Outside the Beltway

Either democracy is sacred, or it’s not.

A lot to think about, not a lot of conclusions.

A brief video that puts the US in broader context.

The expectations game will be especially tricky this year.

Some thoughts on voter enthusiasm and EV scenarios.

The stakes of losing will be catastrophic. Either way.

Lots of places in the US don’t make it easy.

Some judicial alphabet soup in dialog with my co-blogger.

Thinking about what we might know on the night of the election.

What meanings might the Founders have had? How should we understand the term?

If we embrace the Founders to justify the present, let’s think about what we are doing.

I couldn’t help myself.

Having the topic of political reform start to seep into pop culture is a good thing.

Definitions are fun, right?

The problem is real.

Considering Breonna Taylor’s death, police shootings, and human rights.

It’s time to accept the desecration of our political constitution.

It is about finding ways to combat minority rule.

Two related discussions.

The iconic Supreme Court justice has died at the age of 87.

A defense of the indefensible.

Thinking about wildfires and electoral politics.

A party-line vote may scuttle mail-in voting in a crucial swing state.

A game wherein one team has to score more points to win than does the other.

What is more concerning, speculation and war games, or the words of POTUS?

Our screwy electoral system requires thinking about screwy scenarios.

The one-time wunderkind, blogging pioneer, and same-sex marriage champion is now on the outs.

Yet more flouting of the rule of law by the Trump administration.

Some recommended reading.

An appeal to some pretty basic virtues.

Institutional reform is necessary, but we can’t accomplish much in the face of tribalism.

The American political system is broken but it’s not fair to blame that on its architects.

The convergence of design flaws in the constitution and a flawed leader have brought us to brink of an electoral crisis.

“We are a cancer and there is no cure,”

The rules are different if you’re famous.

Trump’s irresponsibility continues.

A bizarre but possibly correct ruling by the Supreme Court.

Portland may be a preview of what’s to come.

Free speech is not for everyone.

It creates a veto gate that they are almost guaranteed to control when they need it.

Some incredibly thin reporting about a story that is almost certainly made up.

A too-long discourse on how courts should function.

Lee Drutman’s Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop

How to translate understandable frustration at injustice into tangible reform?

The evidence is clear. Injustice feeds rage and rage sometimes boils over.

The contrast could not be more clear.

This is more about structural conditions than it is about the GOP.

The conversation continues. (Warning: it is over 3000 words).

Trump fires another Inspector General.