin’s Houseboat

The flagship of the centrist Navy is both a throwback and a sign of what’s wrong with the Senate.

Joe Manchin’s Weird Filibuster Defense

It doesn’t work like the movies, Senator.

Georgia Passes New Election Law

It makes voting harder.

Manchin Supports Tax Hike for Infrastructure

While progressives in the party are often frustrated with the West Virginia Senator, he is demonstrating yet again that he’s no Republican.

Duckworth and Hirono Holding Biden Nominees Hostage

Appoint more Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Or else!

Biden First Since Reagan to Get All Cabinet Picks Confirmed

The seemingly unremarkable event hadn’t happened in four decades.

The free high-resolution photo of achievement, agreement, alliance, america, american, black and white, buddy, business, business agreement, business deal, business people, bw, caucasian, closeup, collaborate, collaboration, companion, company, connected, cooperation, corporate, deal, diversity, gray scale, grayscale, greeting, hands, handshake, help, hold, join, management, organization, participation, partnership, people, relation, russian, shake hands, shaking hands, strategy, suit and tie, support, team, teamwork, together, togetherness, venture, westerner, white collar worker, hand, gesture, finger, wrist, interaction, photography, stock photography, holding hands, monochrome, employment @rawpixel.com, taken with an unknown camera 02/18 2019 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. The free high-resolution photo of achievement, agreement, alliance, america, american, black and white, buddy, business, business agreement, business deal, business people, bw, caucasian, closeup, collaborate, collaboration, companion, company, connected, cooperation, corporate, deal, diversity, gray scale, grayscale, greeting, hands, handshake, help, hold, join, management, organization, participation, partnership, people, relation, russian, shake hands, shaking hands, strategy, suit and tie, support, team, teamwork, together, togetherness, venture, westerner, white collar worker, hand, gesture, finger, wrist, interaction, photography, stock photography, holding hands, monochrome, employment @rawpixel.com, taken with an unknown camera 02/18 2019 The picture taken with The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0.

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Deal-making in Washington is next to impossible.

Our Unrepresentative Government (Yet Again)

Yet another reminder about pathologies of US democracy.

Counterpoint: The House Managers Made Their Case

Of course, it depends on what case one thinks needs to have been made.

More on the Evolution of US Party Politics

Specifically: the former confederacy and Democratic dominance.

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Partisan Control in the Congress

Some political history,

I Voted

A surprisingly uneventful experience.

More On Expanding The Supreme Court

It’s time to accept the desecration of our political constitution.

Let’s Drop The “Proto” Already

American fascism is on parade, right now.

Pronouncing ‘Kamala’

I’ve been thinking it wrong for years.

US Party System Evolution

A quick overview and some examples to start a longer conversation.

Tuberville Beats Sessions for AL GOP Senate Nomination

Tommy Tuberville is likely the next Senator from the state of Alabama.

What the Oregon Senate Primary Tells us about our Party System

This is more about structural conditions than it is about the GOP.

The TV Doctors and the Problem of Cable “News”

Cable news “experts” frequently aren’t.

Further Evidence That The Fix Is In For Trump’s Senate Trial

Lindsey Graham is the latest Senator to make clear that he’s already made up his mind on impeachment.

New Poll Purports To Show Lindsey Graham Vulnerable To Democratic Challenger

A new poll shows Senator Lindsey Graham vulnerable to a Democratic challenge next year, but there are several caveat.

Joseph Kennedy III Enters Race Against Ed Markey For Senate

A familiar name has entered the race for the Democratic Senate nomination in Massachusetts.

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Mitch McConnell And Wife Tied To Favortism At Transportation Department

Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is being accused of giving preferential access to businesses and businessmen tied to her husband, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell

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House Passes DACA Protection Bill, But Senate Republicans Will Kill It

The House of Representatives passed a bill that would extend protection to DACA beneficiaries and other Dreamers, but it’s likely to die in the Senate.

McConnell Says Senate Would Fill SCOTUS Vacancy In 2020

Mitch McConnell has had an unsurprising change of heart on the issue of Senate consideration of Supreme Court nominees in a Presidential election year.

Senate Republicans Have Already Made Up Their Mind On Impeachment

The House of Representatives has not even acted on impeachment, but Senate Republicans have already made up their mind.

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The Do Nothing Senate

Other than confirming a lot of Trump Judges, the Senate has not been getting much work done so far this year.

Wyoming Senator Mike Enzi Won’t Run For Re-Election In 2020

The move creates a rare Senate opening in the Equality State, and an opportunity for the daughter of a certain former Vice-President.

Stacy Abrams Not Running for Senate

The narrow loser of the Georgia governor’s race has left open the possibility of running for President.

Stacy Abrams Floats 2020 Presidential Run

The woman famous for losing the Georgia governor’s race is eyeing a bigger job.

Senate Appears Poised To Block Trump’s National Emergency

There appear to be enough votes in the Senate to pass the resolution disapproving President Trump’s border wall “emergency,” but there’s not enough Republican support to override an expected veto.