Outside the Beltway

It could cost you $250 to say “F- Arlington” if you happen to be in Arlington when you say it.

The Supreme Court has narrowed the means by which Federal prosecutors can prosecute someone for making statements online that could be perceived as threats.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker isn’t officially a candidate for President yet, but he’s doing quite well in Iowa anyway.

The Iowa Straw Poll seems to be dying, and that’s a good thing.

Martin O’Malley is running for President for some reason.

What if they held a straw poll and nobody came?

With 14 candidates vying for the Republican nomination, TV execs are scrambling to make the debates watchable.

A New Jersey legislator is proposing finally getting rid of an antiquated law that makes it illegal to pump your own gas in the Garden State.

George Stephanopoulos’ s ties to the Clinton’s have always raised questions about his objectivity. Now, there’s further reason to doubt that he can play fair when the Clinton’s are part of the story he’s covering.

The first of what is likely to be many defamation suits related to Rolling Stone’s discredited campus rape story has been filed.

Once again, only six or seven states are likely to matter.

Break out the sweater vests, Rick Santorum is getting ready to enter the race for the Republican Presidential Nomination.

A new poll has some bad news for Jeb Bush in the Hawkeye State, which leads to the idea that maybe he shouldn’t waste too much time there to begin with.

Big news out of Baltimore and, perhaps, the beginning of justice for Freddie Gray.

Just over a week after a death at the hands of police that remains incredibly suspicious, Baltimore is the sight of violent riots.

Former Hewlett Packard CEO, and failed Senate candidate, Carly Fiorina will be running for President for some reason.

The scandal that will make everyone forget about Benghazi.

Some Republicans are trying to move their party in the right direction on marriage equality, but it’s unclear if they will succeed in the short term.

Carly Fiorina seems to be inching close to a Presidential run for some reason.

After nearly 20 years in office, Harry Reid announced early today that he would not seek reelection in 2016.

Reflecting a growing national trend away from the barbarity of capital punishment, the Governor of Pennsylvania has imposed a moratorium on executions in the Keystone State.

Scott Walker surged to the top of a new poll of Iowa Republicans, but Iowa is not a very good predictor of success in the race for the GOP nomination.

For some reason, Republicans want to change filibuster rules even though it’s unclear that they’ll still hold the Senate after 2016.

The Tea Party may be the most vocal wing of the GOP but most Republicans seems to favor candidates that aren’t quite so right wing.

A victory for evil.

A Federal Judge has issued a ruling that sort of says that President Obama’s Immigration action is unconstitutional. Except it’s poorly reasoned, and apparently not legally binding on anyone.

Rick Santorum looks to be getting ready to hit the campaign trail again, but it’s doubtful he can find appeal beyond the religious conservatives who supported him in 2012.

A crushing but expected defeat for a veteran Democrat.

The Justices of the Supreme Court seemed to struggle yesterday to find an easy way to draw a line between protected speech and the kind of threats that are not protected by the First Amendment.

Columbus, Philadelphia, or New York City (well, Brooklyn really)?

An adviser close to Hillary Clinton is talking about expanding the Electoral College map in 2016, but even without such an expansion the GOP faces an uphill battle.

All the warnings of violence in the wake of an expected imminent announcement from the Grand Jury in the Michael brown case could become self-fulfilling prophecy.

There’s not much good news in the initial review of September’s fence jumping incident at the White House.

Outdated rules? It sure seems like it.

After the 2010 elections, several newly Republican state legislatures flirted with the idea of changing the way their state allocates Electoral Votes. The outcome of last weeks elections raises the possibility that this could happen again.

The GOP is dominant in the Southern United States, but it’s unlikely to last as long as Democratic dominance of the region did.

In addition to gains at the national level and in Governor’s races, the GOP also saw more gains in state legislatures around the country.

The Supreme Court heard argument this week in a case involving a somewhat strange application of Federal law.

Despite speculation, both Angus King and Joe Manchin will stay with the Democratic caucus. And that makes sense for both of them.

The Republican wave extended even to Governor’s races that, in any other year, they should have lost.

Important numbers in recent polling suggest big problems for Democrats on Tuesday.

Rich guys are backing organizations that are taking over traditional party functions. Is that a problem?