Outside the Beltway

President Obama is already taking heat from the left for his compromise on tax cut extensions, but will it actually hurt him in the end?

California’s Proposition 8 faced another legal test in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday, and the day didn’t seem to go well for opponents of same-sex marriage.

Many Congressional Democrats both campaign for a higher minimum wage and employ interns at less than the existing minimum wage, many for no pay at all.

President Obama and the GOP have reached a deal on extending the Bush tax cuts that gives the GOP virtually everything it wanted.

What will Republicans think of a candidate for President who admitted to smoking marijuana as recently as two years ago?

The hunters in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and West Virginia alone would comprise the largest army in the world.

According to a new Gallup poll, President Obama is not only less popular than George W. Bush, but the only president from the last half century less popular is Dick Nixon.

The states fought hard to retain the right to appoint Senators, right?

How would appointed Senators affect the partisan mix of the Senate?

Why would policy outcomes be different under the 17th Amendment?

Would returning to indirect election of Senators really have a significant impact on the growth of the Federal Government? Probably not.

Republican maneuvering to extend the Bush tax cuts for all Americans appears about to pay off.

In her new book, Sarah Palin puts forward a view of the role of religion in politics that is in direct contrast with America’s own traditions.

Democrats are losing the debate over the extension of the Bush tax cuts, but when you look at the playing field it seems pretty clear that that they never had a chance.

They aren’t going to stop, but the cliches that pass for debate sure are tiresome (plus some musings about the tax cut extension debate).

The Senate rejected an effort to limit the extension of the Bush tax cuts based on income level. At this point, the only question is when Democrats will concede defeat on this debate.

The commander-in-chief, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff all support removing the ban on gays in the military without further delay. A long-awaited Pentagon study showed no reason not to do so. But three of four Service chiefs disagree.

Today’s job numbers make it clear that Congress has only one duty, and that is to do everything it can to stimulate real economic growth.

So, if Hispanics formed a political party, what do you think it should be called?

Sorting out, to some degree, the role of the states in our constitutional order.

A document uncovered in a Freedom of Information Act request demonstrates the extent to which Federal law enforcement works outside the requirements of the Constitution.

If 33 states can muster support to kill a law, how would it have gotten enacted to begin with?

Are the interests of a given state different than the interests of the people living in that state?

Further thoughts on a rather radical proposed Amendment to the Constitution, prompted by a link from Instapundit.

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner plans a radical overhaul of how Congress spends our money.

Republican pollster Glen Bolger makes a bold promise: The GOP will retain House control in 2012 – Guaranteed.

Despite the Defense Department releasing its study showing that the effects of allowing gays to serve openly would be minimal, Senator John McCain isn’t convinced.

Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley wants to fix the filibuster by making Senators actually filibuster. It’s a good idea.

Meghan McCain doesn’t know what a “blue blood” is but doesn’t want to be called one.