I've always judged myself, to a great extent, on my ability to make others happy. It seems sensible, and I haven't gotten many complaints about it over the years from my family, friends, or colleagues. Part of this stems from my upbringing, and it helps meet a standard requirement for...
0 Comments | Posted April 27, 2006 | 10:44 PM
I'm surprised people haven't mentioned gas prices in all these posts. It's clear that American voters are best mobilized by pocketbook issues, and there's a reason why Senate Democrats held a press conference this week by a Capitol Hill gas station. Of course, I was pleased to see my colleague...
0 Comments | Posted April 27, 2006 | 5:27 AM
This last set of comments helps explain why the Democratic Party is having such a tough time coming up with a unified platform for the fall elections. Some seem to think the way to win is by tacking to the center, others believe the party should shift to the left,...
0 Comments | Posted April 26, 2006 | 11:48 AM
There's clearly a lot of anger out there, and skepticism about whether people's votes actually count. I happen to be a big believer in voting, which is a trait I got from my grandmother. While she just died at 100 a month ago she didn't miss a single change to...
0 Comments | Posted April 25, 2006 | 6:46 PM
In response to the reader who asked whether we've gotten to the point of where people are going to address what's happening in our political system, I think we'll get our answer this fall. Either we'll witness a real voter rebellion, in which case lawmakers will have to respond, or...
0 Comments | Posted April 25, 2006 | 2:08 PM
Rep. Mike Ferguson's (R-N.J.) district is exactly the kind of problem I write about in my book. He, along with Democrat Rush Holt, was in a swing district before the most recent round of redistricting. Then the two parties teamed up to protect all of their incumbents in 2002, even...
0 Comments | Posted April 25, 2006 | 10:11 AM
One reader raised an interesting question: why voters tend to worry more about long-term issues, such as climate change, as opposed to their elected representatives. I think about this issue a lot, since I cover the environment, and Americans talk to me all the time about global warming yet there's...
0 Comments | Posted April 24, 2006 | 6:03 PM
There are a lot of good comments here, so I'm just going to respond to a few of them right now. I didn't miss California's redistricting reform initiative (or Ohio's, for that matter) I wrote about them in my book and in the Post's Outlook section in November. Both...
0 Comments | Posted April 24, 2006 | 10:40 AM
Hey there, this week I'll be writing about my new book, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives." In some ways I face a daunting task: I'm trying to get Americans to care about redistricting, a wonky topic that's not about to make it onto the...


0 Comments | Posted September 4, 2006 | 8:55 PM