A year later, Bernie Sanders's emergence has resulted in one of the most substantive primary policy debates in memory.
Whether it's antiterrorism policy or regulatory policy, most substantive disagreements are within the 40 yard lines.
But the governor's focus on the policies of President Obama has offered the most substantive contribution to her national profile.
But it shows how important it is to maintain adequate growth, and it raises, anew, the most substantive question that Summers posed: Do we have the right policies in place to bring about lasting prosperity?
In this world, however, most voters get their news from short snippets on TV, which almost never contain substantive policy analysis.
As for a substantive policy comparable to gay marriage, the issue that divides ethnic-minority people most clearly from the rest of the electorate is workplace discrimination.
During what proved to be the most substantive debate of the Republican presidential race so far, the two men sparred over immigration, intelligence and foreign policy.
But substantive policy disagreements were a secondary consideration Tuesday in the skirmishing on the Senate floor.
He placed less emphasis on comedy and spent more time on substantive policy issues.
