US Politics: Why There Will Be No DREAM Act, No Repeal of "Don't Ask and Don't Tell", and No New START

There will be partisan bickering in Congress, despite this season's message of peace and goodwill over tax cuts;  however, the likelihood is that some kind of measure will be cobbled together to keep the government funded by the deadline of 1 January.

The real casualty of the discussions over a continuing resolution and the contentious floor battle over tax cuts will be three other issues that the Democrats wanted to address: the DREAM Act, the repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" restriction on gays and lesbians in the military, and the "New START" nuclear treaty with Russia.

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Podcast Special: Scott Lucas on "US Politics and the Future of Obama"

The University of Birmingham's Ideas Lab is pursuing an excellent initiative to bring the voices of academics to a general audience. I had the chance to speak with them this week about the work of EA WorldView and, specifically, about the current state of play in US politics.

Questions include: How serious is the setback for President Obama from the 2010 Congressional elections? What are the prospects for the Republican Party? Is Sarah Palin --- and beyond Palin, the Tea Party --- an asset or an albatross for those Republicans? How does an often-polarised US media affect politics? And what is likely to occur in the 2012 campaign?

Have a listen: it may be the only chat on US politics this month to bring in the significance of Dancing with the Stars.

Listen to the interview....

US Politics: Government Spending, Ethanol, and the Republican Dilemma

During the recent controversy within the Republican Party over a ban on "earmark" funding, Senator Jim DeMint, the leading advocate of the moratorium, was able to call upon the support of a host of Tea Party and conservative blogs.

Now the battle gets specific. As DeMint turns his attention to the specific issue of subsidies for corn, media on the Right have been much quieter. At stake in the upcoming debate over the extension of tax credits for the use of ethanol (corn alcohol) in fuel are the same principles that drove the earmark battles, but this time politicians  in corn-producing states may find themselves opposing a cut in Government spending.

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US Politics Analysis: America Boldly Moves Ahead with "Parliamentary" Gridlock

During the next Congress, which begins in January, we will witness a new politics. There is a change in the way business is done in Washington, brought about by the modern communications revolution.

The traditional role of backroom compromise and negotiation, which epitomised the American two-party system of government, is over. By accident rather than design, the US is setting out on a road that will end in the nation developing a parliamentary-style government, where the party in the minority oppose the policies of the majority administration almost automatically. For the foreseeable future, the US will be characterised by divisive and acrimonious politics on a scale never before seen.

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A Beginner's Tour of the US Elections: The States and the Governors

The most intriguing aspect of the current crop of gubernatorial contests is what happens after the results. In many races, such as Florida's, both the Democrat and the Republican candidates are standing on the platform of cutting state spending. Quite how popular a victor will be after he/she cuts spending remains to be seen.

The Tea Party has surprised me and many others with its ability to retain a coherent message for the last 18 months. Whether it continues to surprise us for the next two years will depend on the reforms it achieves, and the popularity of those changes, through its influence in state legislatures and Governor's offices after next Tuesday.

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A Beginner's Tour of the US Elections: The Tea Party, "Kooks", and the Senate Race in Kentucky

How can I not like Kentucky? Home of bourbon whisky, the Derby, and bluegrass music, three of the staples of civilised living all found in one state. A perfect day could well consist of sitting at Churchill Downs reviewing the horse-racing programme, sipping a Maker’s Mark while the locals enjoy their mint juleps, and listening to an old-style jug band.

Wrongly or rightly, Kentucky enjoys the reputation of a polite, well-mannered state where the Southern virtues of relaxed refinement and civility still persist.

It is a sign of the threat to the character of Kentucky that the Senate race in the state is turning increasingly bitter and bad-tempered. On Sunday night, the two candidates held a debate where Rand Paul, the tea party-backed Republican, asked his Democrat opponent Jack Conway: “Have you no decency? Have you no shame?"

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