Mitch McConnell wielded power deftly for decades, only to see his party and the institution he loved fracture around him.
Jean Parvin Bordewich
Jean Parvin Bordewich served in senior staff positions in the Senate and House, including as staff director of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration from 2009 to 2014. She is now a writer and playwright living in Washington, D.C.
Posted inNovember/December 2023
How the Founders Overcame Partisan Dysfunction
At the dawn of the republic, ideological divisions and personal hatreds were, if anything, worse than they are today. The nation survived because its warring leaders compromised.
Posted inSeptember/October 2023
Nancy Pelosi’s Big Stick
An insider account of the Californian’s first four years as House speaker reveals how she prodded Washington’s more timid male leaders to do big things.
Posted inMagazine
The Disorder of Succession
Should the president and vice president both die, you’d think we’d have a well-considered plan to reconstitute the government. In fact, we don’t.
Posted inBooks, January/February/March 2020, Magazine
When Members of Congress Really Fought
Today’s heated rhetoric in Congress echoes antebellum days when arguments led to gunfights. The violence ended only when the South lost.
