Mark Mellman

Everybody — members, scholars, pundits and the public — agrees Congress is screwed up. People are, well, polarized about why, however. Many offer what I call the “socializing hypothesis,” identifying…

Few things excite pundits more than the prospect of a “throw the bums out” election, where citizens finally rise up and defeat the legislators they disdain. Commentators regularly predict it.…

My column last week on independents who lean toward a party ignited a (tiny) controversy. Some of those who questioned my argument asked questions like “Are independents independent?” and “Are…

My friends at Third Way were kind enough to cite this column in attacking my oft-stated warning that most independents are not as independent as they claim, a fact that…

It’s way too early to say anything useful about the 2016 presidential election. But that’s not stopping anyone else, so I might as well chime in too. As long as…

One need look no further than the minimum wage to find evidence that Republicans are wildly out of touch. A year ago, every single Republican member of the House voted…

Having a right is not the same thing as being in the right. In some instances, we have the right to behave immorally. For example, the First Amendment gives some…

Even after watching the previews, I am not sure how I will feel about the forthcoming Russell Crowe movie presenting a richly embellished account of the Noah story (turning 46…

Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party followed similar trajectories. Both grew, seemingly as grassroots movements, enjoyed brief popularity and are now widely disliked by the electorate. But the two…

Readers know I strongly support President Obama and may recall my tremendous respect, affection and admiration for Secretary of State John Kerry. When I find a public out of sync…