Outside the Beltway

A George Mason economist has an intriguing idea but maybe he has it backwards.

The media became the story but the President was the news.

We tend to focus on the wrong qualities in our early assessments.

The downfall of Andrew Cuomo shines a light on toxic workplaces and governance styles.

Our current forms of collective action on guns have failed us.

While progressives in the party are often frustrated with the West Virginia Senator, he is demonstrating yet again that he’s no Republican.

His stale jokes about eating dog have drawn fire for years.

Multiple indicators point to a decline in the representativeness of the American system.

Appoint more Asian American and Pacific Islanders. Or else!

What at first blush appears a case of hypocrisy and cancel culture is a violation of professional ethics.

An interesting proposal to improve tax collection.

The seemingly unremarkable event hadn’t happened in four decades.

We’re about to spend a whole lot more money.

Nonhierarchical parties strike again.

The U.S. Senators and a U.S. Representative beg to differ.

Let’s not get overly dramatic about special elections.

Immigration policy is harder than it looks.

Empowering authoritarians.

A mass shooting in Atlanta draws attention to a problem of which I was only tangentially aware.

Credulous reports notwithstanding, there’s more to the story.

Our insistence on relying on an 18th Century understanding of electoral systems is our ongoing bane (if one values representative government).

Any “fair” drawing of districts will yield a GOP advantage over time.

Those expecting Bernie Sanders’ agenda are sorely disappointed.

There are legitimate ethical and liberty questions but they’re outweighed by the benefits.

Deal-making in Washington is next to impossible.

The case of Katie Porter’s committee assignments.

An explanation to a question you likely weren’t asking.

Yet another example.

On the one hand, true. On the other, so what?

Ted Cruz is at it again.

Foolish lies are for foolish liars.

It really does feel like a daily occurrence.

Also some ironic positions on capitalism.

Defense of the filibuster tend to be a combo of mistakes and mythology.

A way-too-early assessment of how it’s going.

Reacting to the asymmetrical polarization of the electorate.

Is the stimulus bill it for this administration?

Is humility the wrong play here?

The fixes worsen the stated problem (more on Iowa and other states’ attempts to restrict voting).

Making it harder to vote in Iowa.

Yet another SCOTUS rejection.

HR1 is a national approach to expanding voter access. State legislatures are trying to both expand and restrict the vote as well.

And what GOP opposition says about the party.

How the West Virginia Democrat came to vote for the stimulus bill.

The politics of bait-and-switch.

The ongoing codependency that is the Trump-GOP relationship.

Reflections on the events of 6 January two months later.

It’s easy if you try.

A story that is both unserious and yet emblematic of our age in a serious way.