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.

Federal Judge: Official Violated First Amendment By Blocking User From Her Facebook Page

A Federal Judge has ruled against an elected official who blocked a constituent from accessing her Facebook page.

Reince Priebus Is Out As White House Chief Of Staff, But The Chaos Is Likely To Continue

In another major change announced via Twitter, late yesterday President Trump announced he’d hired a new Chief of Staff, but changes at the staff level aren’t going to fix what’s really wrong with the Trump Administration.

North Korea Launches Another Ballistic Missile Test

Another escalation on the Korean peninsula.

Second Quarter Sees Modest Economic Growth In Initial Estimate

According to initial estimates, the economy grew at faster pace in the second quarter than at the beginning of the year, but it was hardly anything to write home about.

Senate Once Again Fails On Health Care Reform

Seven years of rhetoric on health care reform ended early this morning with a narrow vote on a bill that even Republicans didn’t really support.

Boy Scouts Apologize For Trump’s Speech At Jamboree

“I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. “

Not So Fast On That Transgender Ban, Joint Chiefs Say

The Joint Chiefs of Staff are making clear that President Trump’s tweets are not official policy. At least not yet.

Appeals Court Strikes Down District Of Columbia Restrictions On Concealed Carry Of Guns

A three-judge panel of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the District of Columbia’s restrictive concealed-carry law.

Trump Announces Ban On Transgender Military Service

A step backward on civil rights from a President who claimed he would be a friend to the LGBT community.

Senate Votes To Proceed On Health Care Bill That Doesn’t Exist Yet

In a vote close enough to require the Vice-President to cast a tie-breaking vote, the Senate voted to proceed to debate on a health care bill even though nobody seems to know what bill they’ll ultimately be voting on.

Trump’s Speech To Boy Scouts Is Just Another Example Of His Outrageous Narcissism

President Trump delivered a wholly inappropriate political speech to the Boy Scout Jamboree, but that should surprise nobody.

Donald Trump Continues To Attack His Own Attorney General

President Trump’s weeklong effort to undermine his own Attorney General continues.

Trump Looking To Replace Jeff Sessions With Rudy Giuliani?

Reports are indicating that Donald Trump may be looking to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions with Rudy Giuliani.

Trump Is Unlikely To Ever Be A Popular President

Donald Trump is unlikely to ever be a popular President, but that may not matter.

Sean Spicer Out As White House Press Secretary

A big but not unexpected personnel change at the White House.

Trump Administration Seeking To Undermine Robert Mueller’s Investigation

Robert Mueller seems to be getting closer to the President, and the Administration is responding by seeking to undermine his investigation.

Senate To Move Ahead On Health Care Reform Votes That Seem Unlikely To Succeed

The Senate isn’t giving up in its efforts to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act, despite the fact that it seems clear that the votes aren’t there.

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John McCain Diagnosed With Brain Cancer

Sad news about a Washington stalwart.

Jon Huntsman Nominated To Be Ambassador To Russia

A good choice for an important position.

Trump And Putin Had Previously Undisclosed Meeting At G-20

Is there anyone in the Trump Administration or family who hasn’t held undisclosed meetings with Russians?

Donald Trump Fails The Leadership Test Again

President Trump’s reaction to the failure of health care reform efforts in the Senate demonstrates yet again that he doesn’t know how to be President.

Senate GOP’s Plan C On Health Care Dies In Less Than A Day

What looks like it will be the Senate GOP’s last effort on the issue of health care reform died less than a day after being put on the table.

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McConnell Pulls The Plug On Senate Health Care Reform Bill

With the defection of two more Senators, the latest effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act has gone down in flames.

Americans Favor Obamacare Over GOP Replacements Two-To-One

New polling indicates that the Affordable Care Act has gained in popularity with the American public, while Republican reform efforts are viewed overwhelmingly negatively.

Trump Continues To Slump In The Polls

With the Administration’s six-month point approaching, Donald Trump continues to lag in the polls.

Senate Health Care Debate Delayed Due To McCain Surgery

With the fate of the Senate health care reform bill hanging in the balance, the Senate will delay consideration of the bill due to the unexpected absence of one Senator.

Senate GOP Releases Revised Version Of Obamacare ‘Repeal And Replace’ Bill

Senate Republicans have introduced their latest version of a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

White House Under Siege As Russia Revelations Continue

Six months of revelations about ties to Russia is taking its toll on White House staffers.

Blocked Twitter Users Sue President Trump Alleging First Amendment Violation

Twitter users who have been blocked on the service by President Trump are suing him, claiming that their First Amendment rights have been violated.

That Donald Trump Jr. Meeting Is Looking More And More Like Collusion

The revelations about Donald Trump Jr.’s June 2016 meeting with someone represented as being a Russian government official just keep getting worse.

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Senate GOP Faces Another Make Or Break Week On Health Care Reform

The Senate GOP’s effort to ‘repeal and replace’ the Affordable Care Act is headed for a bumpy ride.

Senate Returns To Work No Closer To A Health Care Deal

The Senate is back from its recess, but no closer to a health care bill that has any realistic chance of passing.

A Solid June Jobs Report Signals Bounce Back From Slump In May

The June Jobs Report was significantly better than what we saw in May but on the whole not different from what we’ve seen for the last three years or so.

Democrats Battling Over Party’s Future

After seven years that mostly consisted of losing elections, there’s a battle going on over which direction the party should head.

GOP Senators Facing Health Care Blowback At Home

Senate Republicans are back home and hearing from their constituents on health care reform. It’s not going well for them.

North Korea Launches Another Ballistic Missile Test

More provocation from Pyongyang.

Anthony Kennedy Drops A Big Hint About Potential Retirement in 2018

Justice Kennedy is telling prospective law clerks for the term that beings in October 2018 that he is considering retiring at the end of the term that begins this October.

States Resist Giving Data To Trump’s ‘Voter Integrity’ Commission

More than twenty states are resisting requests for data from a ‘voter integrity’ Commission built on President Trump’s lie that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

Republican Health Care Chaos

The Senate left for vacation without a viable path forward on health care reform, and the road ahead seems treacherous and hard to navigate.

Sarah Palin Sues The New York Times For Defamation

Sarah Palin has filed a defamation suit against The New York Times alleging defamation in an Editorial linking her to the January 2011 shooting of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. From the facts alleged, she appears to have a good case.