Outside the Beltway

President Obama faces some perilous times ahead now that his Administration is under fire.

A starting point for two important stories.

Republicans are fighting over how best to deal with their demographic problems, but they seem to be fighting the wrong battle.

Is someone who’s only be a Senator for just over 100 days a serious contender for the Republican nomination in 2016?

2012’s election represented a significant change in voting patterns in the United States. What’s unclear is if the change is a permanent one.

After months of impasse, a new coalition has been formed in Italy.

The Senate’s rejection of the Manchin/Toomey background checks bill isn’t particularly outraging the general public, according to a new poll.

It would be nice if columnists for major newspapers would consult political science, rather than Hollywood, for their understanding of our system.

If you want to understand contemporary politics, the last thing you should do is reference an Andrew Sorkin project.

The politics of gun control is not nearly as easy as its supporters believe it to be.

Social conservatives are seeing their clout slip away, but there’s not much they can do about it.

Because sometimes poorly contructed observations can set a fellow to writing.

The odds for a party switch in the House of Representatives remain quite low.

Election rules should be oriented towards increasing participation, not based on partisan calculations.

Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum apparently talked about uniting to stop Romney during the 2012 Republican primaries.

President Obama’s job approval numbers have fallen off from their post-election highs. But, does it matter?

Senator Rob Portman changes his position on same-sex marriage. Another sign of the times.

The D.C. Circuit now has four vacancies out of eleven seats.

Frustrated Republican health care staffers are leaving the Hill for lucrative positions on K Street.

A bit of musing on parties, elections, and governance,

Bob Woodward once again has Washington abuzz with a White House scoop. This one is BS.

The GOP’s public image continues to be bad and there seems to be little sign that they’re doing anything to change that.

Republicans at the state level are still trying to cook the books in the Electoral College

Ezra Klein argues that the voters already decided how the sequestration fight should play out.

Silly things members of Congress say (plus musings on authoritarianism).