Wave of Retirements Should Serve as a Warning for Congress
Voters were fine with tough debate over the merits of the issues; what they didn’t want was gridlock.
Wave of Retirements Should Serve as a Warning for Congress
Voters were fine with tough debate over the merits of the issues; what they didn’t want was gridlock.
Sure, Congress Needs to Represent Us. But It Also Needs to Act
I believe strongly in representative democracy. I think it’s one of the great ideas developed by humankind and given form, in part, by the US. But the more I watch it in action, the more I’m impressed by how difficult it is to make it work.
You May Be Tempted to Tune Politics Out, But Here’s Why You Shouldn’t
Our system depends on the willingness of ordinary Americans to get involved, whether it’s tackling a problem up the street or in the state capital or in Washington.
Congress Tests Its Own Willingness to Get Things Done
We make progress when political leaders who are willing to search for common ground find people they can work with and carve out room to maneuver.
Congress Returns to a Full Plate… and Huge Uncertainty
The conventional wisdom holds that very little can get done on Capitol Hill during election years like this one, as legislators stake out positions aimed at garnering votes, rather than racking up legislative accomplishments.
By Waiting and *Not* Waiting on Santos Expulsion, the House Set a Model
When the bipartisan report was finally published, it left no room for doubt that committee members—the members of Congress most familiar with Santos’s dealings—believed he should be kicked out of office.
Will Congress Ever Stop Flirting With Government Shutdowns?
All I can say is, I fervently hope Congress gets back on track with the appropriations process, because believe me, this is a terrible way to run a government.
What Kind of Democracy Are We When Politicians Have to Fear Violence?
Our entire system is built on the idea that, however passionate political disagreement might become, we give the people we elect to public office the ability to sort things out.
Why Does the House Speaker Matter, Anyway?
The Speaker sets its agenda, establishes its work and voting calendar, controls committee assignments, decides which bills will get voted on and then oversees the votes themselves, determines how debate will unfold on the floor, and appoints the staffers who are key to the House’s functioning, like the parliamentarian.
It’s Time for Congress to Measure Up to the Country’s Expectations
While I have some sympathy with those GOP members of the Freedom Caucus who want to restore the power of committees in the House, I also believe the speaker needs to be a strong presence.
Why Does Even Popular Legislation Get Hung Up in Congress?
When both Congress and the nation are polarized and Congress itself is closely divided along partisan lines, everything becomes more difficult.
Beyond the Politics, a Message to Notice From No Labels
Many Americans are tired of the intense partisanship they see at the national and state levels. And for some voters, the policies the group is promoting seem to strike an attractive ideological balance.
For Effective Congressional Oversight, Ask the Right Questions
Congress’s job is to look into every nook and cranny of the executive branch, pay attention to what’s being done in the people’s name, weigh whether it’s the right course, and, if necessary, legislate improvements.
It’s Not Just a Buzzword: Why Civility Matters in Congress
Our founders did not count on all Americans becoming friends, but they did believe that we could be respectful and civil toward one another, and that by doing so, we could wrestle with and resolve the challenges facing our country.
The System Works – But It Also Needs Attention
Through world wars, the Civil War, economic recessions, depressions, and enormous challenges, America has not just survived, but improved.
A Case Study in How the House of Representatives Damages Itself
The Ethics Committee and its bipartisan processes exist for a reason: The institution of the House is stronger and more resilient when destructive partisan passions are constrained by procedure.
The House GOP Caucus Revolt Isn’t All Bad
The House—unlike any other institution in Washington—was designed by the architects of our republic to be the people’s body, the most representative of our nation’s diverse and ever-changing population.
In the Constitution, Congress Comes First. In Real Life, Not So Much.
More than any other branch of government, Congress reflects the feelings of the diverse and ever-evolving population of the United States—even if, with population shifts boosting rural power in the Senate these days and gerrymandering affecting House districts, the proportions are out of whack.
This is How Divided Government Should Work
Anyone who’s spent time in the nation’s capital during this long era of mostly divided government knows that with power so distributed, there is no single path to success in trying to make the Congress work.
Do We Really Need to Go Through This?
There’s a lot of misperception about why the debt needs to keep being raised, but it’s pretty simple: Most years, we spend more than we take in.
The Dialogue of Democracy Needs Tending
If Americans lose faith that our democracy is up to the task of addressing our challenges because we’re incapable of holding a discussion that isn’t distorted by spin, misleading studies, grassroots manipulation, untrustworthy media, and political leaders who wouldn’t publicly recognize a fact if it smacked them in the forehead, then the travails of the last few years will seem like a cakewalk.
One of Congress’s Most Important Jobs Has Gotten Much Harder
The issues Congress deals with are often complicated and full of nuance, but even on some of the most basic facts, there’s widespread misunderstanding.
Balance the Federal Budget? Sure, But It’s Tougher Than You Think
My point here is not to say that a balanced budget, or even significant steps to cut the deficit, is impossible.
Why Trustworthiness Matters in Our Democracy
Intriguingly, it’s that changeability—in how legislation evolves, politics unfolds, and politicians think—that makes trustworthiness so important.
