Outside the Beltway

There may be no exit.

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Elite American universities are surrending at an astonishing pace.

Just a little comparison of 2017, 2021, and 2025 plus more thoughts on tariffs.

Deciphering the meaning of a vague slogan.

America is getting screwed by playing by the rules it created.

The 47th President is flooding the zone.

Some quotes to ponder.

Appointing unqualified loyalists is only the start.

There’s a glaring gap in my information consumption.

One thread that runs through most explanations for Tuesday’s result.

A modest disturbance in the force.

They won’t tell you who’s going to be President. They’re still useful.

Going solo has its disadvantages.

From Juiceboxer to arguably the most important media figure on the left.

Ezra Klein on Manliness, Cat Ladies, Fertility Panic and the 2024 Election.

Too many! Too few!

It’s logical, maybe even inevitable. But is it a good idea?

Efforts to oust him from the race have picked up steam.

A clash of possibilities.

Why public attitudes are lagging real world performane.

“The Rise of ‘Middle-Finger Politics’”

Ezra Klein makes a compelling case.

A fascinating conversation between two queer journalists.

What if one of the candidates is Hitler?

When the intellectually correct answer isn’t politically possible.

A poll on Israeli support.

When the obvious is controversial.

The best statement on the complexity of the Israel-Hamas conflict that I have heard/read.

Our surroundings quite literally change how we see the world.

Affluence comes with a cost.

Ezra Klein has some thought on the Republican Party.

The one-time Juiceboxer is still annoying the mainstream media.

A brilliant journalist is gone at 44.

The lines aren’t everything, but they need more attention than they get.

A deep dive into why our politics are so broken.

One of the OG blog pundits has reached a big milestone.

Can American democracy survive its information bubbles?

Who should have the final say on the law of the land?

From the Cliché File.

Are we too regulated for our own good?

Quite often, political fights are about attitudes rather than issues and polices.

Ezra Klein discusses the dynamics of American conservatism in historical perspective. Plus, he helps illustrate a key problem that we have in thinking about American politics (IMHO).

Can the Misery Index be far behind?

Is the administration governing like it’s 2009?

American exceptionalism at its worst. (Plus some history!).

Politics is not a game.

The difference is politics, not reason.

Legislatures and school boards politicize what our kids are taught.