Outside the Beltway

Looking ahead, hopefully with some purpose.

Not just dumb, but dangerous too.

News whiplash and the weird communications stylings of the Trump administration.

Making an unpopular war less popular.

No significant U.S. war aims were achieved.

Only Nixon has been lower.

Nineteen minutes. Zero answers.

Having set the region afire, he’s prepared to let others clean up the mess.

Nothing like a war of choice to send indicators in the wrong direction.

Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.

An update from the Commander-in-Chief.

Memes, movies, TV shows, and actual war. One of these things is not like the other.

USA! USA! USA!

Gas prices.

Facts are stubborn things.

Some comparative data.

Also: don’t forget a lot of people also voted against him.

The 39th President hits the century mark.

Why public attitudes are lagging real world performane.

Public perception is not aligned with the top level data.

Shockingly, most people aren’t economists.

A pandemic hangover may be clouding American politics.

Our infrastructure was not designed for what most Americans drive today.

And the intuition that things aren’t really working.

Economic Chart Edition.

He’s at 61 percent disapproval in the lastest Monmouth poll.

…and the perceptions thereof.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Americans have noticed their grocery bill.

Looking ahead to November 5, 2024

The Arizona gubernatorial loser is back to lose the Senate.

Sanctions and a costly war are taking their toll.

Some 2024ish stuff and other tidbits.

Cheap, big, fast: pick two.

As vehicles become more fuel efficient, we’re buying bigger ones.

Prices are coming down but they’re way higher than they were.

Traffic deaths are going down in most of the world. Not here.

Most don’t even know it passed!

The race is returning to expectation.

Hope is not a COA.

The most consumer-visible commodity is down for the 67th consecutive day.

A bill that was never about the thing it’s called doesn’t do that thing.

A 2020 blowout has long been presumed. But maybe it won’t happen.

The U.S. average is under $4 for the first time in months.

“America can survive the demagogues themselves, it’s their audience that will kill us.”

Approval is down (again).

The nature of American political reporting distorts our perception of reality.