Outside the Beltway

Thanks for nothing, Republicans.

David Koch, one-half of the Koch Brothers and the head of a wide-ranging business empire who also went on to have a huge impact on politics and cultural philanthropy, has died at the age of 79.

The Federal Budget Deficit rose 27% in July, putting it on course for the $1 trillion by the end of September.

More than half of the House Democratic Caucus has endorsed impeachment, but that’s unlikely to cause Nancy Pelosi to move off her current position.

As was the case a month ago, Vice-President Biden and Senator Kamala Harris were the focus of last night’s debate. Things turned out very differently, though.

The first night of the second Democratic debate consisted largely of clashes between the party’s progressive wing and more moderate elements.

President Trump and the Congressional leadership have reached agreement on a multi-year budget deal that that busts through all remaining controls on spending.

The lineups for the second Democratic debate are set, and they include some interesting pairings.

The Trump Administration is warning Congress that we will need to raise the debt ceiling by September. Congress should take this as an opportunity to eliminate it entirely.

The Federal Budget Deficit passed the $700 Billion mark with three months still to go in the Fiscal Year.

President Obama wanted to end it but his former VP used it to his advantage.

Should the pundit class look more like America?

Bernie Sanders is finding that the 2020 campaign is very different from 2016.

Under pressure to cut costs and unable to cut services, the workers are the likely victims.

WIth the top two candidates in the race on the same stage, the second night of the first Democratic debate was much feistier than the first night.

Is the Sanders-Warren position too extreme for the general election?

Democrats clashed, to some degree, in last night’s inaugural debate of the 2020 season but they clearly agreed far more than they disagreed.

The Democratic Socialist wants to absorb $1.6 trillion of student debt.

A new poll shows the former Vice-President leading Senator Elizabeth Warren in her home state.

At least some conservatives appear to finally be recognizing that their movement has been taken over by grifters and frauds. The only question is, what took them so long?

Former Vice-President Biden has come under fire for his longtime support for the Hyde Amendment.

Bernie Sanders supporters are a wee bit sensitive.

Surprising pollsters and political analysts down under, Australia’s ruling center-right coalition pulled off a big win in Saturday’s election.

Based on the early stages of the campaign for the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, it appears as though the party’s progressive wing has misread the signals being sent by the party’s voters.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other firebrands aren’t steering the ship. Yet.

Despite seemingly ideal conditions, Green Mountain Care was an absolute debacle.

Democratic House members are finding that their constituents aren’t quite as eager for impeachment as some party activists are.

Bernie Sanders and other advocates focus on insurance companies and drug companies. But that’s not where the money is.

The Vermont socialist likes to invent rights that don’t exist.

So far, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign has been far more about image than substance.

The tone and content of President Trump’s 2020 campaign is already quite apparent.

The US is reproducing below the replacement rate.

Senate Republicans are pushing for the end of minority obstruction—and the Democrats can’t wait.

In 2016, a crowded Republican field yielded an unlikely nominee. Could history repeat itself in 2020?

The decision to hand Democrats a victory and step on the good news from the Mueller report apparently came from the very top.

What would it mean for the companies’ workers, the stock market and the cost of care?

The Texas Congressman has decided to forgo another Senate bid and instead focus his energies elsewhere.

Bernie is back and running for President, but he’s likely to face a tougher road this time around.

Based on his appearance on CNN last night, Howard Schultz appears to be running a campaign about nothing.

The National Debt officially topped $22 trillion, marking a $2 trillion increase since President Trump took office.

Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar became the latest Democrat to enter the 2020 race on Sunday.

The longest-serving member of Congress in American history has passed away at the age of 92.

New polling indicates that a solid majority of Democrats are more interested in finding a candidate who can beat Donald Trump in 2020 than they are with finding a candidate that agrees with them on specific issues.

Bret Stephens on Howard Schultz

While much of the attention in the race for the Democratic nomination to date has been on the left, there is a path forward for a more centrist candidate.

Pensions and health care costs for the elderly are crowding out other vital spending.

Doctors have declared Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg cancer free but she is still expected to miss one more week of oral argument as she recovers from her surgery in December.

Two years of Republican control of the Legislative and Executive Branches has put us back on a path toward $1 trillion budget deficits.

The government entered its third shutdown of the year with little sign of an immediate resolution.

The latest entry in the unity third party presidential candidate genre is just as bad as they always are.