| March 2006
Politics & Government: Bush Administration | Federal Government
| Elections & Politics | Congress | Constitution |State
& Local Government |
Government Initiatives: Social
Security & Welfare | Tax Reform |
Politics & Government:
C1 - Presidential Power
Jost, Kenneth
CQ Researcher, Feb. 24, 2006, v16, #8, pp169-182
"President Bush has been busy defending the administration's
electronic-surveillance program against critics who say it unconstitutionally
violates citizens' civil liberties. Bush says the surveillance
is vital to the nation's anti-terrorism efforts, but critics say
the president has overstepped his powers and infringed on Congress'
constitutional authority, inviting opposition at home and criticism
abroad. Other questions about the president's possible abuse of
presidential power involve the administration's use of military
tribunals and its alleged use of torture, as well as its refusal
to support a congressional inquiry into the response to Hurricane
Katrina. What's needed, critics say, is Supreme Court action limiting
the administration's exercise of executive power. But administration
supporters reject claims that Bush has gone further than previous
wartime presidents and stress that as commander in chief he has
the power to do everything he deems necessary to protect the country."
Associate Editor Kenneth Jost graduated from Harvard College
and Georgetown University Law Center, where he is an adjunct professor.
Order article
C2 - The King Lives! Long Live The King
Starobin, Paul
National Journal, Feb. 18, 2006, v38, #7, pp18-27
"The Imperial Presidency is often viewed as an abuse or even
subversion of the Constitution, but it can also be seen as a product
of history and national ambition -and above all, as a political
institution with entrenched precedents and traditions that tend
to survive the temporary occupants of the Oval Office. And it
is not, as critics sometimes suggest, an un-American creation-
the modern architects have been working off a blueprint, or at
least notes, supplied by no less a Founding Father than Alexander
Hamilton, who in the 1790s clashed with Thomas Jefferson and James
Madison in his determination to establish a strong central government
led by a robust executive." Paul Starobin is a contributing
editor at National Journal. Fulltext
Federal Government
C3 - Unlimited Government
DeMuth, Christopher
The American Enterprise, Jan/Feb 2006, v17, #1, pp18-23
"The emergence of 24/7/52 legislating is one of many ways
in which modern American government has become much busier and
more businesslike than it used to be. While busyness is a virtue
in most of life, the men who founded our nation would not have
considered it advantageous to government. They carefully contrived
a state that would be cumbersome and inefficient at getting its
act together, with divided and contending powers both inside Washington
and between Washington and the states, and a profusion of checks
and balances throughout. They wanted government to be robust and
decisive in a limited sphere, but also considered government a
threat to freedom and happiness, and worried it would engross
private society, property, commerce, and culture." The author
examines this development towards a limitless government in the
context of U.S. politics and the American society. Christopher
DeMuth is president of the American Enterprise Institute.
Fulltext
C4 - Cleaning House (and Senate)
Carney, Eliza Newlin
National Journal, Jan 28, 2006, v38, #4, pp30-37
"The Jack Abramoff affair has pulled back the curtain on
an ingrained system of relationships between lobbyist and lawmakers.
To truly overhaul the system would require changing myriad campaign
finance and lobbying and tax laws. And that appears unlikely..."
"This article takes a look at a number of lobbying reforms
being proposed in the U.S. as of January 28, 2006 in response
to the Jack Abramoff scandal. Some past attempts at lobbying reform
are noted and the key provisions of some leading lobbying reform
proposals are outlined." Eliza Newlin Carney is a staff writer
at the National Journal. Fulltext
C5 - Stronger Legislatures, Stronger Democracies
Fish, M. Steven
Journal of Democracy, Jan 2006, v17, #1, pp5-20
"There has been extensive debate among students of democracy
over the merits of different types of constitutional design. For
the most part, discussion has focused on the relative advantages
and drawbacks of the three major modes of structuring the relationship
between the executive and legislative branches: parliamentarism,
presidentialism, and semipresidentialism. Here, Fish proposes
a new way of thinking about how political institutions influence
democratization, one that examines the capacity or power of specific
offices." M. Steven Fish is associate professor of political
science at the University of California at Berkeley.
Fulltext
C6 - The Rise of Blogs
Glover, K.Daniel
National Journal, Jan 21, 2006, pp.30-35
”Blog technology have taken root in Washington. Bloggers have
testified before Congress and the Federal Election Commission;
have been invited to Capitol Hill for exclusive interviews with
lawmakers and to participate in conference calls with administration
officials; and have spurred heated debates on everything from
Supreme Court nominees to pork-barrel spending. Earlier this month,
the Republican National Committee and the Senate Republican Conference
co-hosted a handful of like-minded bloggers in Washington during
the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Samuel Alito.
