Category Archives: political parties

“Could campaign finance overhaul help solve congressional gridlock?”

December 8, 2016, 7:27 pmcampaign finance, campaigns, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Open Secrets reports on today’s Excellent Sidley forum at NYU in DC: Should we restrict political contributions? How have weakened political parties impacted this election? Can public financing work? President-elect Donald Trump pledged to “drain the swamp,” yet has not… Continue reading

How Will Congress and the Separation of Powers Function Under a Trump Administration?

November 29, 2016, 12:32 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRichard Pildes

Christopher DeMuth, former head of OIRA in the Reagan OMB and former President of AEI, has a long, thoughtful essay in the weekend Wall Street Journal in which he explores whether the separation of powers might see a revival in… Continue reading

Democrats Blame “Voter Suppression” for Clinton Loss at Their Peril

November 10, 2016, 9:26 ampolitical parties, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

Let me start by getting a few important points out of the way, so it is clear what I’m saying. Yes, Republican legislatures have passed a series of laws making it harder to register and vote. It is not just… Continue reading

“The Democratic Party Establishment Is Finished”

November 9, 2016, 8:34 amcampaigns, political partiesRick Hasen

Jim Newell: The midterm losses? That was just a bad cycle, structurally speaking; presidential demographics would make up for it. The party establishment made a grievous mistake rallying around Hillary Clinton. It wasn’t just a lack of recent political seasoning.… Continue reading

“A Narrower Majority for Republicans Could Widen the House Divide”

November 4, 2016, 8:50 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: But some members of the Freedom Caucus seem to have another agenda in mind. They strategized behind closed doors on Wednesday about how to press for their priorities during the lame-duck session, as well as under a potential… Continue reading

“The Divided States of America”

September 22, 2016, 11:21 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Must-read Lee Drutman NYT oped: Reading the nonstop coverage of what may well be a close presidential election, one might be forgiven for thinking that political competition is alive and well in America. But look at the majority of states… Continue reading

“Senate Dysfunction Blocks Bipartisan Criminal Justice Overhaul”

September 16, 2016, 7:19 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: A major criminal-justice overhaul bill seemed destined to be the bipartisan success story of the year, consensus legislation that showed lawmakers could still rise above politics and take on a serious societal problem. Then the election got in… Continue reading

“Conservative Bloc Could Grow Within House GOP; With centrists at risk in election, conservatives stand to gain more influence”

September 15, 2016, 6:48 ampolitical parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

WSJ reports.

“Take Back the House, Democrats. Please.”

September 4, 2016, 7:37 amcampaigns, legislation and legislatures, political partiesRick Hasen

Robert Frank in NYT Sunday Review.

Strange Goings on in Vermont Campaign Finance

August 25, 2016, 3:00 pmcampaign finance, political partiesRick Hasen

Here’s a story from late July that probably deserves more coverage: Accusations are flying in the state’s ongoing prosecution of an alleged campaign finance law violation from nearly two years ago. The case involving Attorney General Bill Sorrell’s pursuit of… Continue reading

Ohio Files #SCOTUS Response in Gary Johnson Bid to Be Labeled “Libertarian” on Ohio Ballot

August 25, 2016, 12:17 pmballot access, political parties, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

Filing (and a filing by intervenor Gregory Felsoci (more on Felsoci here). Justice Kagan can decide this or refer to the full Court. I expect a decision very soon, given the ballot printing deadline of Tuesday. Thanks to Chris… Continue reading

Johnson/Weld Will Appear on OH Ballot, But Still Not Certain with Libertarian Label

August 24, 2016, 7:41 amballot access, political partiesRick Hasen

Here’s the latest AP report, but it is unclear to me if SOS Husted will be listing them as Libertarians, the subject of the emergency SCOTUS motion.

9th Circuit Rejects Democratic Party Challenge to Hawaii Open Primary Law

August 15, 2016, 11:48 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

The unanimous opinion is here. I had always read Supreme Court cases like Tashjian and CA Democratic Party v. Jones as standing for the principle that if the party objects to the open or closed nature of a primary,… Continue reading