U.S. Politics

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Justice DeLayed
Tom DeLay has spun one of Washington's most powerful fundraising networks. But now a series of state and federal investigations could unravel it all.
By Lou Dubose
October/November 2004 Issue

They'll Take Manhattan
Welcome to the Big Apple, the GOP's playground.
By Ian Frazier
July/August 2004 Issue

Transforming Teresa
The unpredictable, super-rich, charming, prickly, high-powered, and very conflicted Teresa Heinz Kerry....
By Gail Sheehy
July/August 2004 Issue

Midnight Passage
The House of Representatives has had lots of reasons to keep its work out of the public eye this session.
May/June 2004 Issue

The Byrd That Roared
By Matteen Mokalla
March/April 2004 Issue

Battling Bush: The Fight Plan
As Super Tuesday approaches, the director of communications for the leading Democratic candidate sits down to write a memo...
By George Packer
January/February 2004 Issue

The Soul of the New Machine
As national ward boss for the right, Grover Norquist has gone a long way toward demolishing the old Democratic agenda. And he isn't done yet.
By Michael Scherer
January/February 2004 Issue

Little Big Man
The totally unpresidential, but strangely appealing, campaign of Dennis Kucinich.
By Charles Bowden
November/December 2003 Issue

The Masters of Mean
Goodbye to Phil Gramm and Dick Armey, the last of a bitter breed of Texas politician.
By Molly Ivins
March/April 2002 Issue

Interview: Jesse Jackson
A populist on Wall Street? The former candidate addresses the apparent contradictions of his latest project.
By Douglas Foster
March/April 2000 Issue

The New Political Theater
From the late-night comics to 'The West Wing,' politics makes for great entertainment. So why can't the real thing find an audience?
By Paul Taylor
November/December 2000 Issue

Senator Strangelove
New Mexico's Pete Domenici is doing everything he can to ensure the future of all things nuclear.
By Bill Mesler
November/December 1999 Issue

Scout's Honor
It it wants to exclude gays, the Boy Scouts may have to tell the straight truth about itself.
By William Saletan
November/December 1999 Issue

The Moving Target of Gun Control
As key Republicans shift their semiautomatic thinking, real gun control may not be as far off as the NRA thinks.
By William Saletan
September/October 1999 Issue

Humanitarian Hawks
What wars can liberals support? The kind that conservatives hate.
By William Saletan
July/August 1999 Issue

A Tale of Two Liddys
Casting her as the "anti-Clinton," Elizabeth Dole's supporters are peddling a different kind of girlie show.
By William Saletan
May/June 1999 Issue

Impeach This
The GOP won't like the ending, but Clinton's comeback was scripted years ago.
By William Saletan
March/April 1999 Issue

No Small Change
Reformers are overly optimistic about ridding politics of Big Money.
By William Saletan
January/February 1999 Issue

The Sleeping Giant Awakes
The Latino vote is coming to an election near youand neither major party is ready for it.
By Dale Maharidge
January/February 1998 Issue

75 Stars
How to restore democracy in the U.S. Senate (and end the tyranny of Wyoming).
Plus: RealPolitik: How big is your vote?
By Michael Lind
January/February 1998 Issue

Debate and Switch
By William Saletan
March/April 1998 Issue

The Court Inquisitor
What Kenneth Starr's crusade against President Clinton can tell us about policing the royal presidency.
By Michael Lind
May/June 1998 Issue

Gary Bauer's Moral Dilemma
Fed up with the GOP, the religious right leader makes overtures to Democrats. To whom will he be faithful?
By William Saletan
July/August 1998 Issue

Reagan Redux
Sen. John Ashcroft is raising his profile, but the Gipper's folksy morality faces a tougher audience in 2000.
By William Saletan
November/December 1998 Issue

Interview: John McCain
The Arizona senator hates Big Tobacco and thinks money corrupts politics. But he doesn't mind chatting with Bill Gates.
By Jason Vest
November/December 1998 Issue

Clinton's Ten Commandments
These are the words politicians live by. Brush up and you, too, can make sense out of this year's campaign promises.
By William Saletan
September/October 1998 Issue

Countdown to Indictment
Newt Gingrich's unethical maneuvering is slowly catching up to him.
January/February 1997 Issue

Feeling his Way
Clinton's former speechwriter combs the president's words for clues as to what he will do now that he faces history's judgment.
By David Kusnet
January/February 1997 Issue

