Obama Has Made An Historic Change In U.S. Cuban Relations, It’s A Good First Step

The resumption of diplomatic relations between U.S. and Cuba, and expansion of some commercial trade ties, is historic but it’s only the first step toward the goal of ending an outdated embargo.

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American Held By Cuba Released, U.S. And Cuba To Begin Talks On Normalizing Relations

An American freed from captivity, and potentially huge changes in America’s diplomatic and trade relationship with Cuba.

Jeb Bush Running for President

The former Florida Governor announced that he’s taking the first step towards running for president in 2016.

Senate Passes Spending Bill As Ted Cruz Maneuver Helps Democrats Pass Nominations

As expected, the Senate passed the so-called “Cromnibus,” but not before a self-aggrandizing maneuver by Ted Cruz ended up being exploited by Democrats to pass outstanding nominations.

Get Ready For More Rick Santorum In 2016

Rick Santorum looks to be getting ready to hit the campaign trail again, but it’s doubtful he can find appeal beyond the religious conservatives who supported him in 2012.

In The Wake Of Midterm Losses, Some On The Left Say Democrats Should Write Off The South

Some on the left are suggesting Democrats should write off the South for the foreseeable future, but that would be as foolish as Republicans assuming that their dominance in the region will last as long as Democratic dominance did in the century after the Civil War.

Rand Paul The GOP Front Runner? Not Likely

Even leaving aside the fact that it is far too early to be making such assessments, the idea that Rand Paul is the front runner for the Republican nomination in 2016 fails the logic test.

GOP’s Big Donors Seek To Narrow The 2016 Field, But They Have Less Control Than They Think

The GOP donor class would like the 2016 race to be short and sweet, but that’s unlikely to happen.

11th Circuit Strikes Down Florida Law Mandating Drug Tests For Welfare Recipients

For the fourth time in three years, a Federal Court has ruled that Florida’s law requiring drug tests for welfare recipients is unconstitutional.

Alabama, Oregon, Florida State, Ohio State Head To College Football Playoffs

You’ve got your playoff College Football fans, as imperfect as it was inevitably going to be.

Cong. Bill Cassidy Defeats Mary Landrieu In La. Runoff, Extending GOP Senate Majority

A crushing but expected defeat for a veteran Democrat.

House Passes Pointless, Doomed Bill To Protest Obama’s Executive Action On Immigration

The House approved a bill to protest the President’s executive action on immigration that will go nowhere. The question is whether it will placate the right.

Orion, NASA’s Next Generation Manned Space Vehicle, Has Successful First Test Flight

A wholly successfully first test for NASA’s next generation manned space vehicle.

Texas, 16 Other States, File Lawsuit Over Obama’s Immigration Executive Action

Texas has joined with 16 other states in a lawsuit against the Obama Administration over the President’s executive action on immigration. At first glance, it doesn’t appear to have much legal merit.

Republicans Battle Over Government Funding, Responding To Obama On Immigration

It’s an old story. Republican leadership wants to avoid a government shutdown, but the hard core conservatives want a fight, this time over the President’s immigration action. We have a week to see how it unfolds.

Can Rick Perry Overcome The Disaster Of 2012 With A 2016 Reboot?

After a disastrous campaign in 2012, Texas Governor Rick Perry appears to be gearing up for a new run for the White House in 2016, but questions remain.

Romney Continues To Lead In Polls Of 2016 GOP Candidates, Leading Hillary In Head-To-Head Match

The numbers don’t lie, Mitt Romney remains popular among Republican voters.

Democrats Narrow List Of Convention Finalists To Three Cities

Columbus, Philadelphia, or New York City (well, Brooklyn really)?

Is “Meh, Romney 2016” For Real?

When push comes to shove, top Republicans may still try to make Mitt Romney happen.

Marion Barry, Four-Term Mayor Of Washington, D.C., Dies At 78

For better or worse, Marion Barry was a fixture in D.C. politics for much of the 40 year period of home rule that began in 1975.

