July 31, 2014
Declining voter turnout and decreasing civic engagement have prompted think tanks, academics and political leaders to consider various reforms. But most recommendations focus on process rather than the political system’s significant underlying problems. Last month a report from the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Commission on Political Reform suggested adopting a June date for all congressional primary elections.Please click here to read the full article.
July 30, 2014
The internal memos and 144-page campaign plan prepared for Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn are a fascinating if somewhat horrifying glimpse of the political industrial complex. The document–available here–was first made public by National Review. Much of the reporting so far has focused on internal opposition research in the memo exploring the potential weaknesses of Ms. Nunn’s candidacy.Please click here to read the full article.
July 24, 2014
Studies out this week and an op-ed column by Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) highlight the dreadful effect polarization and dysfunction have had on American politics and voters’ faith in the system. A Pew Research Center survey found that anti-incumbent sentiment is as high as it has been before a midterm election in at least 20 years. Fewer than half of all registered voters in both parties want to see their own representative reelected to Congress. Neither political party has a clear lead with voters at this point, according to Pew, but Republicans hold a slight advantage over Democrats in enthusiasm. Independents are the least enthusiastic about voting in this year’s midterms.Please click here to read the full article.
July 23, 2014
Tensions between the U.S. and Germany over American intelligence gathering could have a decisive impact on whether the European Union adopts harsher sanctions on Russia. The U.S., which has already toughened sanctions against Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine, wants the EU to follow suit. But the Germans, angry about U.S. spying activities, first want a new agreement governing how U.S. intelligence gathering will be conducted in Germany. A recent Pew Research study showed German approval of the U.S. is down 13 points since 2009. Only 51% of Germans now view the U.S. favorably.Please click here to read the full article.
July 21, 2014
A new Gallup poll shows that most Americans believe people with business and management experience would make better political leaders. Eighty-one percent of those questioned said the country would be governed better if more people with business backgrounds were in office. But that statistic doesn’t match voters’ track record of electing people with political not business experience to the presidency. Mitt Romney touted his business experience in the 2012 campaign but lost decisively to Barack Obama.Please click here to read the full article.
July 18, 2014
Embedded in the $10.8 billion Highway Trust Fund measure that the House passed Tuesday in an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote, 367 to 55, is a funding gimmick called “pension smoothing.” This mechanism, first used in a 2012 transportation bill, allows companies to temporarily defer contributions to employees’ defined-benefit pension plans. Companies save money in pension contributions and pay more in taxes up front, temporarily increasing federal revenue. But when companies eventually make up the missed pension payments, plus interest, tax revenue declines.Please click here to read the full article.
July 16, 2014
Members of the District of Columbia city council have proposed renaming the thoroughfare in front of the White House “DC Statehood Now Way.” The council members want to rename those two blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue to draw attention to the fact that residents of the District have no voting representation in Congress. But because the nation’s capital is a federal district and not a state, control over changing the street name–as with many aspects of Washington life–rests not with the D.C. Council but with Congress. D.C. residents pay federal taxes but do not enjoy the same rights as other Americans. D.C. license plates, including those on the presidential limousine, carry the phrase “Taxation Without Representation.”Please click here to read the full article.
July 15, 2014
A Florida court ruling striking down part of the state’s congressional map is notable for its impassioned admonition of the unchecked power of political parties for whom “winning is everything.” The 41-page ruling last week, by Judge Terry Lewis of the state’s second judicial circuit, ordered several congressional districts in central Florida to be redrawn. It said Republican political consultants influenced the process and that districts had been drawn to protect incumbents and Republican seats.Please click here to read the full article.
July 10, 2014
President Barack Obama says he didn’t go to the Texas border to see for himself the humanitarian crisis that has brought tens of thousands of Central American children to the U.S. because he’s “not interested in photo ops.” But visiting an immigrant detention facility would have underscored that the president really cares about this problem, as well as allowing him and the American people to see what is happening at the border.Please click here to read the full article.
July 8, 2014
For more than 150 years the Republican and Democratic parties have controlled U.S. politics: the presidency, almost all congressional seats, governors’ offices and state legislatures, with only a small number of exceptions. But public confidence in the two parties and their management of government has eroded. America’s polarized politics are mired in a dysfunctional and increasingly unpopular two-party system that has failed to address this nation’s major challenges and threatens its future.Please click here to read the full article.