Decisive Moments
Some predict Clinton will return to his liberal roots. But everything about the past four years reinforces his conservative turn. Here's a preview of battles to come.
By Jonathan Cohn
January/February 1997 Issue

Democrats at the Crossroads
Two factions of Democrats with sharply divergent ideas are fighting to lead the party. Will they resolve their differences?
By Theda Skocpol
January/February 1997 Issue

Bob's Best Buddies
Dole won his party's nomination by developing a much wider base of contributors than his Republican opponents -- and using it to wear them down, one by one.
By Thomas Ferguson
November/December 1996 Issue

Newt & the Dirty Dozen
Who let everyone from gamblers to gun nuts have the run of the House?
September/October 1996 Issue

Sin of Emissions
Tom Delay gained notoriety for openly inviting industry lobbyists to help rewrite environmental regulations. But the lobbyist with the best access may be his brother Randy.
By Jan Reid
September/October 1996 Issue

Breach of Contract
Mother Jones contributing writer William Saletan asked several respected political commentators to analyze the 104th Congress.
September/October 1996 Issue

The Rise & Fall of the 104th Congress: A Timeline
September/October 1996 Issue

She Did It Amway
Amway funded Sue Myrick and taught her to reach the top by climbing on the backs of people on the bottom. Now she's pushing the company's conservative agenda.
By Rachel Burstein and Kerry Lauerman
September/October 1996 Issue

Republican Whitewaters
At its core, Whitewater is the story of a savings and loan owner with friends in high places. L.J. Davis reports on three prominent Republicans whose S&L entanglements equal or surpass Clinton's.
By L.J. Davis
July/August 1996 Issue

What I Saw at the Decline of the Revolution
The Republican revolution has degenerated into an orgy of self-aggrandizement.
By William Saletan
July/August 1996 Issue

Glimpses of the Decline
The GOP's self-importance and self-serving attitude caught on film.
By Larry Fink
July/August 1996 Issue

20 Required Readings
By John B. Judis
July/August 1996 Issue

20 Required Readings
By Katha Pollitt
July/August 1996 Issue

Sin of Omission
How long can religious conservatives go on about protecting kids from dangerous drugs without saying anything about smoking?
By William Saletan
May/June 1996 Issue

California Schemer: What You Need to Know About Pete Wilson
When Pete Wilson's presidential campaign crashed at the end of September, his brand of racial politics didn't necessarily fail with him.
By Dale Maharidge
November/December 1995 Issue

Countdown To Indictment
New insights into Newt's corrupt empire
November/December 1995 Issue

Slick Philly
Phil Gramm uses military rhetoric, but never served. He was a deficit hawk until tax-cutting was cool, a libertarian until gay-baiting was cool, and a poverty fighter until blaming the victim was cool.
By Will Saletan
July/August 1995 Issue

Will Newt Fall?
Gingrich is calling in chits to avoid a House investigation of his shady empire.
By Glenn Simpson
July/August 1995 Issue

What You Need to Know about Jesse Helms
The senator from North Carolina is racist, divisive, pro-government (when it favors the wealthy), and anti-democratic.
By Eric Bates
May/June 1995 Issue

Beyond the Contract
The Republican "Contract with America" is a popular exercise meant to divert attention from their real agenda.
By Major Garrett
March/April 1995 Issue

10 Ways the Republicans Will Change Your Life
Here is your behind-the-scenes guide to ways the Republicans will change how you live and work.
By Richard Blow
March/April 1995 Issue

Welcome to your Newt Congress
What kind of mischief can we expect from this bunch? Here are a few of our nightmares.
By Holly Lloyd with Jennifer Lind and Maya Sinha
January/February 1995 Issue

Barry & Ollie & Us
Despite all their differences, these two men are carriers of the same political disease: an epidemic of cynicism.
By William Saletan
January/February 1995 Issue

So, Comeback, Kid
The Clinton presidency is in trouble. To regain the public trust and have a shot at winning in 1996, "Slick Willy" must become more like Forrest Gump.
By Eric Alterman
November/December 1994 Issue

Let's Talk Clinton
Twenty unofficial advisers tell Bill how to fight back in the second round.
By Michael Krasny
November/December 1994 Issue

Interview: Dick Gephardt
The most powerful leader in Congress wants to be seen as a populist. But he always adapts to the system.
By Richard Blow
September/October 1994 Issue

