How party activists deliberately made Congress more partisan.
Books
Book reviews and essays from the Washington Monthly on the new books shaping debates over politics, policy, history, and American democracy.
Posted inBooks, Featured
How the Rich Rig Regulations
A new book exposes the pernicious regulations that make the rich richer and the poor poorer—while shrinking the total economic pie.
Posted inBooks, Magazine, November/December 2017
What J. D. Vance Doesn’t Get About Appalachia
A new history shows how Big Coal created a culture of dependence.
Posted inBooks, Featured, Magazine, November/December 2017
The Hidden Powers of the People’s Branch
Passing legislation isn’t the only way Congress can check an unruly president.
Posted inBooks, Featured, Magazine, November/December 2017
Trial in Error
How the economic imperatives of academia and biomedical journals are leading to a flood of junk science.
Posted inBooks, Featured, Magazine, November/December 2017
Congress Wasn’t Always This Awful
A former Senate staffer reminds us of a time when lawmakers actually got stuff done.
Posted inBooks, Magazine, Main, November/December 2017
Pen and Tell
The first memoir by an Obama speechwriter adds to a storied genre while avoiding its usual cynicism.
Posted inBooks, Featured
The Pitfalls of Privatization
For decades, Republicans and Democrats alike have pushed for government privatization. But, a business-like government is directly hostile to our constitutional order.
Posted inBooks, Featured
Social Media Is Corroding Our Democracy
Sites like Facebook and Twitter create echo chambers that sharpen partisan differences. Could the right incentives change how we consume information?
Posted inBooks, Featured
Make Congress Great Again
Now more than ever, the country needs a resurgent Congress to counterbalance the president.
