Category Archives: political parties

No Wonder Donald Trump Opposes Va Loyalty Oath

December 31, 2015, 8:29 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

A few days ago, Donald Trump tweeted against Virginia’s loyalty oath: “It begins, Republican Party of Virginia, controlled by the RNC, is working hard to disallow independent, unaffiliated and new voters. BAD!” Well this new analysis from Nate Cohn of… Continue reading

“The Consequences of California’s Top-Two Primary”

December 31, 2015, 8:09 ampolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

The Atlantic: One of the immediate impacts of the top-two primary was that it had inadvertently created an incentive for candidates to broaden the field, recruiting additional candidates to dilute support for their most dangerous opponents. This became evident… Continue reading

David Frum on Republican Voter Suppression and Gerrymandering as Political Strategy

December 30, 2015, 10:07 ampolitical parties, The Voting WarsRick Hasen

@PeterBeinart and @DavidFrum both have excellent political articles in the upcoming issue of The Atlantic. Beinart’s pieces deal with the U.S. moving left, thanks in large part to demographic change and changing attitudes of millennials. (More on the… Continue reading

“Prominent Lawyer Outlines Nightmare Situations for G.O.P. Convention”

December 30, 2015, 9:14 ampolitical partiesRick Hasen

NYT: Mr. Ginsberg outlined two events that would leave Republican leaders scrambling to sort out who will represent the party in the general election: a “clear cluster” and a “party buster.” In the first case, several candidates would be hundreds… Continue reading

“These four reasons explain why bipartisanship is breaking out all over. Will it last?”

December 17, 2015, 11:07 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Must-read Sarah Binder.

“Unorthodox Lawmaking, Unorthodox Rulemaking”

December 16, 2015, 9:19 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Gluck, O’Connell, and Po have posted this draft on SSRN (forthcoming, Columbia Law Review). Here is the abstract: The Schoolhouse Rock! cartoon version of the conventional legislative process is dead, if it was ever an accurate description in the first… Continue reading

“Legislative Dysfunction and Political Accountability”

December 16, 2015, 9:17 amlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Edward Stiglitz has posted this draft on SSRN. Here is the abstract: The inability of members of Congress to agree on legislation is arguably generating a slow motion crisis in our separation of powers system. Some legislative disagreements reflect genuine… Continue reading

BIG: Campaign Finance Disclosure Efforts Dealt Severe Blow in Omnibus

December 16, 2015, 7:58 amcampaign finance, political parties, Supreme CourtRick Hasen

While campaign finance reformers were busy fighting off an attempt by Sen. McConnell to include a rider in the omnibus which would allow for unlimited coordinated party spending with candidates, three other very bad campaign finance provisions slipped into the… Continue reading

“McConnell Can Make Super PACs Obsolete”

December 15, 2015, 6:14 amcampaign finance, campaigns, political partiesRick Hasen

David Bossie for the National Review.

“McConnell Takes Credit for Resuscitating the Senate”

December 14, 2015, 8:22 pmlegislation and legislatures, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

NYT: Barney Frank once told me that asking Republicans to govern was like asking him, the first openly gay member of Congress, to judge the Miss America contest: He would do it, but he wouldn’t enjoy it much or… Continue reading

“Montana GOP lawsuit to force ‘closed primary’ election is going to trial”

December 14, 2015, 8:08 pmpolitical parties, primariesRick Hasen

MTN News reports.

“Yes to McConnell’s Rider”

December 14, 2015, 9:16 amcampaign finance, political parties, political polarizationRick Hasen

Ray La Raja: If you are disgusted with dark money, the outsized influence of billionaires, and power of uncompromising hard liners in Congress who hold the nation hostage to their dogmas, you should like a recent proposal by Senator… Continue reading

“GOP preparing for contested convention”

December 11, 2015, 6:40 amcampaigns, political partiesRick Hasen

WaPo: Republican officials and leading figures in the party’s establishment are preparing for the possibility of a brokered convention as businessman Donald Trump continues to sit atop the polls in the GOP presidential race. More than 20 of them… Continue reading