Outside the Beltway

Some notes on House process and how it relates to recent and ongoing political news.

Some questions to consider as you evaluate congressional leadership.

There are real life consequences.

Majorities gonna majority.

A lot of pain for . . . not much.

Where’s the positive example?

The standoff is in its 35th day.

He’s making a major admission.

The light at the end of the tunnel is a train.

And why I think future presidents will use the powers that Trump has demonstrated exist.

There may be no exit.

He filibustered nothing for a very long time.

They don’t want to give Trump what he wants, so they’re giving him what he wants.

Beware the Ides of March.

The fight over the continuing resolution raises some questions.

The wrong solution for a real problem.

In which I agree with Trump about the problem, but NOT the solution

Turning a campaign slogan into policy.

It’s neither unprecedented nor powerful. It doesn’t exist.

Could Democrats replace their oldest Justice before it’s too late?

Was Marbury v. Madison a mistake?

The two most annoying Senators in the Democratic caucus are at it again.

By one vote.

Trump’s second term would be much worse than his first.

Impeach the Justices! Pack the Court!

The courts would likely allow restricting a Chinese data mining operation popular with American teenagers.

The 2000 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee turned maverick is gone at 82.

I know it when I see it.

Abortion, an unrepresentative electorate, and candidate idiosyncracy ruled the off-off-year election.

A policy-leaning wing and a political-leaning wing make for an unworkable coalition.

A trip through comparative democratic reform.

When we do it, it’s negotiation. When they do it, it’s hostage taking—and terrorism.

A silly workaround to an infuriating problem that won’t go away.

A 4155-page, $1.65 trillion dollar budget deal has been reached.

Looking at past Senate elections and some more thoughts on historical patterns.

Is the President governing like he means it?

Focusing just on a given election is missing the big picture.

Is it time to call the whole thing off?

Has the frustrating process of securing his vote taught Democrats anything?

Joe Manchin has come around on a pared back BBB, surprising just about everyone.

A proposal by Jamell Bouie

A theory floated in Bush v Gore could radically change American elections.

Another example of why the filibuster needs to go.

One of these things is not like the other.

The West Virginia Senator has pulled away the football yet again.