Politicians talk a lot. But, they don't talk too much, and that talk is rarely cheap. Communication is central to politicians' work, particularly in the U.S. Congress. Our senators and representatives often talk with each other in the structured, policy-rich environment inside Congress (Aldrich and Rohde 1995, 1996, Cox and McCubbins 1993, 2004, Denzau et al. 1985). They debate the overall policy agenda as well as legislative details of that agenda. Senators and representatives also talk extensively with constituents, often in the public, unpredictable, and unstructured context of election campaigns (Franklin 1991, Herrnson 2004, Jacobson 2004, McCombs and Shaw 1972, 1993, Sellers 1998). This interaction involves fewer policy details, as the politicians aim to explain and advertise Washington activities, rather than continue the “legislative combat” of committee and floor debate (Fenno 1978, xiii).

With increasing frequency, the politicians' legislative and electoral worlds are blurring together in “the permanent campaign” (Blumenthal 2008, Lawrence 2000, Ornstein and Mann 2000). Policy debates between elections are extending beyond the structured arena inside Congress to a broader, less-structured, and more-public arena. Examples of these public debates abound. In January of 1995, a new Republican congressional majority aggressively promoted a bold legislative agenda and used that agenda to win news coverage. Eight years later, members of Congress publicly debated the merits of launching the Iraq War. Their intentionally public deliberations helped spark a national discussion about the conflict. A similarly contentious public debate took place in 2005, when Congress considered President George Bush's plan to reform Social Security.