Professor of Government, Harvard University
Professor of Government at Harvard University
PROFILE
Stephen Ansolabehere
Guest
FROM Stephen Ansolabehere
Which Way, L.A.?
Money and Influence on Capitol Hill Two court rulings mean that corporations, unions and other special interests can now spend unlimited amounts of money for and against candidates for the Senate and Congress. If they organize as non-profits, donors don’t have to reveal their names.
To the Point
Money and Influence on Capitol Hill Supreme Court decisions have unleashed a tide of corporate and special-interest spending that is setting records for mid-term election campaigns. Conservatives and liberals are both using new rules to raise buckets of money, but Republicans are getting three times more than Democrats are. For the most part, it's perfectly legal, but what's the message about the integrity of the Senate and Congress? Are contributions directly related to votes on Capitol Hill? Has the dependence on money eroded public trust in the second branch of government?
Recommended
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
Left, Right & Center
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
To the Point
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?