The Prey
First, send out direct mail potshots that compare Labor Board candidate Bill Gould's scholarly writings with "Mein Kampf." Stay hungry, and you may even bag the big game: the Clinton presidency.
By Mike Weiss
July/August 1994 Issue

The Hunters
The Republicans in the Senate have made no secret of their strategy: gridlock.
By Robert Parry
July/August 1994 Issue

Fighting Smart
A group of well-funded conservative think tanks and media pundits feed the Republican attack machine. Democrats lag far behind.
By Eric Alterman
July/August 1994 Issue

The Clinton Plan to Control Perot
By Richard Blow
January/February 1994 Issue

Who is she?
Other women bump up against the glass ceiling at work; Hillary did so in a far harder place--her marriage.
By Nina Martin
November/December 1993 Issue

Tough Guy Muzzled
The Clinton Administration has been far better at making concessions than extracting them. Rahm Emanuel has a different philosophy.
By Richard Blow
November/December 1993 Issue

Dead Meat
Bill wants to be liked. But his new friends--Gergen, Christopher, Bentsen--are having him for lunch.
By Eric Alterman
September/October 1993 Issue

Foley Flexes
Tom Foley fought a secret war to remain Speaker of the House-and KO'd congressional reform in the process.
By Richard Blow
July/August 1993 Issue

I Feel Your Pain
How to host the presidency in 12 steps
By Richard M. Levine
July/August 1993 Issue

Lions into Lambs
Perks and plum assignments muted freshmen's call to reform.
By Stephen Pizzo
July/August 1993 Issue

Thumbs Down
The punditocracy has all but declared Clinton a failure, a victim of his wife's liberal friends. As usual, the insider consensus is exactly wrong.
By Eric Alterman
July/August 1993 Issue

The Fun's in the Fight
Even when you can't kick the bad guys where it hurts, you can still have a real gas trying.
By Molly Ivins
May/June 1993 Issue

Middle Class Millennium
Clinton may forge a new political coalition and still lose: interviews with analysts Kevin Phillips and Paul Kennedy.
By Eric Alterman
May/June 1993 Issue

The Court Rules
Does Clinton have the mettle to shake up the establishment he ran against? Inside the head that wears the crown.
By Eric Alterman
March/April 1993 Issue

Cisneros' Cross
San Antonio's ex-mayor has accepted one of the highest offices ever held by a Mexian-American. With regrets.
By Molly Ivins
March/April 1993 Issue

The Stakes
For Clinton to restore Americans' faith, he will need to define his own political identity in a way that lets him go over the heads of the country's foreign-policy elite.
By Eric Alterman
January/February 1993 Issue

Hillary and Eleanor
Go on the offensive. There's such a power base among women now that if you mobilize them, you will be stronger than Eleanor was.
By Doris Kearns Goodwin
January/February 1993 Issue

Bubba's Boy?
If Bill dances with them that brung him, not them that gave him big money, we will have a real populist on our hands.
By Molly Ivins
January/February 1993 Issue

Party Favors
New campaign finance rules haven't stopped lobbyists from bankrolling lavish fetes at the conventions.
By Samuel Loewenberg
July/August 2004 Issue

Bush's Baseball Ambassadors
July/August 2004 Issue

Bundles of Influence
The Bush campaign's Pioneers and Rangers are raising millions to re-elect the president. What do they expect in return?
By Tim Shorrock and Michael Scherer
May 1, 2004

What's In Your Wallet?
During the 2000 presidential campaign, MBNA chairman Charles M. Cawley raised $370,000 for George W. Bush, including $240,000 from his own employees.

The Short, Unhappy Life of Campaign Finance Reform
Everyone seems ready to bury the McCain-Feingold law -- including those responsible for enforcing it.
By Paul Taylor
March/April 2003 Issue

TV's Political Profits
Broadcasters are making millions from candidates' ads, while cutting election coverage. But there is a way to revolutionize campaigns -- for free.
By Paul Taylor
May/June 2000 Issue

Beyond Excess
With voters numb and politicians more brazen than ever, campaign finance has entered the Gilded Age.
By Paul Taylor
September/October 2000 Issue

Campaign Inflation (2001)
Industry pumped in a record $696 million to elect George W. Bush and a GOP Congress. The Mother Jones 400 reveals the nation's top contributors -- and what they expect in return.

