Mid-Term Elections / Casualty List (CongressionalGlossary.com)

From the Congressional Glossary – Including Legislative and Budget Terms Mid-Term Elections / Casualty List Mid-term elections / Midterm Elections are the national elections held in November of the even-numbered years between presidential elections. Mid-term election years include 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2026, etc. Presidential elections are held very 4 years, including 2012, 2016, 2020, … Read more

“The seven stages of the office seeker”

“The seven stages of the office seeker,” by Edward Williams Clay (artist) and John Childs (lithographer). Image and text from the Library of Congress: A satire on patronage and corruption in New York State politics, based on the medieval theme, perpetuated in American folk art, of the “life and ages of man.” Here the seven … Read more

Four Out of Ten Books Published by TheCapitol.Net Receive High Honors at Benjamin Franklin Awards

How many presses can claim 40 percent of their books as winner or finalist in one of the publishing industry’s most prestigious awards? TheCapitol.Net is one that can. The Virginia-based DC-area publisher has published ten titles, all on understanding how the federal government, Washington, and the media actually work. Four of them have received recognition … Read more

“Accomplishments” in Congress

“Accomplishments” in Congress are often collected and touted to fuel reelection bids. Every two years representatives face the grind of election while senators face election every six years. During the interim, members continue to run reelection campaigns. The question of “what have you done for me lately?” hangs over the heads of all Congressional members. … Read more

The Power of the Majority Party in Congress

There is no getting around the fact that members of the majority party typically decide the most crucial questions presented to Congress. Furthermore, members of the majority party also primarily control what will be considered by their chambers on a daily basis. In the end, the fact that a member can vote does not really … Read more

“Joseph Gibson on how to improve Congress”

In general I find Congressional reform proposals, including filibuster abolition, difficult to evaluate. There is no simple model at hand. Sometimes the median voter model is useful, but in most cases it implies the reforms don’t matter, a conclusion which I would not wish to accept so readily. Multi-dimensional cycling models often imply that either … Read more