Articles by Matthew

Pundits are discussing the possibility of Hillary Clinton's vice presidential candidacy. But what effects would this choice actually have? Read More

Why Democrats should learn to embrace Republican candidates. Read More

A student examines the lack of moderates within bipartisan political parties. Read More

A look at the mindset of Democrats and the Democratic Party. Read More

People feel President Obama isn't doing enough on his own. Here's why that idea of the "bully pulpit" is nothing more than a fantasy. Read More

I’m going to make a very premature prediction. It could easily be wrong, but I stand by it. I believe that the Democrats are going to take back the House of Representatives in November 2012. It’s a very premature declaration, to be sure, but it’s one that I believe will happen for three reasons. First, […]

Earmarks are often bashed in American discourse, but they are necessary to the way American politics works for a number of reasons. Read More

In 1950, the American Political Science Association’s Committee on Political Parties wrote a report called “Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System.” The report said that party leadership in Congress was far too lenient when it came to dissent within the party ranks, allowing members’ difference in positions to not be as important as they should. […]

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), getting the votes of every Republican and three of the few remaining conservative Democrats. In actuality, however, the GOP is disappointed with this result. Republicans are upset that more Democrats didn’t jump on the bandwagon, as if […]

  The GOP’s primary electorate has developed a tendency to nominate non-mainstream candidates, caring more about ideological purity than winning general elections. Granted, this is usually because primaries are low-turnout affairs, meaning that just the firmest activists show up. The GOP nominated fringe candidates in Nevada (Sharron Angle), Colorado (Ken Buck) and Delaware (Christine O’Donnell). […]