Yesterday’s House approval of a line-item veto bill (HR 3521) continues our national reprise of the budget politics of the 1990s—complete with Newt Gingrich, but probably without the rather important denouement of ultimate compromise and budget surplus. It is worth thinking about the structure and likely outcome of line-item veto proposals. Given the importance of […]
Andrew Rudalevige
Andrew Rudalevige is an associate professor of political science at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and also teaches in the college's policy studies program.
Posted inArticle
The Mitt-ens Come Off
You may have seen a news item in today’s New York Times (posted yesterday as part of “The Caucus” blog on the Times’ site), which noted that negative ads accounted for over 90% of the political advertising Floridians saw during the last week. Figures are courtesy of Kantar Media’s Campaign Media Analysis Group. Anti-Gingrich 68% […]
Posted inLaw and Justice
Colbert “out-legals” Justice Stevens
In which Colbert continues to school the establishment on explaining policy.
Posted inArticle
The History of Bureaucratic Feng Shui
Obama’s recent call for government reorganization isn’t the first, and it definitely won’t be the last.
Posted inArticle
Happy Birthday, Brownlow Report!
Without the Brownlow Committee, The West Wing would never have existed. Just let that sink in a moment.
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Another Holiday Tradition
President Obama yesterday unveiled this year’s version of a holiday tradition rather closer to presidents’ hearts than the lighting of the White House Christmas tree or the Easter egg roll on the South Lawn. Yes, it’s this year’s quietly released signing statement… This tradition took root when Pres. George W. Bush famously signed into law […]
Posted inAmerica and the World
Madisonianism or Opportunism?
Congress opts to give the president more power; president threatens veto.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Rick Perry, the Good Old Days
Remember when the Texas governor had a sense of humor?
Posted inArticle
Calling the Tune
The president “shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed”: is that a duty, or a power? Over time, with the growth of the executive branch and the American administrative state, “presiders” have become “deciders”: hence Elena Kagan’s famous law review novella “Presidential Administration,” a how-to guide of sorts. Kagan is now on the […]