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The real concern after Citizens United should be that small donors will stop giving.

(Flickr/Hamed S.)
February 8, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Transparency For What?
The left, right, and center agree that they want more state budget data. But not all data improves policy.
February 1, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt

Fantasy-League Politics
The recurring dream of an independent candidate or party protects the status quo.
February 1, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt

The Return of Childish Things
The smallness of Washington and the natural nervousness of the electorate proved too much for Obama's original vision. But there's still hope.
January 28, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Theory of Change at Year One
What was Obama selling? What did we expect when he took office? And how have those expectations worked out in practice?
January 25, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt and Rick Perlstein | web only

60 Was the Loneliest Number
The "filibuster-proof majority" was always an illusion. We might be better off without it.
January 20, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Let's Make a Filibuster Deal
The Senate has two ways of working (or not): The dead-end filibuster and the fast-track budget process. Real reform should involve fixing both.
January 11, 2010 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Victory at What Cost?
The Senate's passage of health reform is a great step forward but reveals how difficult future legislative victories, and governing, will be for Obama.
December 24, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Machinery of Progress
It's not just about the president. His successes and failures are tests of the progressive infrastructure.
December 21, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

When Good Things Happen to Mediocre Legislation
We're so prepared for bills to get worse as they grind through Congress that it's a shock when they sometimes get a lot better.
December 14, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Don't Fear the Fiscal Reapers
A bipartisan commission to reduce the long-term deficit could be a disaster -- but not if it's done right.
December 9, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Corporate Speak
The Supreme Court might be on the verge of overturning the very foundation of campaign-finance law. But even if it doesn't, the old model has to change.
December 3, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Changing the Tone
Most citizens want to be heard, but we can't let an angry minority speak for them.
November 30, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

Title IX Dad
Title IX, with all its limits, was a nudge that set off a chain of social transformations.
November 5, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

The Obstacles to Real Health-Care Reform
How a series of roadblocks and compromises shaped the health-care debate -- and why the battle doesn't end when Obama signs a bill.
October 26, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

My Model City
To a kid imbued with the idealism of "reform," Dahl's was a bracingly sanguine view of machine politics.
October 8, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

Opposite Day
Obama decided that if everything Carter and Clinton did turned out wrong, then the opposite would have to be right.
September 21, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

A New Agenda for Tough Times
After a decade of economic change and fresh thinking, it's time for a new national effort to fight poverty.
September 14, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt and Shelley Waters Boots

Master of Opportunity
Ted Kennedy was never afraid to seize the chance to further his vision of a just society.
August 26, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt | web only

Left Without Labor
A party of professionals and young voters risks becoming a party that overlooks the core economic crisis facing American workers.
August 24, 2009 | By Mark Schmitt

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