Mary Lynn Jones

The Senate used to be a place where members argued eloquently — and at length — about important issues. Not anymore, according to the man who wrote the chamber’s four-volume history. “I’ve never seen a time as partisanly political as the age in which we live,” Senator Robert Byrd told me on October 6 as […]

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has Ronald Reagan beat by a mile when it comes to being a Teflon politician. Last month, three of DeLay’s aides were indicted on charges of money laundering related to DeLay’s successful efforts to redistrict Texas — although DeLay has distanced himself from the ruling. And on Sept. 30, the […]

As far as Karl Rove is concerned, George W. Bush just about has the presidential race wrapped up and the Democrats have no chance of regaining a majority in the Senate. Rove told The Washington Times, in a September 23 interview, that he thinks Republicans will gain as many as four seats to hold a […]

The wee hours of a Friday morning tend not to be a busy time for most people. But it’s been a very productive period for House Republicans, who passed six bills during that time in 2003. Democratic Representative Sherrod Brown cataloged the list of legislation passed between midnight and 6 a.m. on Fridays last year […]

While voters are focused on the presidential race, there’s another election a few years away that deserves notice, too. It’s the campaign to succeed Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, who has pledged to retire from the Senate at the end of 2006. And while it may seem early to think about this next contest, six […]

During his convention speech in New York later this week, George W. Bush will finally unveil his agenda for the next four years. I’m guessing that Bush will call on Congress to pass some of his initiatives that remain stalled. In other words, his plan for a second term could look a lot like his […]

Ever since Sen. John McCain ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 against then–Gov. George W. Bush, he’s been the Democrats’ favorite Republican. McCain championed campaign finance reform, an issue Democrats pushed into law over GOP objections. He was thought to be in the running for Sen. John Kerry’s vice-presidential nominee and defended Kerry […]

As Republicans continue playing politics — such as persuading a Democratic congressman from Louisiana to register as a Republican shortly before the election filing deadline on Friday — Democrats are returning to Washington Tuesday to talk about national security issues. “It’s a historic opportunity to enact into law the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission,” Rep. […]

Sen. Patrick Leahy used an event held in his honor during the Democratic convention last week to talk about the importance of the First Amendment. “With the crew we have in charge right now, we would not be able to ratify the Bill of Rights,” Leahy said on July 27. He noted that after the […]

Of the 60 speakers who will address the Democratic national convention during the prime hours of 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. this week, 29 are members of Congress. Perhaps that’s not a surprise considering that both men on the ticket are sitting senators, and that presidential nominees have to pay obligatory dues to leaders on […]