Please be sure to click “see all” or “archive” at the bottom of the main page so that you do not miss a Note that may interest you. Ignore dates on the Notes; many Notes have been updated.
Welcome to Steve's Notes on Congressional Politics. The Notes are intended to provide essential background and observations about many of the most important features of congressional politics. You will find that they have greater depth than blogs but are not as long as textbook chapters. If you are an instructor, you might want to use them as a substitute for or supplement to a textbook. If you are a journalist, you might find some useful perspectives on your subject. There are many research topics to be discovered here. In many Notes, you will find a theme, data, or interpretation you will not find elsewhere.
A few notes introduce basic features of congressional parties, committees, and the legislative process in a manner similar to what you might find in a textbook on Congress. They are usually labeled “Briefly” to indicate that they provide basic background in bite-sized chunks for easy reading.
About me: I’m a Professor of Political Science at Washington University and author of many books on congressional politics. More about me here; find my books here.
If you are an instructor using Notes for a course, feel free to inquire about an ancillary or two that I can provide.
If you would like to write a guest Note, let me know!
Sign up now so you don’t miss new Notes or updates. Don’t worry, I use notifications sparingly.
In the meantime, tell your friends!
Twitter: @ProfStevenSmith