Reforming Congress – Frances Lee, PhD, Professor of Politics & Public Affairs at Princeton (Part 1)

March 16, 2021  

  • Video
  • 0:12 – Background
  • 5:24 – What are political parties and why do they matter?
  • 8:34 – What questions are you asking about parties and what answers have you found?
  • 12:10 – Have the ambitions of their agendas changed over time?
  • 16:15 – Discussing the likelihood of larger or smaller pieces of legislation being passed
  • 19:12 – What happens when control of the House or Senate is close to a 50/50 party split?
  • 24:50 – How do re-election priorities have an impact on the outcome of the legislation?
  • 27:46 – On the history of third parties and their potential today
  • 30:51 – What traditions or procedures within Congress reinforce the two party system?
  • 34:31 – Transparency vs. Privacy: Which is better for legislating?
  • 38:32 – Have you thought where Congress is transparent and where it is not? How are political activities shaped by that?
    [End of Part 1]
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