Outside the Beltway

If Donald Trump actually became President, would he really do the work, or just delegate it to others? An anecdote from the campaign trail makes one wonder.

The rise of Trump and Sanders has resurrected a debate as old as Western civilization.

The Delayed “J” Is For Jumparound Edition OTB Caption Contest^TM is now over.

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

As expected, the Senate easily passed the two-year budget deal early this morning.

Paul Ryan is blasting the process that led to the new budget deal between the GOP and the White House, but one suspects he’s secretly quite pleased with the fact that it makes his job-to-be a lot easier.

Congress and the White House have reached a tentative deal on the budget and debt ceiling that promises to make Paul Ryan’s initial months as Speaker a lot easier.

If a Russian solider dies, it’s now a secret thanks to a new decree signed by the Russian President.

The Disneyland measles outbreak wasn’t enough to overcome anti-vaccine forces.

Fox News’ Catherine Herridge is creating a scandal where none exists.

Indiana’s RFRA will be amended to address most of the concerns of its opponents. That counts as a victory.

Alec MacGillis argues for Slate that “Veterans Should Pay Taxes Like Everyone Else.” I agree!

Not unexpectedly, the Supreme Court has declined to hear a case challenging the Constitutionality of the Senate filibuster.

The nastiest campaign ad of the 2014 cycle is here, and Wendy Davis should be ashamed of it.

After a disappointing August, the jobs report for September showed the same good numbers we’ve seen for much of 2014.

Lawmakers and journalists don’t understand the civil service.

Another legal victory for marriage equality.

The May Jobs Report was fairly good, and it marks the end of a jobs recession that started six years ago. But things aren’t entirely rosy.

There’s plenty of blame to go around.

Good news.

Does it really matter why Fraizer Glenn Miller murdered three people in Kansas?

Republican leaders continue to say stupid things. They may still retake the Senate in November.

A surprisingly disappointing jobs report for December.

In an ordinary post-recession world, we wouldn’t need to talk about extended unemployment benefits, but times are far from ordinary.

The VA created an incentive system that rewarded fast, half-assed claim processing that denied complicated requests.

There are over 1,000 Executive Branch positions requiring Senate approval. That seems excessive.

The infamous VA backlog is finally dwindling. Much of it was a function of good intentions.

A retired Marine gunny argues that women should not be in the infantry since they’re not in the National Football League.

Republicans used to dominate California. Now, they’re barely a factor in the state’s politics.

The GOP Platform will include an abortion plank that Todd Akin would love.

Virginia has been offering ID cards to military veterans to make it easier to prove that they’re military veterans for months now.

A recent decision out of Massachusetts threatens to make business quite difficult for online service providers.

While it upheld the Affordable Care Act today, the Supreme Court also placed some clear limits on Congressional power. That’s a good thing.

A far-reaching decision from the Supreme Court protecting religious liberty.

One conservative contends that George Bailey is teaching America the wrong lessons.

Did you know there was another GOP debate last night? Well, you didn’t miss much.

Debating proposed changes to the US military’s retirement system.

Whether it’s a “Ponzi Scheme” or not, Social Security has serious systemic problems that must be addressed.

Mitt Romney’s jobs plan is detailed, but it doesn’t seem to be impressing anyone.