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Category Archives: Presidential-Congressional Relations and The Historical Congress
The Iranian dilemma, or how to move outside of a rock and a hard place
The 1953 CIA overthrow of Iranian Prime Minister Mossadegh, the 1979 hostage crisis, and Iranian persistence in acquiring a nuclear weapon all point to failed foreign policy vis-à-vis Iran. This less than ideal more than half century of relations has … Continue reading
Newt Gingrich, The Futuristic Historian
As I delved further into researching the Congressional Space Caucus of the 1980s, I found myself reading more and more about the early Congressional career of Newt Gingrich. This was to be expected as he was the primary founder of … Continue reading
The 112th Congress as the Worst Congress Ever
While Congress has always been relatively unpopular among the American public, there has recently continued to be widespread expression that the first session of the 112th Congress is one of the worst Congresses in American history. It may be easy … Continue reading
A Costly 60 Seat Majority
One would think that having a 60 seat majority in the Senate would make it easier for the President to achieve his legislative goals. In my paper, I argue that this is only the case when members are not sure … Continue reading
Ogden Reid: Anticommunism, Civil Rights and the Age of Nixon
As congressional approval continues to plummet towards historical lows, it now seems commonplace for pundits and commentators to a lack of “statesmanship” in contemporary party politics, waxing lyrical about the lost virtues of politicians from generations past. I’ve often wondered … Continue reading
Is This Really “the Worst Congress Ever”?: A Case Study in Divided Government
It’s hard to ignore an article headline like “Worst. Congress. Ever.”. Indeed, this controversial headline captured my attention this summer and has provided part of the basis for my research paper. The headline comes from an article in Foreign Policy by Norman … Continue reading
The Congressional Space Caucus, 1981-1989
The contemporary fears surrounding the loss of American supremacy in space are strikingly similar to the fears that brought about the formation of the Congressional Space Caucus in the early 1980s. The Caucus not only boasted impressive membership statistics, peaking … Continue reading
Executive Bargaining and Party Control of the Elusive 60th Seat
On a freezing January morning, Barack Obama took the oath of office and became the 44th President of the United States of America. Enjoying the largest Democratic Congressional majorities since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, President Obama had planned an aggressive … Continue reading
The President, Congress, and Partisan Polarization
Right now, it seems that President Obama and congressional leaders can’t come together on anything. On issues big—the federal budget or U.S. involvement in Libya, for example—and small—the date and time of a Presidential address to a joint session of … Continue reading
The U.S. Congress and the 17th Amendment
Before I entered college, I looked at the issue of the popular election of U.S. Senators as an improvement to the Constitution. The people were now in charge of directly electing who would be their Senatorial representatives, a step-up from … Continue reading
