Events
Filibusters Sometimes Serve Purposes
Senate filibusters have long been a target of congressional reformers, though as much as the Senate might tweak the rules, they are unlikely to give up this valuable right of the minority to talk. And sometimes talking does build support for an issue.
FBI Raid Breaches Constitutional Wall Built by the Founders
June 5, 2006 By Don Wolfensberger,Roll Call Contributing Writer
Rules, Rules, Rules:Congress Relies on Them
Prepared for delivery at the Dirksen Congressional Center Workshop: Congress in the Classroom, Peoria, Illinois, July 31, 2007
The Republican Revolution at 10: Lasting Legacy or Faded Vision?
How have the promises and peformance of the Republican Revolution played out over the last decade? Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, architect of the Contract with America assesses the past 10 years in Congress.
Weak Committees Empower the Partisans
Over the last three decades majority parties in Congress have come to dominate the policy agenda, often at the expense of committees and deliberative lawmaking. In this article from Roll Call's Procedural Politics column, Wolfensberger finds evidence of this power shift in the growing prominence of leadership staff over committee staff and in the number of unreported bills given major status by the party leaders.
Congress Should Not Censor Citizen Speech
October 15, 2007 By Don Wolfensberger,Roll Call Contributing Writer