A stream of senators and top officials, including White House
adviser Karl Rove, spoke to the group. Today, far more blogs are
focused on Washington than was the case a year ago, when the Social
security debate was at its height. Think tanks and their wonks
have them. So do trade associations, watchdog groups, and other
special interests.” Glover monitors the policy and political
impact of blogs daily for National Journal.com. Fulltext
C7 - A Gendered Influence in Campaign Debates? Analysis
of Mixed-Gender United States Senate and Gubernatorial Debates
Banwart, Mary Christine and Mitchell S McKinney
Communication Studies, Dec 2005, v56, #4, pp353-374
“Throughout the literature much of the research on political campaign
debates has focused on presidential debates and has largely ignored
non-presidential debates, particularly those featuring candidates
competing in mixed-gender races. The purpose of this study is
to draw attention to these non-presidential debates and particularly
those in which gender may play a pivotal role. Through our analysis
of four debates-two gubernatorial and two U.S. Senate debates
-- we advance the notion of debate style as a useful analytic
scheme to examine the verbal content of female and male candidate
debate dialogue. While few differences in female and male debate
styles ultimately emerged, results of the current study indicate
that female and male political candidates, when engaged in debate,
adopt a strategy of gendered adaptiveness that offers important
contributions to both research on political debates as well as
research on gender and politics." Mary Christine Banwart
is in the Department of Communication Studies at the University
of Kansas. Mitchell S. McKinney is in the Department of Communication
at the University of Missouri. Fulltext
C8 - Patronage Regimes and American Party Development
from “The Age of Jackson” to the Progressive Era
James, Scott C.
British Journal of Political Science, January 2006, v36, #1,
pp39-60
“This article introduces the concept of patronage regimes and,
[…] investigates the strategic allocation of public jobs by party
elites to enhance cadre performance in presidential elections.
Two distinctive patronage regimes are identified: an antebellum
regime structured by pure-and-simple spoils politics and a postbellum
regime conforming to principles of machine rationality.” Scott
C. James is Assistant Professor of Political Science University
of California, Los Angeles. Fulltext
C9 - Don't Blame Redistricting for Uncompetitive Elections
Abramowitz, Alan , Brad Alexander & Matthew Gunning
PS, Political Science & Politics, Jan 2006, v39, #1, pp87-91
“Abramowitz et al classify House districts as safe or competitive
based on the major party vote in the most recent presidential
election because the presidential vote closely reflects voters'
party loyalties and is not influenced by whether an incumbent
is running in a district or how much money the local candidates
spend. They indicate that declining competition in US House elections
is explained by two major factors: a shift in the partisan composition
of House districts and a decline in the ability of challengers
to compete financially with incumbents.” Alan Afaramowitz
is Alben W. Berkley Professor of Political Science at Emory University
in Atlanta, Georgia. Brad Alexander and Matthew Gunning are Ph.D.
candidates in the department of political science at Emory University.
Fulltext
C10 - Drawing the Line on District Competition / Drawing
the Line on District Competition: A Rejoinder
McDonald, Michael P., Alan Abramowitz, Brad Alexander & Matthew
Gunning
PS, Political Science & Politics, Jan 2006, v39, #1, pp91-98
“McDonald claims that non-partisan redistricting institutions
are not correlated with the number of competitive districts. The
relationship between redistricting institutions and competitive
districts is of importance not only to academics who study redistricting
and elections, but also to policy makers and reformers who advocate
redistricting reform. With so few competitive districts now and
few neutral redistricting institutions, it is difficult to measure
the contemporary effect of redistricting institutions on competitive
districts and of competitive districts on elections.” Michael
P. McDonald is assistant professor of government and politics
at George Mason University and a visiting fellow at me Brookings
Institution. Alan Afaramowitz is Alben W. Berkley Professor of
Political Science at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Brad
Alexander and Matthew Gunning are Ph.D. candidates in the department
of political science at Emory University. Fulltext
C11 - The Heartland Dissident
Lelyveld, Joseph
New York Times Magazine, Feb 12, 2006, v155, #53488, pp48-60
"With a bluntness that seems habitual -- and more than occasionally
strikes fellow Republicans as disloyal -- Sen Chuck Hagel started
voicing skepticism about the Bush administration's fixation on
Iraq as a place to fight the Global War on Terror more than half
a year before the president gave the go-ahead for the assault.
