As deadlines loom large for Congress, is there any hope for avoiding gridlock? A political scientist examines one common, informal way members build relationships across the aisle.
The inaugural week of the new parliament reinforced the point that Bill Shorten plans to do everything possible to harass Malcolm Turnbull.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
As any good farmer will tell you, always shut the gate. On Thursday a number of government MPs, including several ministers, rushed away from parliament, leaving the gate wide open, and the opposition…
At the end of the first sitting week of parliament, Labor caught the government flat-footed and without a majority in the House of Representatives.
Malcolm Turnbull, Christopher Pyne and Scott Morrison look at Speaker Tony Smith after the government lost two divisions in the House of Representatives on Thursday.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Since 1949, most of Australia’s governments received less than half of all primary votes cast, with some as low as 40%.
Five crossbench members of the House of Representatives will take their seats in the 45th parliament, including Bob Katter, Andrew Wilkie, and the Nick Xenophon Team’s Rebekha Sharkie.
Lucas Coch/AAP
At federal elections, voters must cast a preference for all candidates in their lower house seat. Failure to do so, or failure to give an ordinal list of preferences, renders the ballot informal.
‘As president, I will repeal every word of Obamacare,’ Ted Cruz proclaimed during the Feburary 25 GOP debate.
Mike Stone/Reuters
The leading GOP candidates all claim one of their top priorities will be to repeal Obamacare. An architect of the original law outlines the thorny – but plausible – path to repeal.
Ryan wields brand new speaker’s gavel, October 29 2015.
Gary Cameron/REUTERS
Supporting a decision that leaves six million people without coverage and raises premiums for others could further the image of the Republican Party as an uncaring party of the wealthy.
How well this lot can get along may depend most on the growing group of politicians hoping to sit in the president’s chair in two years.
Reuters
Given the contentiousness of recent fiscal negotiations, the prelude to the budget passed by the Senate last month was surprisingly placid. Will a uniquely unproductive Congress be followed by a more conciliatory…
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback was re-elected despite a tight fight over his tax cuts and resulting deficit, which were revealed to be worse than expected just days after the election.
Reuters
Republican gains in this month’s election, which handed the GOP united control of Congress for the first time since 2006, have lifted hopes that the government can pass corporate tax reform next year…
Despite calls for immigration reform, there’s little public support for looser controls.
Edward Kimmel
One should not exaggerate the impact of this midterm election – as some did following the 2012 presidential poll. The US system has many checks and balances. In particular, within the federal government…