Just under two years ago, a young Democratic president took office after leading his party to majorities in both chambers of Congress, reshaping the political landscape after a period of conservative dominance. After enduring bruising legislative battles on top priorities like comprehensive health care reform, the Democrats stand to lose both the House and the Senate, and a new generation of Republicans is waiting to deliver on a much-hyped mani...
...deral government to be bipartisan and responsible enough to address the nation’s ballooning debt in an effective manner. Everyone acknowledges that we need to avoid this calamity, but there is a problem: the Democrats and the Republicans have both drawn lines in the sand, and there is a gap between them. The Democrats have firmly ruled out any plan that does not include revenue increases, and the Republicans have firmly ruled out any plan that in...
...e group can dominate our system anymore. Truly, it was a coalition of minorities that propelled this president to victory. That is uniquely American. No other country in the world has elections like this. The implications for Republicans (as written about by my foil Jamie Boothe) are clear. They better shape up, or they’re irrelevant. Clearly, the party will opt for the former, but it will be very interesting to see the civil war that ensues over...
Source: nysenate.gov Out of the sixty-three elections for the New York State Senate held on November 6th, two results have yet to be announced as ballots continue to be counted. The Democrats had control of one more Senate seat than the Republicans after results from sixty-one elections were finalized. Despite the fact that the Democrats are almost assured to win one of the two remaining Senate seats, their majority is far from inevitable. Tw...
...based on which candidate wins a majority in each individual congressional district (Nebraska and Maine currently use this method). In the battleground states of Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin, Republicans are blazing forward with this plan. In many of these states, congressional district lines have been gerrymandered to favor Republicans, effectively guaranteeing that those districts will support Republican presid...
...to increase capital requirements and issuance of convertible debt have been included in House and Senate bills, but the legislation falls short of what most experts would like to see. Signs of consensus between Democrats and Republicans quickly began to fade once the complexity of creating an effective resolution authority became apparent. The proposed resolution would give regulatory authorities the power to seize and allow a large, complex fin...
...n as a sweeping mandate for a repeal of the Marriage Equality Act. Instead, these election results are the result of a zealous minority taking advantage of low turnout to make a loud statement to GOP incumbents: moderates and Republicans who move to the left on any issue will be challenged and defeated for reelection. Viewed in this way, the most significant outcome of the election has nothing to do with marriage equality, but instead is that Dem...
...a gateway to comprehensive immigration reform. College Democrats The Columbia University College Democrats plan to spend this year lobbying for and supporting their policy interests. They participated along with the College Republicans in the health care debate on October 7 in line with their planned initial focus on health care for the first two months of the fall semester. The group plans to then transition to poverty and hunger awareness for...
...firmation of Miguel Estrada to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals in D.C., the Senate seemed transported back to a time when it was dominated not only by fierce policy wars, but by strategic parliamentary maneuvering as well. Republicans failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to bring the confirmation to a vote on the Senate floor, where they would have won. The heated debates also furthered the growing perception that the judicial branch is no...
Columbia Political Review is unveiling its new running feature – Political Minutes – where we provide coverage of political events happening across campus and New York City. If you know of an event or want coverage, let us know! On February 7, the Columbia Political Union hosted a debate between the Columbia Democrats and the College Republicans on the resolution that colleges and universities should practice race-based affirmative...
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