Posts by Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.
The free high-resolution photo of street, bicycle, asphalt, vehicle, hat, park bench, homeless, stockholm, packing, baby carriage, drifter, norrm larstrand , taken with an DMC-FS10 01/29 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/3.8s, 1/640s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required. The free high-resolution photo of street, bicycle, asphalt, vehicle, hat, park bench, homeless, stockholm, packing, baby carriage, drifter, norrm larstrand , taken with an DMC-FS10 01/29 2017 The picture taken with 10.0mm, f/3.8s, 1/640s, ISO 80 The image is released free of copyrights under Creative Commons CC0. You may download, modify, distribute, and use them royalty free for anything you like, even in commercial applications. Attribution is not required.

New York City Pay Phones To Become WiFi Hotspots

Adapting a relic of the 20th Century to the 21st Century.

Americans Oppose Unilateral Executive Action On Immigration, But Support Immigration Reform

A new poll provides some interesting context to the political context to the President’s expected executive action on immigration.

Can Hillary Expand The Electoral College Map In 2016? In An Important Sense, It Doesn’t Matter

An adviser close to Hillary Clinton is talking about expanding the Electoral College map in 2016, but even without such an expansion the GOP faces an uphill battle.

Merkel Lashes Out Against Russia In Post G-20 Remarks

Vladimir Putin’s latest actions seems to have exhausted Germany’s patience.

Senate Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline For Now, Effectively Ends Mary Landrieu’s Political Career

The Keystone XL pipeline bill is dead until the next Senate. Mary Landrieu’s political career, on the other hand, is basically dead for the foreseeable future.

President Obama Was Against Unilateral Executive Action On Immigration Before He Was For it

If the President now believes he can act unilaterally on immigration reform, why did he spend the last five years saying that he couldn’t?

Warnings Of Violence In Ferguson Could Become Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

All the warnings of violence in the wake of an expected imminent announcement from the Grand Jury in the Michael brown case could become self-fulfilling prophecy.

Keystone XL Likely To Pass Senate, But It Won’t Save Mary Landrieu

Approval of the Keystone XL pipeline will likely pass the Senate today, and will eventually go forward despite an expected Presidential veto. But, Mary Landrieu’s political career is still dead.

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Public Wants Obama To Wait On Immigration Action

A new poll shows that Americans would prefer President Obama to wait to act on immigration until after the new Congress has had a chance to act on the issue.

The Ivy League Supreme Court

Every member of the Supreme Court graduated from an Ivy League Law School. That kind of homogeneity is not healthy.

Election Losses Lead To Debate Inside Democratic Party

Another round of election losses is leading Democrats to contemplate the direction they should take going forward.

Latest Round Of Same-Sex Marriage Appeals Arrive At Supreme Court

The process that seems likely to lead to a Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage has begun.

Federal Judge Awards Strippers $10,000,000 In Labor Dispute

The labor laws apply no matter what business you’re in.

ISIS’s New Beheading Video; Casus Belli, Or A Trap?

The latest ISIS video is horrible and barbaric but we should not take the bait they are offering before considering the consequences of our actions going forward.

Ferguson, Missouri Braces For Probability Of No Indictment In Michael Brown Shooting Case

We appear to be just days away from an announcement from the Grand Jury investigating the Michael Brown shooting, and the consensus seems to be that there will be no indictment at all.

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Unless Congress Steps In To Authorize It, The President’s War Against ISIS Is Illegal

As things stand right now, there is no legitimate legal authorization for the President’s war against ISIS, and that’s largely because Congress has failed to act.

Putin Makes Waves At G-20 Summit Over Ukraine, Reportedly Leaving Early

Vladimir Putin’s reception at the G-20 Summit in Australia has been less than warm thanks to recent events in Ukraine.

If Obama Pulls The Trigger On Executive Action, Republicans Have Limited Options

Republicans don’t really have many options if the President pulls the trigger on immigration reform via executive action.

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White House Hints At Content Of Obama’s Executive Action On Immigration

The White House is now leaking out details of what seems like an inevitable decision by the President. How it plays out politically, though, is the big question.

Secret Service Review Of Fence Jumping Incident Finds Multiple Failures

There’s not much good news in the initial review of September’s fence jumping incident at the White House.

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Will Congressional Republicans Listen To Their Base, Or To The American Public?

Post-election polling shows that the majority of Americans want the new GOP majority in Congress to work together with the President. Republican voters have a very different view.

Say, Whatever Happened To The Ebola Crisis?

Much like the disease itself, Ebola panic seems to have disappeared as the midterm elections become ever more distant in the rear view mirror.

Governor Of Arkansas Set To Pardon His Son

On his way out of office, Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe is set to pardon his son for an 11 year-old non-violent marijuana conviction.

Same-Sex Marriage Advances In Two States, But All Eyes Are On SCOTUS Now

Same-sex marriage advanced in Kansas and South Carolina yesterday, and will soon be law in Montana, but the Supreme Court is what matters now,

Will Keystone XL Save Mary Landrieu’s Senate Seat? Probably Not

Mary Landrieu’s Keystone XL Hail Mary isn’t going to save her.

Russian Troops Have Entered Ukraine Again, NATO Says

The Ukraine crisis, which never really went away, is back,

Time To Start Thinking About Huckabee 2016

Mike Huckabee seems to be making the moves necessary to run for President again, For reasons only he can understand.

Republicans Should Be Careful In Bringing Up Hillary Clinton’s Age

A Presidential candidate’s health and fitness for office are legitimate issues. When it comes to bringing up Hillary Clinton’s age in the context of 2016,, though, Republicans need to proceed with caution.

‘Fortunate Son’ At The Concert For Valor. Not ‘Anti-Military,’ But Completely Appropriate

Some people didn’t like the song selection at last night’s Washington, D.C. concert for Veterans Day.

With The Midterms Done, Will Republican State Legislators Revisit Electoral College “Reforms?”

After the 2010 elections, several newly Republican state legislatures flirted with the idea of changing the way their state allocates Electoral Votes. The outcome of last weeks elections raises the possibility that this could happen again.