Congressional Leadership
How long will the “open process” last?
Josh Huder | February 3, 2016
During the Republican retreat two weeks ago Speaker Ryan doubled down on his commitment open the process in the House. The original pledge was offered to satisfy conservative members’ desire for greater input and influence. Anyone with a deliberative-democratic bone in their body should welcome this change and the pledge. However, it comes with
Regular order: Republicans’ risky venture into open debate
Josh Huder | December 1, 2015
Members in the House are calling for regular order. If you have no idea what “regular order” means, don’t worry. You’re not alone. In fact, you’re probably in the company of many members of Congress. Calls for regular order are almost as old as the institution itself. In theory, regular order is open, deliberative processes
The Road Ahead
By Laura Blessing and Josh Huder, Senior Fellows Speaker John Boehner finally succumbed to the four-year pressure campaign waged by House conservatives. As politically weak as Boehner was in his conference, the institutional powers of the Speaker meant that he was never going to be forced out of his position. He’s powerful enough that he could
Conservatives’ Playcalling: Hail Mary… Repeat.
(Hail Mary, noun, 2. (FOOTBALL) a very long, typically unsuccessful pass made in a desperate attempt to score late in the game.) It appears Speaker Boehner may have another rebellion on his hands. Will this be the toughest challenge to his speakership? Maybe. That is if you don’t include the last two speakership elections,
The budget rule is uncommon but (small ‘d’) democratic
The House budget proposal is being brought to the floor under an uncommon rule called the queen-of-the-hill. It’s being framed as quirky, odd and, at times, a signal of Republican dysfunction. However, it perhaps best described as a release valve. Under the queen-of-the-hill process multiple amendments (which is a full substitute bill) are
Have Republicans Gone M.A.D. (Mutual Assured Destruction) on the Filibuster?
Frustrated House Republicans lashed out against their Senate colleagues Thursday cialis dosierungen. Without a clear path forward on the DHS funding bill, Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID) and others blamed Majority Leader McConnell for failing to save what is a bad legislative strategy. Roll Call’s Matt Fuller reports: “Mitch McConnell can change the
113th Congress: Arguably the least democratic in American history
The 113th Congress may very well go down in history as the least democratic in our nation’s history. Except it probably not in the way you are thinking. This has nothing to do with how much money was spent in campaigns, gerrymandering, voter suppression laws, or other things that distort the electoral process. The 113th Congress, more
114th Congress: Plenty of New Faces, but None in Top Party Leadership Posts
Susan Sullivan Lagon | November 12, 2014
There’s an old adage in American politics that campaigns boil down to a choice between one of two simple messages: “It’s time for a change,” or “Stay the course.” Democrats can blame President Obama’s unpopularity, their party’s boom-and-bust turnout, an extraordinarily challenging map of seats to defend in the Senate, the Republicans’ structural advantage in
Who Will Lead the Senate?
November 4 is right around the corner and speculation about which party will control the Senate and by how many seats has reached a frenzied pitch. Elections forecasters place the odds of a Republican takeover at about 70 percent. The odds shift, of course, whenever new polls, fundraising numbers, and campaign ads are released.
A History of Violence
Last Friday Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced that he would appoint a select committee to further investigate the September 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on the U.S. diplomatic compound and the CIA facility in Benghazi, Libya. This decision comes in the midst of a midterm election season and predictably it has generated panoply of partisan
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