Outside the Beltway

January’s End Forum

· Saturday, January 31, 2026 · 2 comments

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FILED UNDER: Open Forum
Steven L. Taylor
About Steven L. Taylor
Steven L. Taylor is a Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former College of Arts and Sciences Dean. His main areas of expertise include parties, elections, and the institutional design of democracies. His most recent book is the co-authored A Different Democracy: American Government in a 31-Country Perspective. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Texas and his BA from the University of California, Irvine. He has been blogging since 2003 (originally at the now defunct Poliblog). Follow Steven on Twitter and/or BlueSky.

Comments

  1. charontwo says:
    Saturday, 31 January 2026 at 05:54

    Crazy person demented asshole:

    “WaPo Gift”

    “JPG”

    Trump wants to build a 250-foot-tall arch, dwarfing the Lincoln Memorial

    The president is eying a plot of land near Memorial Bridge. The art critic who proposed the idea called for a smaller arch or for Trump to pick a new site.

    The White House stands about 70 feet tall. The Lincoln Memorial, roughly 100 feet. The triumphal arch President Donald Trump wants to build would eclipse both if he gets his wish.

    Trump has grown attached to the idea of a 250-foot-tall structure overlooking the Potomac River, according to two people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe his comments, a scale that has alarmed some architectural experts who initially supported the idea of an arch but expected a far smaller one.

    Gilded, just to be more eye-catching of a monstrosity. Just keeps getting worse as the dementia and decompensation progress.

    “JPG”

    This our Good Germans voted for.

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  2. Scott says:
    Saturday, 31 January 2026 at 06:56

    Thom Tillis wrote this on his Facebook. Many thought his account was hacked but apparently it is real. Yes, he is leaving the Senate. As one commenter asked: So when politicians announce they’re retiring, are they granted a spinal implant surgery free of charge?

    A sycophant is more than just a “yes-man.”

    It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. They aren’t just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that’s a promotion, social status or favor.

    Some characteristics: The motive is self-interest. They aren’t praising you because they like you; they’re doing it because you have something they want. The behavior is over the top fawning, or constant agreement (including when you’re wrong).

    Common Synonyms: toady, flunky, bootlicker.

    Some parallels for movie buffs:

    Grima Wormtongue (the Stephen Miller of Lord of the Rings) is an advisor to King Theoden. He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King’s decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman. He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader’s standing for his own benefit.

    Dolores Umbridge (the Kristi Noem of Harry Potter) is an example of a bureaucratic sycophant. She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those “beneath” her.

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