Outside the Beltway

Yesterday’s change to the filibuster rule is likely to have little impact outside the beltway and the political chattering class.

It wasn’t a Thermonuclear move, more like something the size of Hiroshima, but today the Senate took an historic move nonetheless.

Are we headed for another Federal Government shutdown, or will Congress actually do its job this time?

The trends in President Obama’s approval numbers are not moving in the direction he ought to want them to go.

Do Voter ID laws really suppress voter turnout? The evidence from at least one state doesn’t prove it.

The Imperial Presidency didn’t start with Barack Obama, but his PPACA “fix” does much to expand it into questionable new territory.

A contrite President Obama offered a “fix” for one of the biggest problems that the PPACA has created.

A top House Republican suggested today that only Governor’s should be President. His argument has both practical and historical merit.

With just over two weeks today, rumors are starting to float out that the efforts to fix the Federal Exchange website may not be done in time.

The state where the same-sex marriage battle began is just days away from legalizing same-sex marriage.

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act passed the Senate yesterday but it’s unlikely to go much further.

The battle for marriage equality has scored a number of victories in a short period of time, but that’s about to change.

Legislation to ban discrimination in employment against gays and lesbians is set to make major gains in the Senate.

Polls in Virginia don’t open for another 48 hours or so, but the end result has become fairly apparent when you look at the polls.

Under 21 in New York City? No more smokes for you!

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

It’s no wonder there’s no compromise in Congress.

“If you like your healthcare plan, you can keep it.” Well, not really.

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

The bad roll out of the Affordable Care Act is starting to lead to calls for delays in enforcement of the law.

Immigration reform may be the next big battle on Capitol Hill, but it’s going to be far different from the one that just concluded.

Absent an unlikely major change, it looks like the Democrats will win the Governor’s race in Virginia

A plan finally starting to come together?

It looks like the House will be making its move before the Senate acts, but that may actually help resolve this faster.

The deal emerging out of the talks between Senator Reid and Senator McConnell is about what you’d expect, but it’s probably the best we can expect right now.

Are these four men our last, best hope for a deal that will end the shutdown and avoid breaching the debt ceiling?

The argument that the Roberts Court has been overly “activist” does not hold up to examination.

A little noticed rule change in the House is arguably one of the main reasons we’re in a government shutdown crisis.

Here’s our debate over shutting down the government over Obamacare in a nutshell.

One Virginia Republican suggests that defaulting on our bonds wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

With the House’s proposed deal reaching an impasse, the Senate is now taking center stage.

Being Speaker of the House has become much more of a difficult job than it used to be.

Contrary to the White House’s arguments, negotiating over the debt ceiling is not at all historically unprecedented.

One cannot support the shutdown tactic and then be outraged that part of the government is shutdown.

The Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia wants a quick end to the Government Shutdown.

Not raising the debt ceiling will create a true constitutional/legal crisis.

The “Hastert Rule” isn’t the reason Speaker Boehner isn’t bringing a “clean” CR up for a vote, political survival is.

Speaker Boehner told his caucus members that he will not allow a default over the debt ceiling but don’t look for a change in strategy.

The Defense Department might open for business while the rest of government remains shut down.

Nick Gillespie advances the counterintuitive argument that President Obama is responsible for today’s government shutdown.

Republicans don’t seem willing to let go of the Obamacare issue just yet. But, how long will that actually last?