The following article by William B. Heller, Associate Professor of Political Science, Binghamton University, State University of New York, and Olga Shvetsova, Professor of Political Science and Economics, Binghamton University, State University of New York, was posted on the Conversation website January 23, 2018:
Republicans can’t agree on a budget.
That lack of agreement has made it necessary for Congress to pass a series of continuing resolutions to keep the government open.
There’s no budget agreement because factions within the GOP hold contradictory policy positions on almost every issue. James Madison, an author of the Federalist Papers might have framed the problem this way: The party draws on votes from – and is accountable to – diverse groups of citizens with conflicting interests. That conflict within the Republicans’ voting base means that any policy they propose would hurt at least some of the members’ key constituents. Continue reading “Another continuing resolution won’t solve the real problem within the Republican Party”