As the 114th Congress gets underway, the vast majority of voters continue to give legislators the thumbs down, and many people are unfamiliar with the leaders on Capitol Hill. Still, a majority thinks the new GOP-led Congress will trump the president in the next two years. Only a third of […] Read more »
Economy Up, G.O.P. Wants a Little Credit
After years of finding the dark lining in every silver economic cloud, Republicans are facing a political quandary that is dividing their leadership even as it buoys the nation: The economy appears to be achieving liftoff. … To some Republicans, a strategic shift is in the offing: Obama’s economy is […] Read more »
Immigration Threatens Republicans From Within
The furor over President Barack Obama’s executive action shielding millions of undocumented immigrants from deportation poses hazards for him, including legislative complications, a possible legal challenge and a public backlash. The risks for Republicans are greater, threatening schisms among the party’s members of Congress through next year, spilling over to […] Read more »
Trial Run
An oft-asked question these days is just how the Republican takeover of the Senate—and the GOP’s now-complete occupation of Capitol Hill—will affect the 2016 presidential election. More specifically, how will it affect former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should she decide to run for president? While the conventional wisdom now […] Read more »
The coming clash over immigration is reflective of past conflicts
The scars from six years of political conflict between President Obama and Republican congressional leaders have quickly washed away all those gauzy comments about cooperation that were offered in the aftermath of the midterm elections. Today, Washington is bracing for a major collision over immigration, with each side calculating the […] Read more »
Low Favorable Ratings Still Plague Top Dogs on Capitol Hill
Relatively few Americans have a favorable impression of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner — the two top-ranking members of Congress. But as weak as both men’s ratings have been in recent years, Reid’s has recently gotten worse, with his […] Read more »