The Senate has scaled back its August recess, with Republican leaders citing the big workload and complaining that Democrats are needlessly delaying the proceedings with delay tactics. 

As political theater goes, this is an oldie but goodie: Lawmakers like to tell voters that they are working very, very hard. But it’s unclear what kind of effect that message might have on voters, or whether they care. And the Senate is not dealing with anything out of the ordinary when it comes to obstruction and delay tactics. Ed Pesce, managing editor of CQ Senate, takes us through the numbers on the latest Political Theater podcast.