Anti-Impeachment Democratic Congressman Reportedly Switching Parties

Democratic Congressman Jeff van Drew of New Jersey is reportedly switching parties

Checks and Balances are not What they are Cracked up to be

Alliance to party trumps alliance to branch.

Afghan War Marked By Incompetence, Misrepresentation, And Outright Lies

A new report details the extent to which the eighteen-year Afghanistan War has been marked by mistakes, and lies by the government to cover-up the fact that we went to war without a clear understanding of what we were doing.

Biden’s South Carolina Firewall

Former Vice-President Joe Biden continues to hold a strong lead in South Carolina even while slipping in other early states.

Does Michael Bloomberg “Radiate Electability”?

One political scientist says yes. A bunch of others say wait, what?

New York City Voters Approve Ranked-Choice Voting

A big win for ranked-choice voting in the Big Apple as voters approve a referendum that will bring ranked-choice voting to the nation’s most populous city.

Democrat Andy Beshear Leads In Tight Kentucky Governor’s Race

Republicans in general and Donald Trump in particular suffered a big loss in the Kentucky Governor’s race.

Kay Hagan, Former North Carolina Senator, Dead At 66

Former North Caroline Senator Kay Hagan has died,

Congressman Elijah Cummings Dead At 68

An iconic and honorable Member of Congress has passed away.

The Problem with Trump: Some Conclusions

Concluding thoughts (for the moment).

Mark A.R. Kleiman, 1951-2019

A great public intellectual, pioneering blogger, and all-around good man is gone.

Trump Picks Eugene Scalia, Son Of Late SCOTUS Justice, As Secretary Of Labor

President Trump has named his pick for Labor Secretary.

Susan Collins Faces Political Headwinds Back Home

Susan Collins hasn’t officially announced her intentions for 2020 just yet, but she looks like she’s running for re-election. If she does, she appears to be facing some political headwinds.

New Biden Plagiarism Scandal

While mildly embarrassing, it’s unlikely to have much impact on the race.

Thad Cochran, Longtime Congressman And Senator, Dead At 81

Thad Cochran, who represented Mississippi in Congress for 45 years, has died at the age of 81.

The Name-Caller-in-Chief

Trump’s penchant for behaving more like a talk radio host than a POTUS continues unabated.

Democrats’ Progessive Wing Less Powerful Than Thought?

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other firebrands aren’t steering the ship. Yet.

Democratic Voters Really Want To Beat Donald Trump

It’s still early in the 2020 cycle, but Democratic candidate are finding rally attendees focused on one thing. Beating Donald Trump.

Politics on Twitter vs IRL

The 2020 debate on Twitter does not represent ordinary Americans. Does that matter?

What’s a Freelancer, Anyway?

Labor law has not kept up with our changing economy.

Patrick Caddell, Carter Political Adviser During 1976 Campaign, Dies At 68

Patrick Caddell, who helped Jimmy Carter win the Democratic nomination and White House in 1976, has died at the age of 68.

No, Trump is Not ‘Authoritarian’

The President is an ignoramus and a blowhard and a petulant child but he’s operating within the Constitutional limits of his office.

Does Tulsi Gabbard Have A “Natural Born Citizen” Problem? No, She Doesn’t

Tulsi Gabbard was born in American Samoa, an American territory whose residents are generally not American citizens from birth. However, she is nonetheless a “natural born citizen.”

Party Trumps Institutional Separation

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

Kamala Harris Set To Enter Presidential Race On Martin Luther King Jr. Day

California Senator Kamala Harris is set to enter the race for the Democratic Presidential nomination later this month.

The Basic Democratic Problem in Wisconsin

Current attempts to take power away from the state executive branch illustrates a lot of what I have been writing about for years.

Cindy Hyde-Smith Easily Defeats Mike Espy In Mississippi Senate Runoff

In the end, the race between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy was not even close.

Brian Kemp Rigging His Own Election

Partisan officials should not be in charge of state election processes, much less their own.

Tim Kaine Continues To Crush Corey Stewart In The Polls

Senator Tim Kaine continues to maintain a huge lead over Corey Stewart in the Virginia Senate Race.

Voter Turnout Was Way Up In 2018 Primaries

Voter turnout in primary elections in 2018 was significantly above normal levels. especially in Democratic races.

Andrew Cuomo Easily Fends Off Challenge From The Left

As expected, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo easily fended off a challenge from actress Cynthia Nixon. Let the Presidential speculation begin.

Overturning Executive Orders Not as Easy as it Looks

Kevin Drum makes an important point.

Tennessee Senate Race To Replace Bob Corker Looks Like A Toss-Up

The GOP’s hold on the Bob Corker’s Senate seat in Tennessee may be in jeopardy.

Is Trump an Illegitimate President?

Max Boot proclaims “Trump is an illegitimate president whose election is tainted by fraud.”

“A Republic, not a Democracy” Redux

The Strzok hearing provides a return to this timeworn favorite.

Miguel Díaz-Canel Becomes New President Of Cuba

Cuba has a new President and he isn’t named Castro, but that doesn’t mean we’re going to see significant change in the near future.

Trump Likely to be Favored in 2020

The campaign-agnostic political science models predicted a toss-up in 2016 and again in 2020.

Ryan Zinke the ‘Geologist’

CNN reports that the Interior Secretary, who claims to be a “geologist,” merely has a geology degree.

“Learning Styles” Likely Are Just A Myth

The idea that individuals have different “learning styles” is apparently not borne out by the evidence, according to recent research.

Will Mexico Pay for the Wall?

The answer is, of course, no. Really, this is a post about the wall as policy.

Teaching Political Science and the Trump Administration

Dan Drezner notes some challenges on this topic, and I add some of my own thoughts.

The Internet is Forever. Should it Be?

The ‘permanent record’ of yesteryear is now real. Should there be limitations?

Wisconsin Waging War on Higher Education?

Wisconsin-Stevens Point is shuttering 13 majors, including English, history, political science and sociology while expanding more job-oriented programs.

Who is Mike Pompeo?

Rex Tillerson was an awful Secretary of State who simply had to go, It’s quite possible his successor will be an even greater disaster.

The National Security Gender Gap’s Intractability

While the glass ceiling in high-level posts was shattered decades ago, men still dominate the field.

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Redraws State’s Gerrymandered Congressional Districts

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has redrawn the state’s Congressional Districts based on its recent ruling finding the current map to be unconstitutional partisan Gerrymandering. It makes a lot more sense than the map the state is currently using.

The Moore-Jones Race

Explaining what Tuesday is likely to bring.

Majority Of Americans Disagree With Trump On N.F.L. Anthem Protests

Donald Trump has apparently made the American public more supportive of players who kneel for the National Anthem.

A Weak Defense of Extreme Gerrymandering

More thoughts related to Gill v. Whitford and the problem of extreme gerrymandering.