Can Hillary Expand The Electoral College Map In 2016? In An Important Sense, It Doesn’t Matter

An adviser close to Hillary Clinton is talking about expanding the Electoral College map in 2016, but even without such an expansion the GOP faces an uphill battle.

Say, Whatever Happened To The Ebola Crisis?

Much like the disease itself, Ebola panic seems to have disappeared as the midterm elections become ever more distant in the rear view mirror.

Time To Start Thinking About Huckabee 2016

Mike Huckabee seems to be making the moves necessary to run for President again, For reasons only he can understand.

With The Midterms Done, Will Republican State Legislators Revisit Electoral College “Reforms?”

After the 2010 elections, several newly Republican state legislatures flirted with the idea of changing the way their state allocates Electoral Votes. The outcome of last weeks elections raises the possibility that this could happen again.

Scott Walker Wants To Drug Test Welfare Recipients, But It Doesn’t Work, And It’s Unconstitutional

A popular idea that does nothing useful while simultaneously violating the Constitution.

A (Mostly) Solid Republican South, At Least For Now

The GOP is dominant in the Southern United States, but it’s unlikely to last as long as Democratic dominance of the region did.

2014 And The Latino Vote

Republicans performed better among Latino voters this year than they did in 2012, but that doesn’t mean they’ve solved their problems.

Voter Turnout In 2014 Midterms Hit Lowest Point Since 1942

Voter Turnout was lower this year than in any midterm since the one held eleven months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

GOP Also Saw Gains In State Legislatures Last Week

In addition to gains at the national level and in Governor’s races, the GOP also saw more gains in state legislatures around the country.

Majority Of Americans Support Marijuana Legalization, 64% For Americans 18-34

Support for legalizing marijuana continues to grow slowly but surely.

Should Obama Have Acted on Immigration Before the Midterms?

Dana Milbank (“Obama’s big immigration mistake”) thinks so.

When Is A Fish A Document?

The Supreme Court heard argument this week in a case involving a somewhat strange application of Federal law.

America Still Not a Center-Right Nation

Tuesday’s Republican wave didn’t change the fundamentals.

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Not Surprisingly, Angus King And Joe Manchin Are Staying Where They Are

Despite speculation, both Angus King and Joe Manchin will stay with the Democratic caucus. And that makes sense for both of them.

Republicans Score Wins In Key Governor’s Races

The Republican wave extended even to Governor’s races that, in any other year, they should have lost.

Voters In Washington, D.C. And Oregon, And Probably Alaska, Approve Marijuana Legalization

Big victories for advocates of marijuana legalization.

2014 Midterm Election Predictions

Time to look into the crystal ball.

Which Party Is Benefiting From Early Voting?

Early numbers seem to suggest that it depends on which state you’re looking at.

Stop Trying To Intimidate People Into Voting

There’s nothing wrong with choosing not to vote.

Marijuana Legalization On The Ballot In Oregon, Alaska, And Washington, D.C.

Two states and the nation’s capital could have legal marijuana after Tuesday’s elections.

The New College Football Playoff System Won’t Be Any Better Than the B.C.S. Was

The B.C.S. was far from perfect, and the College Football Playoff system will be, at best, only slightly better.

Ebola And Mandatory Quarantines: A Delicate Balance Between Personal Liberty And Public Safety

Mandatory quarantines are a massive violation of personal liberty. We ought to be careful in how, when, and why we impose them and who they are directed toward.

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Idaho City Backs Down In Dispute With Ministers Over Same-Sex Marriage

The City of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho will not force two Christian ministers to open their wedding chapel business to same-sex wedding ceremonies.

New York, New Jersey Modify Ebola Quarantine Policy

After an avalanche of negative commentary, the Governors of New York and New Jersey have modified their policy regarding quarantining people returning from west Africa.