The Changing Nature of Judicial Appointments
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
By Scott Lemieux Given the age and health of Justices Stevens and Ginsburg, there is a very strong possibility that President Obama will nominate two more Supreme Court justices. (Or, given the changes in the political climate, perhaps one should...

Why Change Is Difficult
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
Written for the student textbook blog, Everyday Politics. In 1964, voters sent a new, young generation of Democrats into Congress. Lyndon Johnson won a landslide election against Barry Goldwater. With Democratic control over both Congress and the White House, Johnson...

OBAMA AND THE COURTS II: THE STATE OF THE UNION CALL-OUT
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
By Scott Lemieux I recently wrote about the possibility that Obama, facing a Supreme Court with a majority appointed by the previous Republican regime, might ultimately be embroiled in public conflict with the Court. I did not necessarily it expect...

Reconciliation?
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
By David Watkins In his State of the Union address yesterday, Barack Obama said the following: "And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in...

Philanthropy and American Political Culture
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
by Laura McKenna On January 12th, a massive 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti. Most of you watched the devastation on TV or read about the news on the Internet. We saw dead bodies on the street. We heard heart-wrenching tales of...

The Senate's Collison Course
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
By Scott Lemieux A political commentator points out an unusual aspect of the health care bill that recently passed in the Senate: There’s no real precedent for such a major piece of social policy legislation as this health care bill...

Anti-Poverty Laws and Ideology
3/11/2010 7:05:26 AM
With the recent downturn in the economy more people are relying on food stamps to feed themselves and their families. Blue collar workers, especially those tied to the auto industry, have been forced to apply for services. (Check out the...