At the May 14th regular meeting , David Parker from the MSU Political Science Department will speak on the politics of legislative oversight of executives 

Cookies, coffee and tea will be served. 

David C.W. Parker is an associate professor of political science at Montana State University. He is the author of Battle for the Big Sky: Representation and the Politics of Place in the Race for the U.S. Senate (CQ Press) and The Power of Money in Congressional Campaigns, 1880-2006 (University of Oklahoma Press), as well as articles on the consequences of divided government and how members of Congress employ their office expenditures to build reputations with constituents. His article, "Making a Good Impression: Resource Allocations, Home Styles, and Washington Work", won the 2010 Alan Rosenthal Award from the American Political Science Association. Professor Parker is currently writing a book entitled Losing: When Incumbencies Fail about senators who lose reelection and articles on polarization and foreign travel of members of Congress, the rhetoric employed by the minority party in Congress, and congressional responses to the use of the Antiquities Act. He frequently provides media commentary for local, state, and national news outlets and writes and coordinates a blog for the Montana State University political science department entitled Big Sky Political Analysis (http://bigskypolitics.blogspot.com). He resides in Bozeman with his wife Hilary and two daughters, Sadie and Tess.