Recall Elections Are Disruptive And Unnecessary

In an ideal world, today’s Recall Election in Wisconsin would not even be legally possible.

Bill Ayers’ Barbecue and Other Things That Won’t Decide the Election

Republicans apparently think that re-running the 2008 campaign, just more efficiently or more ruthlessly, will work this time. Here’s why it won’t.

How Obama Became a Hawk

The president has come a long way from his days as a “liberal law professor who campaigned against the Iraq war.”

A Comparative Note on Amendment Processes

We, as Americans, tend to have a limited knowledge of the institutional variation that exists across democratic systems around the world.

Is it Too Hard to Amend the Constitution? A Brief Response

Yes, it is too hard to amend. A few quick thoughts on the subject.

Understanding Public Opinion Poll Results

How can opinion shift quickly on a given topic?

Another Prominent Conservative Takes On The New Right

Michael Fumento becomes the latest prominent conservative to criticize what conservatism has become.

Is It Racist To Oppose Barack Obama?

Figuring out how much of the opposition to a black president is based on racism is . . . complicated.

Birtherism and the Electoral College

States actually have constitutional authority over the selection of electors, not of the president.

Democratic Senators Unleash Tax Vendetta Against Eduardo Saverin

Eduardo Saverin has become a political whipping boy.

Even if Christie is VP, Obama Wins New Jersey

A new poll finds that adding Chris Christie to the ticket would fail to deliver New Jersey to the Republicans.

Do Businessmen Make Good Presidents?

The Oval Office is nothing like a corporate boardroom.

Get Rid Of Recall Elections

Recall elections in a hyper-partisan atmosphere are not a good thing.

Dissecting Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy

Is there a Romney Doctrine?

The Census, the House GOP, and the Founders

The Founders would never have thought to do more than count people in the Census!

More on the Federalist Papers as the Rosetta Stone for the Constitution

There are a number of problems with the notion that the Federalist Papers provide a perfect guide to the Constitution.

Teaching the Federalist Papers

If we taught the Federalist Papers more rigorously would that lead to a shared view of the constitution?

All Facts Are Not Created Equal

Our psychological and cultural biases make evaluating information and arguments rationally next to impossible.

Parties Play to Win the Game

Parties are in politics primarily to win the vote of the median voter, not to join together and sing Kumbaya.

Voter Turnout And Registration

Some thoughts on the voter registration/voter turnout debate.

Voter Registration Restrictions and Representative Democracy

We should want more voters, not less, if we actually value representaitve democracy.

War And The Presidency

According to some historians, a President isn’t truly great unless he involves America in a bloody and destructive war.

Levon Helm in ‘Final Stages’ of Cancer Battle

Legendary musician Levon Helm is dying.

Institutional Parameters Matter

The Senate didn’t have a productive 2011. Is this just a case of laziness?

Do Americans Really Want A President Who “Feels Our Pain”?

We need a lot less fake empathy in politics.

Where Have the Thoughtful Conservatives Gone?

OTB’s comment section as a microcosm of the American political landscape.

How SuperPACs Have Made Politics More Democratic

Far from being deterimental, there is a case to be made that SuperPACs have actually expended democracy during this election cycle.

Politics, Hubris, And The Questionable Constitutionality Of ObamaCare

This week’s hearings in the Supreme Court caught many proponents of the Affordable Care Act off guard.

IR Wonks vs. IR Journals

Dan Drezner declares that “Policy wonks ignore political science journals at their peril.”

Conservatives and the Individual Mandate

Is the now-familiar refrain that the individual mandate was originally a conservative idea really true?

What Should Americans Know About American Government?

What walking around knowledge about our political system is necessary to be an informed citizen?

Hate Crimes And The Rutgers SpyCam Case

Dharun Ravi was convicted of bias intimidation toward Tyler Clementi. It’s not at all clear that he should have been.

How Do You Defeat An Incumbent President?

The odds are against anyone who challenges an incumbent President. So, how do you do it?

The Stock Market And Elections: A Study In Correlation v. Causation

Can Wall Street predict the outcome of Presidential elections? Not really.

What is “Limited Government”?

What does it mean to have a limited government?