Why the press needs to stop burying presidential contenders before the primaries start.
Jonathan Bernstein
Jonathan Bernstein is a political scientist who writes about American politics, especially the presidency, Congress, parties, and elections. Follow @jbplainblog
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
But What Does Iran Mean for 2016?
An effort to squash this debate before Politico starts it.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
How Republicans Lost the Chance to Win Obamacare
Conservatives had the chance to test their favorite health-care ideas in state-run exchanges. They decided bullying Obama was a better use of their time than ideological consistency instead.
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Who’s on First? Under Boehner, It’s Always the Senate.
Forget about the Hastert Rule. The House speaker has his own, which is going to make it difficult for the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and a handful of other legislation to pass.
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Long Live the Kludge
Sure, we could have a more efficient government if we got rid of those pesky checks and balances. But we’d have to give up the citizen efficacy that is our Constitution’s enduring special sauce.
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Mission Affordabled: Why Obama’s Website Problems Aren’t “His Iraq”
Democrats will let the president’s signature legislation die a painful death if Healthcare.gov isn’t fixed soon. Which is exactly why Obama is racing to fix this mess like Bush never did with his signature war.
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Four Reasons We Don’t Need to Count Down to a January Shutdown
Ted Cruz is threatening to court government meltdown when we hit the next budget deadline next year. Here’s why it’s unlikely to happen.
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Why Madisonian Democracy Still Can’t Have It All
Defending the United States’ great experiment in governance from the haters
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Dancing with the Shutdown Spin that Brought You
When the shutdown is over and the victors are proclaimed, remember that narratives and messaging aren’t to thank. They were set to win before this war even started.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
John Boehner Has Speaker Tenure for Life—If He Wants It
The factors making Boehner’s life a living hell are external to his personal quirks and failings. Anyone else would have the same problems.