Recent Blog Posts and Op-Eds
(All Mischiefs of Faction posts from August 2019 to the present can be found here.)
"New House Speaker Mike Johnson leads a GOP majority weakened by decades of declining party authority." The Messenger, October 25, 2023.
"Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s removal is a sign of a healthy US democracy, not a declining one." London School of Economics blog, October 19, 2023.
"The Worst Job in Washington: Kevin McCarthy and the Challenge of the Speakership." Georgetown University Government Affairs Institute Newsletter, August 1, 2023.
"Balancing Party with Collegiality: The Example of Gerald Ford." The Ford Forum, June 29, 2023.
"House Republicans Face a Triple Threat." The New York Times, November 30, 2022.
"Did Newt Gingrich wreck American politics?" (with Jeffrey Crouch). The Hill, August 22, 2022.
"How did the Democrats' major spending bill get off life support?" The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), August 8, 2022.
"Texas House Democrats fled the state to kill a restrictive voting bill. Will their gambit work?" The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), July 16, 2021.
"How Liz Cheney survived the attempt to oust her from House leadership." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), February 6, 2021.
Older (Pre-2021) Blog Posts and Online Commentaries
"In Congress, the parties are locked in a political arms race." The Washington Post, September 27, 2020.
"The Freedom Caucus won't remove Speaker Pelosi. But the attempt could still be significant." Mischiefs of Faction, September 17, 2020.
"Want to take a shot at running for president? Try playing this board game." Mischiefs of Faction, September 10, 2020.
"Cheney versus the Freedom Caucus." Mischiefs of Faction, July 22, 2020.
"What Molly Ball's new book teaches us about leadership in Congress." Mischiefs of Faction, July 6, 2020.
"When D.C. Becomes a Political Prop." Mischiefs of Faction, June 2, 2020.
"Rally (Mostly) 'Round the (State) Flag," Mischiefs of Faction, May 15, 2020
"Common myths about the House Freedom Caucus." LegBranch.org, March 12, 2019.
"Trump's shutdown tactics borrow from the Freedom Caucus." Mischiefs of Faction (Vox), January 18, 2019.
"Pelosi won her party’s vote to be speaker. But can she win the vote on the House floor?" (with Doug Harris). Mischiefs of Faction (Vox), December 5, 2018.
"Why so little dissent? Explaining the stability in this week's House GOP leadership contests" (with Doug Harris). LegBranch.org, November 16, 2018.
"Was it a 'blue wave' or not? That depends on how you define a 'wave'.'" The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), November 13, 2018.
"Election Day is over. Now who will lead Congress?" (with Doug Harris). Mischiefs of Faction (Vox), November 12, 2018.
"What Pelosi's defenders miss." Mischiefs of Faction (Vox), October 29, 2018.
"Is Nancy Pelosi in trouble?" (with Doug Harris). The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), August 21, 2018.
"Paul Ryan is departing in a most unusual way." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), April 11, 2018.
"Is Nancy Pelosi unpopular because she's a woman--or because she was Speaker of the House?" The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), March 20, 2018.
"What Paul Ryan can learn from John Boehner's 'tell-all' interview." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), November 1, 2017.
"What Can 'Deep Minority' Democrats Do Now?". Yale University Press blog, January 18, 2017.
"Nancy Pelosi will probably beat Tim Ryan. But that doesn't mean her job is secure" (with Doug Harris). The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), November 18, 2016.
"Some Observations on the Election of Donald Trump." IPR Blog, November 11, 2016.
"Democrats Hijacked the House yesterday. But will it accomplish anything?" The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), June 23, 2016.
Blog post on John Boehner and recent patterns of Speaker departures, London School of Economics blog, September 29, 2015.
"John Boehner: A Rayburn Speaker in a Gingrich House." Mischiefs of Faction (Vox), September 27, 2015.
"John Boehner is leaving one of the worst jobs in Washington." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), September 25, 2015.
"Same Song, New Verse: Once Again, A President is Taken Down by His Own (Minority) Party." IPR Blog, June 16, 2015.
"Meeting Jim Wright." The New West, May 8, 2015.
"Guns, God, and Ganja: Congress Takes on the District of Columbia." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), May 5, 2015.
"Boehner's Problem Isn't Just House Republicans. It's House Democrats Too." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), March 2, 2015.
"Reflections on Barbara Boxer's Retirement." The New West, January 13, 2015.
"Tracking a Decaying Norm: Growing Dissent on Votes for Speaker of the House." IPR Blog, January 7, 2015.
"Was 2014 a 'Wave' Election?" IPR Blog, November 17, 2014.
"Why Pete Sessions Quit the Race for Majority Leader." The Monkey Cage, June 13, 2014.
"What the...?" What Eric Cantor's Shocking Loss Tells Us About Congress and Elections." IPR Blog, June 11, 2014.
"Reflections on Boehner as Speaker." IPR Blog, October 9, 2013.
"The Five Species of House Republicans." The Monkey Cage (Washington Post), October 4, 2013.
"The Congressional Power Vacuum." IPR Blog, September 30, 2013.
"C is for Coup?" The Monkey Cage, December 21, 2012.
"Did Republicans Draw Themselves a House Majority?" IPR Blog, November 12, 2012.
"Votes and Seats: What Made the 2012 Election Different." The Monkey Cage, November 12, 2012.
"Five Preliminary Thoughts About the 2012 Election." IPR Blog, November 7, 2012.
"The Catholic Vote Revisited." IPR Blog, October 4, 2012.
"Envisioning a Gingrich Presidency," IPR Blog, December 14, 2011.
"Poverty Rates Climb...and Congress is Silent. Why?" IPR Blog, September 21, 2011.
"Can Speaker Boehner Reduce the Rancor?" The Hill (Congress Blog), November 4, 2010.
"When the Referee Becomes an (Unwitting) Player: Elections and the U.S. Supreme Court," IPR Blog, November 1, 2010.
"Will 2010 Be Another 1994?" The Hill (Congress Blog), October 20, 2010.
Commentary on the 2010 Nevada Senate Race, Michael Sean Winters' blog, National Catholic Reporter, October 2010.
"Midterms 2010: Beware the Optimists," IPR Blog, September 8, 2010.
"Pelosi and the Power of the Speakership." Series of posts on The Monkey Cage, May 24, 25, 26, and June 2, 2010.
"The Loss of the “Kennedy” Seat: Why Did Democrats Panic?", IPR Blog, February 25, 2010.
"Health Care Reform and Dynamics of the Legislative Process", IPR Blog, November 4, 2009.
Reviews, Interviews, and Other Writings
Review of The Whips by C. Lawrence Evans. Washington Monthly, November/December 2018.
Podcast interview with Thomas Mann on the history of midterm elections, National Constitution Center, October 2018.
Review of Shame: How America's Past Sins Have Polarized Our Country by Shelby Steele. Washington Independent Review of Books, April 2015.
Interviews with Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter on the 2014 midterm elections, August and October 2014.
Review of The Network: Portrait Conversations by Lincoln Schatz, Washington Independent Review of Books, January 2013.
Review of No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington by Condoleeza Rice, Washington Independent Review of Books.
Interview with Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter on the Shirley Sherrod controversy, July 2010.
"Rating Pelosi Against History’s Greatest Speakers." Roll Call, April 26, 2010.
Writers Read, May 11, 2010.
“Congress and the Bailout: Explaining the Bailout Votes and Their Electoral Effect” (with Kristen Hudak). Extension of Remarks, Legislative Studies Section Newsletter, January 2009.
"110th Congress Summons Spirit of 1919-20." Roll Call, March 29, 2007.