Our System Can’t Work Without Compromise
The drafting of what became our Constitution was one long exercise in finding common ground and striking compromises.
Being a Good Citizen is a Lot Harder Than It Used to Be
The challenge we face is that our system won’t work unless citizens participate in a constructive fashion.
Why You Should Want Your Representative to Learn Things
I can tell you from personal experience that in the process of talking to colleagues, the media, experts, party leaders, lobbyists, and the broad range of ordinary Americans you get exposed to when in office, your views get refined; unless you’re closed-minded, you come to see issues from different perspectives.
The House speakership fight was not a good omen for this Congress
After two years in which Congress was able to make bipartisan strides on a few issues, that kind of progress is now less likely.
Legislators are confronted with twin tasks: discerning and then pursuing the common good, and finding enough common ground with colleagues and the public at large to make progress possible.
For a legislator who is truly trying to do her or his best for the country, the state, or the community, deciding how to vote requires hard work.
I believe wholeheartedly that the great mission of Congress is not to pass a budget or to enact legislation, as important as those things might be. Instead, its purpose is to help maintain freedom in this country.
Elections are our chance to weigh in and set priorities, even if what ultimately happens over the next two years will be the result of the dynamics on Capitol Hill and at the White House.
After the Election Comes Reality
On the whole, it often feels as though the maneuvering for political advantage in Congress and many legislatures has grown more aggressive than it used to be, both in terms of hardball partisan tactics and members’ own elbow-throwing efforts to garner attention.
Why Do Politicians Run for Office?
Politics is as intellectually challenging as any occupation I can imagine, and when you succeed at somehow changing your community or state or country for the better, it’s also as satisfying.
After November, Moving Forward Will Take Creativity
After the dust has cleared, Congress will be narrowly divided and President Biden will have to work hard to govern effectively.
A Trying Time for American Elections
It's a truism that elections matter. But we sometimes forget that participation in elections matters just as much.
One of the skills that good political and organizational leaders learn is how to aim at a larger goal than immediate self-interest—like winning the next election or advancing a career—while still remaining in a position to act.
More Than Ever, Candidates’ Skills Matter
Politicians may not always be popular, but their ability to listen carefully to many sides of an issue, to find areas of common interest among them, to negotiate with their colleagues, and to hammer out compromises that move the ball forward are what make government work.
Congress Shows Negotiation and Compromise Can Work
Legislators on Capitol Hill have taken steps for the first time in decades to return the postal service to solvency; pass a bipartisan gun bill—a step that would have been unthinkable a few years ago; boost health care and benefits to veterans exposed to toxins during military service; and pass the CHIPS Act, aimed at investing in cutting-edge technologies and innovations to strengthen US industrial, technological, and military capabilities.
On Abortion and Other Issues, An Argument as Old as the Country Itself
While the argument over state vs. federal power is often couched in ideological terms, politicians and interest groups tend to view the question pragmatically. The question they ask is not where in an ideal world an issue should be resolved, but rather, where their position is most likely to prevail.
We’re Getting a Lesson in Why Congressional Oversight Matters
Congressional oversight determines whether the government and its employees are performing their jobs, compels executive branch officials to explain their policies and substantiate the reasoning that underlies them, and makes sure that government and the officials who run it are truly acting in the best interests of the nation.
The Jan. 6 Committee Reminds Us of What Congress Can Do
What the hearings are doing is what congressional committees at their best have always done: focus on a complicated topic, present the facts about it to the American people, leave us all better informed than we were before, and possibly have an impact on how government operates.
Remember What Government Can Do
There may be plenty of reason to worry about government’s effectiveness, but government must also be part of the solution.
The backbone of our system of representative democracy is its faith in ordinary Americans to step up to their responsibility as citizens to improve their corner of the world—by their own direct actions as well as by making discriminating judgments about politicians and policies.
Always In the Background: Russia’s Nuclear Weapons
Russia has plenty of problems on its plate and it’s unclear whether it has the forces, the time, or the will to expand the current conflict—but the West must be very plain that it would push back hard on any escalation.
In this day, can the Court regain some of the respect it’s lost among Americans at large?
Why Good Investigative Journalism Matters
It is an essential part of our representative democracy, offering all of us—the people who have the most at stake in who represents us in Washington and how they and other officials behave on our behalf—the chance to understand more fully what’s going on.
Bipartisanship Isn’t Dead, But It’s Not In Good Health, Either
Ambitious politicians, always looking for an edge, have figured out how to navigate division: They use polarization to raise money from one group of potential supporters by attacking another group, and then goose election turnout by riling up their base.
How the US Has Remained a World Leader For So Long
In the end, we know what we stand for: personal liberty, justice, economic opportunity, a sense of morality in world affairs.
What Does It Take to Be Important in America?
In the end, our country, its democracy, and the welfare of its citizens need constant tending; the long arc of our history has pointed toward justice, the rule of law, freedom of conscience, opportunity for all, and advancement of the greater good, but it requires never-ending work to get there.
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