Political dysfunction. Partisanship at record levels. Attack politics run amok. And public approval of Congress scraping the single digits (Sen. John McCain is fond of saying it's down to blood rlatives and paid staff).

We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional. In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.

Has Barack Obama's Democratic party given up on winning the votes of the white working class? Thomas Edsall, the longtime Washington Post reporter now with the Huffington Post, thinks so.

Representative Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) warned of a dangerous trend toward protectionism that he saw in recent debates over trade and immigration.

Though many observers believe that education policy is an ideal issue to promote bipartisanship, the midterm elections may have made this more difficult.

Rick Santelli's rant underscores Americans' frustration with the current government and explains why thousands of previously uninvolved citizens are making their mark in primaries and special elections.

The reason why non-college white voters embrace the Tea Party movement over Democratic policies--even at their own expense--is because they value other things besides just maximizing their short-term income.

The GOP victories on Election Day reveal fissures in the coalition that elected Barack Obama.