Outside the Beltway

A lesson from Puerto Rico and further reasons why the EC is a problem.

Princeton historian Sean Wilentz lays to rest a pernicious idea propagated by . . . Princeton historian Sean Wilentz.

Oral argument hints that we may have a 5-4 ruling allowing state legislatures to continue stacking the deck.

Institutions matter. (No, seriously, they really, really matter).

David Gergen lives in a fantasy world.

Some context for ongoing discussions.

The President’s latest ravings are “very bad, very bad.”

Massachusetts Democrat Seth Moulton makes an argument familiar to OTB readers.

The key remains the military.

A second Federal Judge has found that the Commerce Department violated the law when it moved to put a question about citizenship on the 2020 Census form.

The Saudis tortured an American citizen, but the Trump Administration doesn’t care.

With criminal charges and an election hanging over his head, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking to the political right for support and survival.

In what was basically a throwaway line, Joe Biden said something nice about Mike Pence. The reaction from his fellow Democrats says a lot about our current political culture, and none of it is good.

Nancy Pelosi is tired of Democrats voting to please their constituents.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being charged with three charges of corruption even as he faces an election in just over a month.

And if you don’t know, now you know.

US policy is creating nonconstructive confrontation.

There’s only one solution to the D.C. statehood issue. It’s called retrocession.

The House of Representatives has begin the process of challenging the President’s recent declaration of a ‘national emergency’ at the southern border.

A North Carolina Congressional Election that was tainted by Absentee Ballot Fraud will be redone.

Justice Clarence Thomas argues that a 55-year-old precedent should be overturned.

There is a bit of a disjuncture between the terminology and the reality (but that does not excuse Trump’s current actions).

Some thoughts on the current mess.

The former Attorney General is seriously pondering a presidential bid. Seriously.

The arguments against withdrawing American forces from Afghanistan are becoming weaker and weaker.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is the latest entrant into an already crowded field for the Democratic nomination.

His critique is rather telling.

The President is an ignoramus and a blowhard and a petulant child but he’s operating within the Constitutional limits of his office.

The Speaker was dealt a winning hand and played it with the skill of a seasoned pro. But the outcome was all but inevitable.

The situation in Venezuela entered a new stage yesterday as opposition leader Juan Guaidó claimed the nation’s Presidency.

Thoughts on politics and constitutional powers.

The efforts by Speaker Pelosi and President Trump to leverage their institutional powers raise interesting questions.

As the government shutdown continues, Washington is coming to resemble a fight between toddlers. Except the toddlers have the excuse of not knowing any better.

Theresa May survived the Labour Party’s call for a no-confidence vote, but the future for her and for her country remain as hazy as ever.

Nancy Pelosi is “suggesting” to the President that the State of the Union be rescheduled for a time after the government shutdown ends, but it clearly seems like more than just a suggestion.

Later today, Theresa May’s Brexit deal will face a decisive vote in the House of Commons in a vote that could have implications for May’s own hold on power.

Don’t expect the Congress (i.e., the Senate) to pull us out of this shutdown mess.

Former Vice-President Joe Biden will reportedly decide on whether or not he’ll be entering the race for President in the near future.

The Supreme Court is taking up the issue of partisan gerrymandering. This time, though, they’re likely to reach the merits of the cases rather than punting like they did last year.

Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of The House again after eight years out of power, but there’s little time for her to celebrate.

Begun, the 2020 campaign has.

Jacob T. Levy has a column worth a read.

French authorities are investigating reports that Russian interference may be helping to exploit and expand the five-week-old “yellow vest” protests.

Current attempts to take power away from the state executive branch illustrates a lot of what I have been writing about for years.

Moscow continues using information warfare to sow division in Western society.

Protests that have killed four and injured hundreds have been rewarded and show no sign of ending.

An effort by the Federal Government to prosecute Wikileaks founder Julian Assange raises serious First Amendment issues.

Some examples from 2018 of the problems with single seat districts.

It isn’t about foreign policy, it is about self-serving manipulation of the public.

Three Democratic Senators are suing the Acting Attorney General, asserting that his appointment was unconstitutional.