by jpitney | Jul 2, 2025 | Elections, Polarization
CMC alum Todd Achilles is running for the US Senate. Laura Guido at the Idaho Capital Sun: A former Boise Democratic legislator on Sunday stepped down from his role in the Statehouse to run for the U.S. Senate as an independent against longtime Idaho U.S. Sen. Jim...
by jpitney | Feb 27, 2025 | Appropriations, Congress, Constitution, Elections, Separation of Powers, Transparency, Volunteering
Greg Ip at WSJ: Appropriations bills aren’t glamorous. But they are the one chance Congress gets each year to evaluate and direct the executive branch, said Eloise Pasachoff, a law professor at Georgetown University. “That’s why appropriations laws are thousands of...
by jpitney | Feb 20, 2025 | Congress, Elections, Transparency, Violence
Gabriel Sherman at Vanity Fair: According to one source with direct knowledge of the events, North Carolina senator Thom Tillis told people that the FBI warned him about “credible death threats” when he was considering voting against Pete Hegseth’s nomination for...
by jpitney | Feb 9, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Mike Johnson: I believe that Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have character and respect for their respective houses of Congress. I believe that of democratic leaders, as well, such as Hakeem Jeffries and senior statemen such as Steny Hoyer....
by jpitney | Feb 8, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
Don Wolfensberger at The Hill: Former Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson (D-Texas) and House Speaker Sam Rayburn (D-Texas) were great party leaders in their time. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) probably comes closest to their caliber of leadership in...
by jpitney | Feb 5, 2025 | Congress, Elections, House of Representatives, Transparency, Volunteering
At the Niskanen Center, Soren Dayton, Josiah Watney offer a history of the House Rules Committee. The conclusion: From the 1930s to the 1960s, there were a series of fights over economics and Civil Rights. To accomplish their policy and political goals,...
