And by not becoming embroiled in too many legislative fights, he also largely avoided criticism on those contentious issues he ducked.
In too many legislative bodies, including the U.S. Congress, those tactics have often prevailed.
There was not a little irony to these declamations, because the Indian Supreme Court is renowned for its judicial activism: in recent years, it has forcefully intervened in a great many legislative matters, and Justice Singhvi himself has been a vocal defender of such activism.
"The gun lobby is very good at threatening politicians and working its will in far too many legislative bodies including the United State Congress," Henigan says.
I have selected two that get us away from the presidential race, both of which highlight just how much trouble the Republican brand continues to find itself in despite the party's many legislative and statehouse victories in 2010.
In Kansas, the Do-Overs, who had many legislative leaders in their ranks — including Wagle, the Senate president, and Mark Hutton, the chairman of the House Commerce Committee — wanted a system that valued fairness by taxing business owners and their employees equally.
Last February, the European Union revised the Tobacco Products Directive, adopting a restrictive policy around e-cigarettes and in the United States, after many legislative battles, the Food and Drug Administration is readying to introduce its own regulations.
John-Gift Mwakhwawa of the Malawi Law Society said Mr. Mutharika became more autocratic after his party won many legislative seats in 2009.
"As state lawmakers, we recognize that this has fallen to us, but I think you would be hard pressed to find many legislative leaders in the country who don't think the time is ripe for a national health policy of some sort," said State Representative Gerard M. Martineau, the Democratic majority leader of the Rhode Island House.
"Everyone I have talked to has said there are just not that many legislative days left in session to get things done," Mr. Parrish said.
