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.

University Of Virginia Fraternity Files Defamation Suit Against Rolling Stone Over Campus Rape Story

Rolling Stone faces yet another legal headache over last year’s story about a campus rape that never took place.

Jeb Bush Wants You To Know He’s In Favor of Killing Baby Hitler

Give Jeb Bush a DeLorean or a TARDIS and he’ll be traveling back in time to Hitler in no time!

Obama Administration’s Immigration Executive Action Suffers Another Court Defeat

President Obama’s executive action on immigration suffered another setback in court late yesterday.

Ted Cruz: Atheists Aren’t Fit To Be President

Meet Ted Cruz: Religious Bigot

Polls Are Imperfect Criteria For Determining Debate Eligibility, But They’re The Best We Have

Candidates who have been excluded from tomorrow’s Fox Business Network are complaining, but their complaints ignore the fact that polling is the best objective criteria we have to determine debate eligibility.

Polling Shows Democrats Less Engaged In The 2016 Campaign Than Republicans

A new poll shows that Democratic voters are less engaged in the 2016 campaign right now than Republicans are, but that probably doesn’t mean that much for next year.

You Shouldn’t Pay Much Attention To Head-To-Head General Election Polling Right Now

Hillary’s leading potential Republican candidates, but so is Bernie! Rand Paul does better against Hillary than other Republicans! Those are the headlines you get from head-to-head match-up polls, but it’s all largely meaningless.

No, Ben Carson Is Not Being Subjected To ‘Unfair’ Scrutiny

Ben Carson and his supporters would have you believe that he is being subjected to unprecedented and unfair scrutiny. That assertion is completely false.

Consensus Continues To Grow That Russian Airliner Was Taken Out By A Bomb

The investigation continues, but the consensus seems to be growing that Metrojet 9268 was taken out by a bomb.

‘War On Christmas’ Apparently Now Being Fought With Coffee Cups

You may not be aware, but your local Starbucks is the new front in the ‘War On Christmas.’

Donald Trump Fails To Make Saturday Night Live Great Again

Donald Trump was on Saturday Night Live last night. It wasn’t even remotely funny.

America’s ‘Alliance’ Against ISIS Exists Mostly On Paper, Not In Reality

America’s much touted international coalition against ISIS is, essentially a Coalition In Name Only.

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Supreme Court To Hear Another Round Of ObamaCare Birth Control Mandate Cases

The Supreme Court is diving back into the debate over the PPACA’s birth control coverage mandate.

Louisiana Police Officers Charged With Murder In Death Of Six Year Old During Chase

Thanks apparently in part to body camera footage, two police officers in Louisiana are facing murder charges in the shooting death of a child during a police chase.

Obama Apparently Giving Up On Quixotic Bid For ‘Middle East Peace’

President Obama has apparently come to the same realization as many of his predecessors, that trying to craft a legacy by single-handedly bring about “Middle East Peace” is largely a waste of time.

Obama Administration Rejects Keystone XL Pipeline

To no real surprise, the Obama Administration has rejected the application to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. It is likely to remain an issue in the upcoming Presidential campaign, though.

Ben Carson Made False Claims About Being Offered West Point Scholarship

Ben Carson’s campaign now admits that he fabricated a key portion of his biography.

Strong October Jobs Report Implicates Fed Policy, Role Of The Economy In 2016 Election

A much stronger than expected October Jobs Report suggests that the Federal Reserve is likely to move on interest rates, and raises questions about how economic issues will play out politically in 2016.

Ben Carson’s Odd Relationship With Truth

As Ben Carson rises in the polls, it’s worth noting his many examples of having what can only be called a very odd relationship with truth and the basic facts of history.

Christie, Huckabee Relegated To Undercard In November 10th Republican Debate

The debate stages for both the undercard and main debate next Tuesday will look different from what we’ve become used to.

Bernie Sanders Wants To End The Federal Marijuana Ban, Conservatives Should Support Him

Senator Bernie Sanders wants to let states decide how to regulate marijuana, or to not regulate it at all if they choose. Intellectually honest conservatives should support his effort.

Tuesday’s Elections Helped Solidify Republican Control Of America’s State Legislatures

Forget about Congress, the real story going forward is likely to be Republican dominance of state legislatures nationwide.

George H.W. Bush Highly Critical Of Rumsfeld And Cheney In New Book

In a new book, former President George H.W. Bush is highly critical of two of his son’s closest advisers in the White House.

Trump And Carson Lead, Bush Sinking, Christie In Debate Trouble In Latest GOP Polls

Fluctuations continue, but the Republican Presidential field appears to be sorting itself out as we near the beginning of a new phase of the campaign.

U.S. Intelligence: Russian Passenger Jet Likely Brought Down Over Sinai Peninsula By A Bomb

American intelligence officials are saying that a Russian passenger jet that went down over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula was most likely brought down by a bomb.

Democrats Failed To Capture Virginia’s Senate, In Part Because Of The Politics Of Gun Control

Virginia Democrats tried to capture control of the Virginia State Senate by, in part, emphasizing gun control issues. The fact that they failed is instructive.

Houston Voters Reject Anti-Discrimination Ordinance

Houston voters rejected a broad anti-discrimination law largely due to a campaign that focused almost exclusively on concerns about transgender rights.

Leaders Of China And Taiwan To Meet For First Time In 66 Years

For the first time since Chang Kai-Shek escaped across the Taiwan Strait, the leaders of the People’s Republic of China and the Republic of China will meet this weekend.

Marijuana Legalization Loses In Ohio, But The Battle For Legalization Continues Forward

A controversial marijuana legalization initiative that even many pro-legalization advocates opposed, lost in Ohio last night. But the nationwide momentum in favor of legalization will likely not be abated.

Republicans Win Big In Kentucky, Setting Up A Big Fight Over Obamacare

Republican Matt Bevin picked up what comes as a surprise win to many observers, and that sets up a big fight over what had been a PPACA program that the White House has touted.

TransCanada Asks For Delay In Keystone XL Pipeline Review

Another piece of news that all but guarantees the fate of the Keystone XL project will not be resolved before President Obama leaves office.

The Race For The Democratic Nomination Isn’t Over Yet, But It’s Getting Close To That

More good news for Hillary Clinton, and a sign that the race for the Democratic nomination, to the extent there really is a race at this point, is close to being over.

President Obama Likely To Leave World In As Bad A Shape As He Found It, If Not Worse

President Obama came to office inheriting the legacy of one unnecessary war, and another that had faded from memory. He will leave office with Iraq and Syria in crisis, Europe uneasy, Yemen and Libya unstable breeding grounds for terrorism, and China doing whatever it is they’re doing.

Three More Republican Candidates Drop Out Of Group Effort To “Fix” Debates

The effort to forge some kind of consensus independent of the RNC among the Republican candidates for President regarding debates appears to have failed. To the surprise of nobody who has been paying attention.

Donald Trump Goes Rogue, Refuses To Sign On To Group Effort To Work Out Debate Details

Donald Trump is refusing to sign a joint letter to debate organizers drafted by representatives of all the GOP campaigns. Instead, he wants to negotiate with the networks himself.

Donald Trump Maintains Commanding Lead In New Hampshire While Rubio Inches Up

Donald Trump remains the favorite of those likely to vote in New Hampshire’s Republican Primary, but Marco Rubio is starting to inch up in the polls in the Granite State.