A war hero and staunch conservative, Hagel sharply criticizes
the Bush administration for its ideological foreign policy and
domestic profligacy. Here, Lelyveld discusses whether Hagel could
win the Republican presidential nomination with the message that
his party has lost its way." Joseph Lelyveld is a writer
and editor for the New York Times. Fulltext
C12 - Democrats and Middle America: What's the Real Problem?
Ross, Benjamin
Dissent, Winter 2006, v53, #1, pp8-12
"Ross suggests that Democrats must take up the challenge
posed by Thomas Frank and reclaim the populist heritage of the
New Deal in a new environment. He believes that doing this requires
a willingness to attack economic unfairness, and that it also
demands a greater sensitivity to the cultural preferences of Middle
America, both in style -- it is no accident that for forty years
every Democratic president has had a southern accent -- and in
substance on issues such as gun control." Benjamin Ross
is a community activist who writes frequently for Dissent. Fulltext
STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
C13 - Most Valuable Player: Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin
Combines 1960s-Style Populism With 21st-Century Business Savvy
O’Connell, Kim
American City & County, December 2006, v120, #13, pp22-28
Shirley Franklin, the first African-American woman to lead a major
Southern city (Atlanta, Georgia), came into the office on the
heel of a predecessor whose term ended in political and financial
scandal and an $82 million budget deficit. To restore public trust
in city government, she instituted an ethics code for all municipal
employees and reduced funding for bloated programs, while reinvesting
in understaffed and underfunded areas. The author notes that "she's
not afraid of telling people what they don't want to hear";
Franklin declared herself the "sewer mayor" to deal
with Atlanta's century-old sewer system. Franklin's second-term
agenda centers on education, eradicating homelessness, economic
development, and reminding friends and foes alike that "sometimes
what we need is the flexibility to give people what they need."
Kim A. O'Connell is a freelance writer based in Arlington,
Va. Fulltext
C14 - Perceptions of Power: Interest Groups in Local
Politics
Cooper, Christopher A., Anthony J. Nownes, and Steven Roberts
State and Local Government Review, Fall 2005, v37, #3, pp206-216
"Which interest groups are active in local politics, and
how influential are interest groups in local politics? This study
uses the results of a survey of city council members in 68 medium-sized
cities to determine the extent to which interest groups are active
across a wide variety of issues in local politics and the effects
of institutional structures on interest group behavior. Hypotheses
about interest group activity are presented. The data indicate
that citizen awareness of politics is associated with relatively
high levels of interest group activity. The authors conclude that
organized interest politics at the local level differs substantially
from that at other levels of government." Christopher
A. Cooper is an assistant professor of political science and public
affairs and faculty fellow at the Center for Regional Development
at Western Carolina University. Anthony J. Nownes is an associate
professor of political science at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
Steven Roberts is an instructor of political science at Tusculum
College in Greenville, Tennessee. Order Article
Constitution
C15 - State of Our Disunion
Cannon, Carl M.
National Journal, January 21, 2006, v38, #3, pp18-24
“The article focuses on the effect of polarization, an excess
partisanship, on the political system in the United States. Unified
political parties in the government encourage more polarization
according to political scientist Gary J. Andres. The gradual separation
of politically active people into philosophically coherent parties
is one of the mechanisms of political polarization. Partisanship
inhibits citizens to process information that can affect their
political views." Carl M. Cannon is the White House correspondent
for the National Journal. Fulltext
Government Initiatives:
social security & welfare
C16 - Is There a System Supporting Low-Income Families?
Zedlewski, Sheila R., Gina Adams, Lisa Dubay and Genevieve M.
Kenney
Urban Institute Research Report, Feb 24, 2006
"This paper considers four programs—Medicaid and the State
Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), food stamps, child
care subsidies, and the earned income tax credit (EITC)—that form
the core work support system for low-income working families in
the United States." The authors are associated with the Urban
Institute. Fulltext
Tax Reform
C17 - Taking a Checkup on the Nation's Health Care Tax
Policy: A Prognosis
Statement of Leonard E. Burman before the United States
Senate Committee on Finance.
Urban Institute, March 6, 2008, online edition, 24p.
"Senior Fellow Len Burman summarizes the latest data on who
has health insurance and who does not, outlines the various tax
subsidies that exist for health insurance, examines how those
subsidies affect the market for health insurance and employment,
and briefly comments on some reform options." Leonard Burman
is a Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute and co-director of the
Urban-Brookings-Tax Policy Center. Fulltext
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