Category Archives: political parties

“Is America Governable?” Conference at UT Austin Jan. 24-26

January 8, 2013, 8:54 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

I’m really looking forward to participating in this symposium organized by Sandy Levinson (see the schedule and list of participants). Here’s the general description: Pundits and political figures across the political spectrum now regularly refer to the United States… Continue reading

“Why ‘gerrymandering’ doesn’t polarise Congress the way we’re told”

January 8, 2013, 11:52 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Harry Enten writes for The Guardian.

“U.S. House Republicans Who Supported the ‘Cliff Deal’ Were Most Likely to Come from States with Closed Primaries”

January 7, 2013, 5:06 pmpolitical parties, political polarization, primariesRick Hasen

Ballot Access News reports. Mark Paul: “That doesn’t count as definitive evidence, but it’s a reminder that we are still waiting for the [top two primary] reformers to show us any evidence that the changes they pimped have… Continue reading

“5 reasons gridlock will seize Congress again”

January 4, 2013, 10:13 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

The Fix reports.

“GOP scrambles to fix its primary problem”

January 4, 2013, 9:50 ampolitical parties, political polarization, primariesRick Hasen

Politico: “The disastrous 2012 election and embarrassing fiscal cliff standoff has brought forth one principal conclusion from establishment Republicans: They have a primary problem. The intra-party contests, or threat thereof, have become the original sin that explains many of… Continue reading

“Op-Ed: Harry Reid’s filibuster plan and the Supreme Court”

January 3, 2013, 8:23 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarization, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Steven Duffield: The most dramatic impact of the Reid Plan will be with regard to the Supreme Court, where the House of Representatives plays no constitutional role. President Obama will likely fill between one and three Supreme Court… Continue reading

Fewest Bills from 112th Congress

December 31, 2012, 12:03 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NBC News First Read: In addition, just 219 bills have been passed into law — the lowest number since Congress began tracking this number in the 1940s. (And many of these bills were naming courthouses or post offices.) The previous… Continue reading

Asymmetric Polarization in Congress

December 28, 2012, 4:22 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarization, Remedies, tax law and election law, term limitsRick Hasen

Political Wire: Harry Enten looks at statistics that rank members of Congress on a scale from -1 for most liberal to 1 for most conservative and finds Senate and House Democrats have been fairly stable at -0.4 since 1992.… Continue reading

“Wonky When It Comes To Politics, States Are Barely United”

December 28, 2012, 9:01 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Important NPR report on polarization.

“Washington State Senators Cross Aisle and Tilt Ideological Balance”

December 27, 2012, 7:51 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Interesting NYT report.

“As Swing Districts Dwindle, Can a Divided House Stand?”

December 27, 2012, 7:46 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Nate Silver: “In 1992, there were 103 members of the House of Representatives elected from what might be called swing districts: those in which the margin in the presidential race was within five percentage points of the national result. But… Continue reading

“The Myth of State Autonomy: Federalism, Political Parties, and the National Colonization of State Politics”

December 20, 2012, 4:08 pmpolitical partiesRick Hasen

Jim Gardner has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: American federalism contemplates that states will retain a significant degree of autonomy so that state power can serve as a meaningful counterweight to national power. It is often… Continue reading

“Party Identity in a Gun Cabinet”

December 19, 2012, 9:35 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

FiveThirtyEight: “An American child grows up in a married household in the suburbs. What are the chances that his family keeps a gun in their home? The probability is considerably higher than residents of New York and other big… Continue reading