Outside the Beltway

Cults of personality are not the same as cults.

Ezra Klein makes a compelling case.

Yes, every special election is a very special snowflake, but trends do emerge

A special counsel has declined to prosecute the President but his rationale was painful.

Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce, and MAGA.

A credulous report strings together some anedotes and dubious polling.

Group dynamics and limited choices.

And the intuition that things aren’t really working.

No big surprises from the dumbest recurring contest in American politics.

The anti-Trump attack dog is out of the race.

Making 2024 about 2021 and 1777.

A poor answer to a softball question has created unnecessary controversy.

Lines on the map for the win.

The media’s favorite Republican is doing better in some polls than the other candidates losing to Trump.

The DeSantis crackdown on academic freedom is having its desired effect.

A second Republican Speaker has reached across the aisle to avert a government shutdown.

More on an ongoing saga.

Let the punditry begin.

Fading into the background is the appropriate end to his dance with MAGA.

And this doesn’t even clear them all!

The party’s 2012 nominee is an indicator of how fall it has fallen.

The press really needs to stop trying to make fetch happen.

The rare case where a clickbait headline is actually appropriate.

The Arizona gubernatorial loser is back to lose the Senate.

A satisfying but unlikely explanation.

Why it’s inevitable and what it means.

Another illustration of the weakness of the American party system.

The MAGA wing is driving us over a cliff.

Calling out a large chunk of the GOP.

The inmates are running the asylum.

His message isn’t getting through. Is it the messenger?

A perennial fantasy has a new standard bearer.

Wherein I finally reveal my answer (spoiler: it is hardly surprising). And, also, wherein despite the goal of brevity, I fail at that goal.

Vivek Ramaswamy’s national coming out party was, well, interesting.

The Establishment is desperate for an alternative that’s not coming.

If you thought the first term was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

The one we’ve all been waiting for.

The former President has a 50 point lead. Is he unstoppable?

Must every topic be viewed through that lens?

They’re angry and yet having a good time.

The Supreme Court sided with an anti-gay website designer.

The parties do not control their labels.

Breaking a cardinal rule.

Young Americans are increasingly ruling out those of the other party.

Politicians and other thought leaders are playing with fire.

Some interesting (and potentially disturbing) polling trends.

There’s been a load of compromising.

Neither Republicans nor Democrats are happy. But one man is.

Are they bored? Delusional?

Virginia’s governor is reportedly taking a shot at the 2024 Republican nomination.