“The Republican Party has become like a parliamentary party, vehemently oppositional and opposed to anything that the other party would do,” says Thomas Mann in this podcast in which he shares his expertise and insight on political dysfunction in America, on the roots of today’s divisive partisanship, on ideas for solutions, and on the 2016 presidential contest. Mann, a senior fellow in Governance Studies and the W. Averell Harriman Chair in American Governance, also reflects on his 45 years studying and engaging with the political scene in Washington, sharing what he has seen, heard and done along the way.

In his regular segment on what's happening in Congress, Fellow John Hudak explains what Congress is doing now that the midterm elections are over. He focuses on the new confirmation environment for the president and also how congressional Republicans will react to Obama's executive action on immigration. 

Show notes:

• It’s Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism (with Norman Ornstein)• Which Republican Party Won the Midterms?• 2014 Midterms Post-Election Special (podcast)• 2014 Midterms: Why the Election Will Matter... and Why It Won't• Party Polarization and Campaign Finance• Pew Research Center poll

Subscribe to the Brookings Cafeteria on iTunes, listen on Stitcher, and send feedback email to [email protected].