The 1998 Mother Jones 400
Mother Jones' third annual survey and searchable database of the country's top 400 political donors.
November/December 1998 Issue

MoJo 400: Top Ten
Bald ambition: a look at the power elite who top this year's list. Click on any of these folks' dollar totals to see an itemized list of their donations.
November/December 1998 Issue

The Mother Jones Interview: John McCain
The Arizona senator hates Big Tobacco and thinks money corrupts politics. But he doesn't mind chatting with Bill Gates.
By Jason Vest
November/December 1998 Issue

Tip Sheet A guide to the biggest vices in Congress By Jennifer Shecter
November/December 1998 Issue

Rough Cuts
Outback Steakhouse sways politicians with money straight from its workers, whose gifts are taken straight from their paychecks. But do employees feel pressed to give? And do they even know where their money is going?
By Jennifer Liberto and Aaron Rothenburger November/December 1998 Issue

Banana Split
Chiquita's business tactics include bipartisan patronage.
By John Fox and Nancy Firor
November/December 1998 Issue

Money Mover
An international market for made-in-America financial products could mean that Clinton was a wise investment for Goldman Sachs
By Thomas Ferguson
November/December 1998 Issue

Sweet Rewards
Editor's Note
By Jeffrey Klein
November/December 1998 Issue

Heavy Betting
Nation-wide gambling political contributions: a Mother Jones special investigation.
July/August 1997 Issue

A Probe Not Taken
Congress should take a look at OPIC's taxpayer-backed sweetheart deals. We did.
By Rachel Burstein and Janice C. Shields
July/August 1997 Issue

Big Game Hunter Fundraiser Terry McAuliffe knew how to bag big donors for President Clinton, but has the stalker now become the prey?
By J. Jennings Moss

Reform School
With crisis comes opportunity. The current campaign finance scandals offer the first chance in years to enact meaningful reform instead of slapping the system on the wrist.
By Jonathan Cohn
Seeing the Light
Editor's Note
By Jeffrey Klein
May/June 1997 Issue

Bill's Big Backers
Though Clinton's contributions from Wall Street were lower than expected, other industries -- notably oil and defense -- took up some of the slack. But the best-kept secret of the election is that it was the telecommunications industry that rescued Bill Clinton.
By Thomas Ferguson
November/December 1996 Issue

The Mother Jones 400 (1996): An Overview
March/April 1996 Issue

The Mother Jones 400 (1996)
An interactive database of the top campaign contributors

Fred Who?
The number one political contributor is a secretive billionaire from Cleveland, Ohio, who built a small pipe-fitting company into a billion-dollar enterprise. A conservative Republican, he "encourages" his distributors across the country to give to his favorite political candidates. His name is Fred Lennon.
By Ted Gup
March/April 1996 Issue

Tightening the Beltway
Congress has a long track record of passing ineffective campaign reforms. Impatient, voters in many states are taking matters into their own hands.
By Leslie Weiss
March/April 1996 Issue

Body Politic
Who has the president's ear? How much did they pay for it?
By L.J. Davis March/April 1993 Issue

No Compromise on Corruption
By David Beers
March/April 1993 Issue

Real Reformers, Real Results
Our Seventh Annual Roundup of Student Protest
By Keith Meatto
September/October 2000 Issue

Signs of Decay
The Democratic Party has clearly outlived its own best ideas. So what -- aside from centrist cynicism and "progressive" pabulum -- is next?
By George Packer
September/October 2003 Issue

Why are some on the left, who rightly demand sympathy for victims around the world, so quick to dismiss American suffering?
By Todd Gitlin
January/February 2002 Issue

The End of the Absolute No
The American left's reflexive opposition to U.S. military intervention broke down over Kosovo. A veteran activist says it's about time.
By Todd Gitlin
September/October 1999 Issue

Humanitarian Hawks
What wars can liberals support? The kind that conservatives hate.
By William Saletan
July/August 1999 Issue

Restoring Public Trust
Liberals can once again play a vital political role--if they take public rejection of their policies more seriously.
By Daniel Yankelovich
November/December 1995 Issue

Ralph Reed's Other Cheek
The man who mobilized the religious right puts his conservative connections to work for business.
By Peter Stone
November/December 2004 Issue

