Molly E. Reynolds - Böcker

Special rules enable the Senate to act despite the filibuster. Sometimes.Most people believe that, in today's partisan environment, the filibuster prevents the Senate from acting on all but the least controversial matters. But this is not exactly correct. In fact, the Senate since the 1970s has created a series of special rules—described by Molly Reynolds as “majoritarian exceptions”—that limit debate on a wide range of measures on the Senate floor.The details of these exemptions might sound arcane and technical, but in practice they have enabled the Senate to act even when it otherwise seemed paralyzed. Important examples include procedures used to pass the annual congressional budget resolution, enact budget reconciliation bills, review proposals to close military bases, attempt to prevent arms sales, ratify trade agreements, and reconsider regulations promulgated by the executive branch.Reynolds argues that these procedures represent a key instrument of majority party power in the Senate. They allow the majority—even if it does not have the sixty votes needed to block a filibuster—to produce policies that will improve its future electoral prospects, and thus increase the chances it remains the majority party.As a case study, Exceptions to the Rule examines the Senate's role in the budget reconciliation process, in which particular congressional committees are charged with developing procedurally protected proposals to alter certain federal programs in their jurisdictions. Created as a way of helping Congress work through tricky budget issues, the reconciliation process has become a powerful tool for the majority party to bypass the minority and adopt policy changes in hopes that it will benefit in the next election cycle.

Much has changed in the sixty years since the 1960 election, but every four years, readers have been able to count on a single volume to provide a detailed examination of federal campaign finance. Financing the 2020 Election is the latest in this series, providing a full picture of raising and spending by campaigns, parties, and outside actors—all in an election cycle both disrupted and shaped by a global pandemic and a polarizing president at the top of the ticket.Edited by Molly E. Reynolds and John C. Green and Molly Reynolds, the book draws on detailed data from the Federal Election Commission and analysis by a range of campaign finance experts. The chapters provide both overall context for the landscape of campaign finance regulation in 2020 and examine a different aspect of the 2020 cycle, including the presidential contest; congressional races; and the role of the political parties. A concluding chapter places the entire campaign in context and offers suggestions for reform.Together, the analysis in the volume gives readers a single source for a complete picture of how the 2020 elections were financed—and how those dynamics fit into the broader landscape of American politics.