Mark Schmitt

Over at Talking Points Memo, a friendly argument has broken out between a former Senate staffer and a political scientist over what might be called the problem of the Senate. That’s the kind of fight I have to jump into! In summary, the two viewpoints on filibusters are: (1) Something changed in the culture of […]

Here in Washington, certain words don’t seem to mean what they mean elsewhere. I remember some years ago, Christopher Hitchens pointing out that the word “perception” generally means insight or understanding. But in Washington, it means something false, as in “perception is reality,” or “the perception of George W. Bush as a heroic president.” Ezra […]

A week ago, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg reported that he had raised (from himself) $85 million dollars, while opponent William C. Thompson had raised about $9 million. And yet Thompson, an uninspiring candidate with no message and no real base, came within four percentage points of defeating Bloomberg. What is the big lesson […]

If for a moment you’re tempted to believe Michael Steele‘s spin that yesterday’s gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey were referenda on the Obama administration, let me remind you of the Democratic victories in those same two states in 2001. Remember how the elections of Mark Warner and Jim McGreevey marked a rejection of […]

Whenever I hear Republicans like Michelle Bachmann, Sean Hannity, or Michael Steele say that they will run for President if God tells them to, I wonder how God would make the pitch. Would He promise to raise a certain amount of money? Does He have a PAC? Are there superdelegates He could deliver? Does He […]