All the Right Moves
The men from the Economist explain why conservatism won out in America.
Reviewed By Michael Kazin
July/August 2004 Issue

Gary Bauer's Moral Dilemma
Fed up with the GOP, the religious right leader makes overtures to Democrats. To whom will he be faithful?
By William Saletan
July/August 1998 Issue

Race to the Right
Recruiting blacks will force the Christian Coalition to confront the tension between its two goals: to be religious and to control the political agenda.
By Ann Monroe
May/June 1997 Issue

Keeping Faith
Meet some religious leaders, like Bill Clinton's Pastor, who are working to restore mercy, compassion, and justice to our national vocabulary. And getting smeared by the Christian right for doing so.
By Adele M. Stan
May/June 1996 Issue

Sin of Omission
How long can religious conservatives go on about protecting kids from dangerous drugs without saying anything about smoking?
By William Saletan
May/June 1996 Issue

House of God?
By quietly taking power on the state and local levels, the Christian right has become an unparalleled force in national politics. But who are the people leading the movement? What do they believe? And how close are they to controlling the presidency?
By Adele M. Stan
November/December 1995 Issue

A Map Of Religious Right Influence By Adele M. Stan November/December 1995 Issue pub:/news/feature/1995/11/stan_map.html A Guide to the Religious Right
By Adele M. Stan
November/December 1995 Issue

Showdown in Des Moines
A local school board race draws the religious right's big guns.
By Adele M. Stan
November/December 1995 Issue

Lyin' Bully
Instead of picking on someone his own size, Rush consistently targets dead people, little girls, and the homeless--none of whom can fight back.
By Molly Ivins
May/June 1995 Issue

Big Fat Lies
Media watchdog Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting spent two years listening to--and checking up on--Rush's claims. Below, a selection of the Big Blowhard's twistings of the truth.
By Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting
May/June 1995 Issue

The Prey
First, send out direct mail potshots that compare Labor Board candidate Bill Gould's scholarly writings with "Mein Kampf." Follow up by dropping some press bait. Stay hungry, and you may even bag the big game: the Clinton presidency.
By Mike Weiss
July/August 1994 Issue

The Hunters
The Republicans in the Senate have made no secret of their strategy: gridlock.
By Robert Parry
July/August 1994 Issue

Fighting Smart
A group of well-funded conservative think tanks and media pundits feed the Republican attack machine. Democrats lag far behind.
By Eric Alterman
July/August 1994 Issue

The Right Fight
Right-wing fundamentalists have their sights set on something even larger than public schools: civil society. Since their views are shared by only a small minority of Americans, they often work in secret. Here's how to flush them out.
By Liz Galst
March/April 1994 Issue

Other People's Money
Being a tale of Jerry Flawell, Charles Keating, and the pursuit of Christian booty.
By L. J. Davis
May/June 1993 Issue

The Sleeping Giant Awakes
The Latino vote is coming to an election near youand neither major party is ready for it.
By Dale Maharidge
January/February 1998 Issue

75 Stars How to restore democracy in the U.S. Senate (and end the tyranny of Wyoming)
By Michael Lind
January/February 1998 Issue

Alice Doesn't Vote Here Anymore
When it comes to the way we elect Congress, we're on the wrong side of the looking glass.
By Michael Lind
March/April 1998 Issue

The Diddly Award
The Flightless Eagle Award is awarded to the right-wing congressional candidate least likely to soar. The nominees are...
By Jack Hitt
November/December 2004 Issue

The Diddly Award Honoring our rubber-stamp Congress, whose members have found plenty of time to do squat. By Jack Hitt September/October 2004 Issue

The Diddly Awards Honoring the jaw-dropping achievements of the 108th Congress By Jack Hitt July/August 2004 Issue

The Diddly Awards By Jack Hitt September/October 2002 Issue

The Diddly Awards Honoring Our Do-Nothing Congress The envelope, please. Presenting the First Biennial Diddly Awards, in honor of our Do-Nothing Congress. From Newt on a blanket to Patton in charge, the only loser is democracy. By Jack Hitt May/June 2000 Issue

Candidate Nader
He may be the most intensely private man ever to seek public office. What makes Ralph run?
By Ken Silverstein
July/August 2000 Issue

Nader Unrepentant
With longtime allies attacking him for costing Democrats the White House, can Ralph Nader regain his status as the nation's leading public advocate?
By Jon Margolis
July/August 2001 Issue