by jpitney | Feb 17, 2020 | Civility, George Washington
At USA Today, Jill Lawrence write of George Washington: As a teenager, he copied into his school book scores of “rules of civility” in circulation at the time. Rule 1: “Every Action done in Company, ought to be with Some Sign of Respect, to those that are Present.”...
by jpitney | Feb 16, 2020 | Language, Law, Madison
From Federalist 37: The experience of ages, with the continued and combined labors of the most enlightened legislatures and jurists, has been equally unsuccessful in delineating the several objects and limits of different codes of laws and different tribunals of...
by jpitney | Feb 15, 2020 | Civility
Former Representative Lee Hamilton at The Tribune-Star: Where many of us grew up — and still, to this day — talking easily, comfortably, and courteously with one another is the way we resolve our problems. Especially at the state and local level, political leaders...
by jpitney | Feb 15, 2020 | Civility, Presidency
At The Washington Times, Tim Young writes about the presidential race: The exceptions to all of this ridiculousness were the supporters of entrepreneur, philanthropist, and sadly, now former presidential candidate Andrew Yang. In the middle of all of the screaming and...
by jpitney | Feb 13, 2020 | Election Security
R.J. Reinhart at Gallup: Although their faith has been shaken for some time, Americans are heading into their next presidential election with relatively little confidence in the honesty of the process. Four in 10 Americans (40%) interviewed in 2019 said they are...
by jpitney | Feb 12, 2020 | Congress, Debate, Deliberation
Yuval Levin at AEI: Members consequently use their positions to build personal brands and to excite fans and followers. But these trends have been greatly exacerbated by a further transformation that does not get enough attention: the loss of protected spaces...
by jpitney | Feb 11, 2020 | Budget, Debt
Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony before the House Financial Services Committee: The current low interest rate environment also means that it would be important for fiscal policy to help support the economy if it weakens. Putting the federal budget on a...
by jpitney | Feb 10, 2020 | Election Security
At R Street, Kristen Nyman and Kathryn Waldron write that human error is the top threat to election systems. Errors include failure to recognize and avoid phishing attacks. While problems with voting technology can bedevil any election — as was amply illustrated...
by jpitney | Feb 9, 2020 | Polarization, Public Opinion
From the Pew Research Center: At a time when the country’s polarizing politics and public discourse are dividing many Americans, close to half of all U.S. adults acknowledge that they have stopped discussing political and election news with someone, according to a new...
by jpitney | Feb 8, 2020 | Congress, Debate, Deliberation
On February 5, Norman Ornstein testified before the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress: Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, I want to offer some ideas for improving the way the House debates and deliberates, based on my five decades of observing...
