Outside the Beltway

Could Congress actually pass some form of immigration reform before the midterms? Don’t bet on it just yet.

The prospect of Congressional action on immigration before the midterms just got a whole lot less likely.

Harry Reid is supposedly making another run at filibuster reform.

The GOP seems to be making the same mistakes that led to defeat in 2012.

Speaker Boehner seems confident that immigration reform will become law this year, but his confidence may be premature.

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

The prospects for gun control appear to be dimming.

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

President Obama had some prominent liberal journalists over for coffee.

Unseriousness and lack of conservatism from Paul Ryan.

Several recent polls suggest that Mitt Romney is losing the advantage he had over the President on economic issues.

The Supreme Court left the most important part of SB1070 intact, but it faces serious challenges in the future.

What lessons can we draw from the Wisconsin Recall?

Yesterday, Cory Booker committed the rookie mistake of saying what was on his mind.

This week’s hearings in the Supreme Court caught many proponents of the Affordable Care Act off guard.

Barack Obama’s position on same-sex marriage continues to “evolve,” along with the polls.

Worried the GOP might eliminate the filibuster if they gain control of the Senate? Don’t be.

How far should the press go in challenging assertions by politicians?

Thanks to their own ineptitude, House Republicans suffered a big defeat this week. They totally deserved it.

Are Republicans mostly to blame for the supercommittee failure?

Sarah Palin apparently thinks having an actual job would be too confining.

Some Republicans apparently still aren’t satisfied with the 2012 field.

Denying the Tea Party’s role in the downgrade of U.S. debt is to deny reality.

The Twitterverse and the Democratic National Committee are having a field day with Mitt Romney’s declaration that “Corporations are people, my friend.”

State-level job approval numbers seem to suggest that the President could have Electoral College worries in 2012.

The immediate reaction among the political class to the debt downgrade was the play the same old stupid games.

The agenda of the Tea Party movement doesn’t necessarily coincide with what voters say they want from Washington.

Now that America’s political leadership have probably averted a self-inflicted global economic calamity, it’s time to assess the winners and losers.

The idea that the GOP can block a debt ceiling vote and benefit politically is, quite simply, absurd.

A Mitch McConnell-Harry Reid brokered deal on the debt ceiling looks promising.

President Obama came close to endorsing same-sex marriage last night, but stopped short yet again

What, if anything, does the budget deal mean for the future?

Four Senators who just happen to be up for re-election next year are silently looking for alternatives to the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate.

President Obama’s selection of Bill Daley as Chief of Staff is being seen as a sign that the White House is moving to the center and gearing up for 2012.

The filibuster reform package that Senate Democrats unveiled yesterday has much to recommend to it. Unfortunately, it’s probably doomed.

Several smart center-left commentators argue that President Obama is not triangulating. At least one argues there’s no such thing.

The New York Times has joined the mostly muted chorus calling on Democrats to select someone other than Nancy Pelosi as their new Minority Leader. In all likelihood, their call will go unheeded.