Category Archives: political parties

“How ‘Negative Partisanship’ Has Transformed American Politics”

April 17, 2015, 2:39 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Jonathan Chiat: Emory political scientists Alan Abramowitz and Steven Webster have a new paper, not yet available online, exploring the nature of the new polarization. The paper is filled with interesting findings, but the major one is an attempt… Continue reading

“Democrats Keep Lead in Party Identification”

April 12, 2015, 8:45 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Nate Cohn analysis at NYT’s The Upshot.

The Political Safeguards of Horizontal Federalism

March 20, 2015, 10:03 amelection law and constitutional law, guest blogging election law scholarship, political parties, political polarization, theory, Uncategorizedfederalism, PoliticsHeather Gerken

Over at Balkinization, I’ve been blogging (here, here, here, and here) about the benefits associated with spillovers, which occur when one state’s policies affect citizens of another state. Most of those arguments have to do… Continue reading

“McConnell Makes Changes, but Senate Gridlock Remains”

March 20, 2015, 7:40 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: WASHINGTON — When he became majority leader, propelled by sweeping Republican victories last year, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky vowed to run a more productive and traditional Senate than his Democratic predecessor, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada. In… Continue reading

“Kentucky’s Rand Paul caucus problem”

March 19, 2015, 9:28 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Joshua Spivak at The Hill.

“What a Kentucky Presidential Caucus Would Mean For Overseas Voters”

March 17, 2015, 7:39 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Ashley Lopez commentary.

Schmitt on Reform Skeptics and Romantics

March 10, 2015, 5:39 pmcampaigns, political parties, primariesBruce Cain and Emily Zhang

Mark Schmitt has written a thoughtful piece about democratic romanticism in the recent edition of the journal Democracy (http://www.democracyjournal.org/36/democratic-romanticism-and-its-critics.php). In it, he identifies “an increasingly influential group of scholars and journalists” who form a “school of skeptics” about… Continue reading

“Spare Annapolis the dysfunction of D.C.”

March 10, 2015, 5:26 pmpolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

David Lublin oped in the Baltimore Sun.

“Iowa caucuses are a poor proxy for America”

March 8, 2015, 4:18 pmpolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

Rick Ridder oped. See also my 2012 Slate piece, Kill the Caucuses!

Senator Tim Scott Calls for “De-Coupling” Voting Rights Legislation and Selma Commemoration

March 6, 2015, 9:32 ampolitical parties, Voting Rights ActRick Hasen

WOW: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., an honorary co-chairman of the Selma trip and the only African-American Republican in the Senate, said voting rights and the commemoration of Selma should be “de-coupled.” “The issue of voting rights legislation and the… Continue reading