Outside the Beltway

Thinking about party evolution and behavior going into 2022.

Some people claim there’s a woman to blame.

A completely unsurprising 6-3 decision.

Things that make you go Hmmm.

When he said he wouldn’t sign it if it wasn’t accompanied by a second bill, he wasn’t implying that he would veto it if it wasn’t.

It turns out a 51-50 Senate majority isn’t enough.

We’re all apes. And some are willfully stupid about their public duties.

Republicans are more partisan—and distrustful of government—than Democrats.

Should live-saving drugs be protected intellectual property?

The least controversial subject in school is suddenly controversial.

The reaction to the pandemic has long since been about much more than the pandemic.

It’s undemocratic and we should get rid of it. But doing so isn’t a panacea.

A quirk in our system combined with shrewd gamesmanship will give them unprecedented power.

An interesting but uneven debate.

Those expecting Bernie Sanders’ agenda are sorely disappointed.

Yes, partisanship is real. And it influences more than just voting behavior.

Reflections on the events of 6 January two months later.

The Senate parliamentarian has ruled against ramming it through in the COVID relief bill.

The reflections on the departed right-wing talk host continue.

The talk radio megastar has died, aged 70.

How should we balance public health and fundamental rights?

The GOP will almost certainly survive. But in what form?

Does online performance logically devolve into rage and violence?

We’ve shouldn’t be surprised we’ve arrived at this destination.

Our cultural divide over the pandemic is turning us into worse people.

A very low-spoilers review.

Not of governance.

The right to worship trumps the public’s health.

So, it turns out that Fox News wasn’t really all that fair or balanced.

Gracious concessions are the norm except when they’re not.

The Pundit’s Fallacy meets opportunism.

The press’ abandonment of Bothsiderism is decades overdue.

Will he be a uniter or a divider?

Sigh.

Chuck Schumer and company sent a signal to their base against a fait accompli.

After weeks of evasion, the frontrunner hints at a compromise policy.

It’s not a cult but not exactly mainstream, either.

Multiple reports have the Notre Dame graduate replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

The iconic Supreme Court justice has died at the age of 87.

A defense of the indefensible.

A party-line vote may scuttle mail-in voting in a crucial swing state.

The official campaign to oust Donald Trump is off to a good start.

Institutional reform is necessary, but we can’t accomplish much in the face of tribalism.

Yet another incumbent has lost his primary contest.

Shame on him for defending authoritarian actions.

An interesting if frustrating new survey from Cato.

Free speech is not for everyone.

The President is desperate and unwell and the press is making no bones about it.