Outside the Beltway

The Washington Independent goes dark in December, failing to find profitability in three years.

The response from social conservatives to the call for a truce on social issues is about what you’d expect.

Former Washington Redskins Quarterback, and current Congressman, Heath Shuler has launched a quixotic campaign against Nancy Pelosi for House Minority Leader.

While not inherently unconstitutional, lame duck Congresses have the potential for violating the spirit of the Constitution and create the potential for mischief on the part of Representatives who have been thrown out of office.

The U.S. Postal Service is warning Congress that it could run out of cash next year without a government bailout. Meaning that this is the perfect opportunity to reform an organization that has been out-of-date for a decade now.

Unless eliminating earmarks coincides with a radical reconception of how our government operates, it may be a step in the wrong direction.

New details are out about the upcoming Defense Department report on repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

Rand Paul is taking some heat for remarks that may or may not indicate that he’s backtracking on his previous vow not to seek earmark spending for Kentucky. Yes folks, the phony war on earmarks is back.

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.

With Democrats set to maintain their majority in the Senate, some on the left are pushing for filibuster reform. However, it seems unlikely that Harry Reid has the votes to change a long-standing Senate rule.

The race between Jeb Hensarling and Michelle Bachmann for Chair of the House GOP Conference is a microcosm for a battle that is likely to take place within the GOP for the next two years.

Nancy Pelosi is strongly considering staying in Congress as Minority Leader. It’s her job if she wants it.

Mitch McConnell made clear today that he’s targeting Barack Obama for defeat in two years.

Ok, what strategy should Speaker Boehner pursue?

Ok, so we’ve been talking about the Tea Party for months. What will that label means once we actually have elections and move on to the governing bit?

Republicans are promising two years of gridlock and obstructionism if they take control of Congress, but is that really what the people who are likely to vote for them next week really want?

The firing of Juan Williams from NPR has led many conservatives to call for an end to government subsidies. As is often the case, they’re right but for the wrong reasons.

John Cole is ashamed that some House Democrats are running against Nancy Pelosi, given her effectiveness. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Reason’s Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie have a pretty amusing rejoinder to the Obama administration’s attempts to smear the anonymous funding of television ads opposed to their agenda in a video titled “Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?”

The coalition of voters that propelled Barack Obama to an historic victory in 2008 is seemingly falling apart, and the President is reacting by blaming the voters.

A new law allows Presidential candidates to set up transition offices while they’re still running for election, perhaps providing an opportunity for shortening the 2 1/2 month interregnum between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

Last night’s one and only Nevada Senate Debate was an embarrassing affair all around, but it most likely sealed the electoral doom of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

A Federal Judge in Florida has handed a significant, albeit procedural, victory to the opponents of ObamaCare.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars has endorsed Ron Klein, who never served a day in uniform, over retired LTC Allen West, a decorated veteran of several foreign wars. Is this an outrage?

They might not be able to fix the economy or the healthcare system or agree on an efficient tax policy but Congress has managed to reach accord on one of the most serious problems facing America: loud television commercials.

If South Carolina’s Jim DeMint has his way, the Senate won’t be conducting any business unless he approves of it.

Under what conditions might we see filibuster reform?

In 1994, it was the Contract With America. In 2010, it’s the Pledge To America. But does it really mean anything regardless of what it’s called ?

The effort to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell suffered a setback in the Senate today that likely delays any further moves on the issue until after the midterm elections.

One Republican analyst thinks that President Obama could learn a few leadership lessons from Vito and Michael Corleone. In order to do that, though, the President would need to stop acting like the weakest of the Corleone brothers.

This handshake on August 14, 1980 in Madison Square Garden put an end to the public contest between President Carter and Senator Kennedy, but now the former President has decided it’s time to reopen old wounds.

The prospect of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell before the November elections is in doubt thanks to a threatened filibuster led by Arizona’s John McCain.

The political fight over the extension of the Bush tax cuts took a very interesting turn today.

Taking a short trip back in time via Instapundit’s archives reveals a September 11th post that turned out to be prophetic.

Elena Kagan has announced that she will not participated in the consideration of more than half the cases currently scheduled to be hear by the Supreme Court when it’s new term begins in October.

The idea that we are in the middle of an illegal immigration crisis is not supported by the evidence.

If Republicans stick to their current (apparent) game plan and just run on not being Democrats, they will have neither a mandate to repeal Obamacare, et al, nor the will.

President Obama didn’t use the words “Mission Accomplished” last night, but the message was the same.

The perfect storm of a bad economy and a new, massive, unpopular government entitlement program may be combing to cause serious damage to Democrats in November.

Why would returning to the system of allowing state legislatures to choose Senators improve representation?

Take a good look at that dollar coin, because you’re unlikely to see it circulation any time soon.

Pat Leahy suggests allowing retired SCOTUS Justices fill in when a sitting member recuses himself. A great idea on paper, it won’t work in practice.

Paul Krugman’s Medicare projections don’t line up with what the actuaries are telling us.

Congress has been wrestling with the net neutrality issue for years. Two major players may force a decision soon.

Democrats have not figured out how to use President Obama during the upcoming Mid-Term campaign, if at all.