Outside the Beltway

Where’s the positive example?

Lack of understanding and poor institutional design=bad political outcomes.

Some musings on the wrong lessons from a major global event.

The slur “Trump Derangement Syndrome” unintentionally captures something real about our world.

Thinking about the evolution (or is it devolution) of the GOP since the 1990s.

The Nerd Prom chickens out.

Perhaps longer, but the worst in the history of the Economist Intelligence Unit report.

And who is “we”?

Appointing unqualified loyalists is only the start.

Facts versus framing, with a little Mandela effect thrown in for good measure.

A second Trump presidency got much more likely last night.

The rioting never seems to stop.

Don’t blame the primary author of The Federalist for our current mess.

The fired propagandist has had an epiphany about bullshit.

What Americans say they want in the Oval Office.

Because sometimes the comment box is just too small.

What to make of her second straight loss?

Describe the sound made when a sheep explodes.

“America can survive the demagogues themselves, it’s their audience that will kill us.”

A minor story that illustrates a far bigger problem in our politics.

We’re an incredibly divided country but splitting it into two is impossible.

Even the smartest designers can’t anticipate all the flaws with the rules they write.

The politics of science comes full circle.

Multiple indicators point to a decline in the representativeness of the American system.

There’s a word for people who use outrageous violence to terrorize.

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

Joe Biden’s chances remain extraordinarily good.

It’s time to accept the desecration of our political constitution.

A partial response in the context of a complex topic.

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

What would a reborn GOP look like and who would vote for it?

Having failed to prevent or contain it, aggressive stupidity is now washing over us.

Leadership matters (as does culture).

Or just a bump in the road?

Maybe it’s time to stop joking about senile politicians and do something about the issue.

What lessons are there for the United States in general, and Democrats in particular, in last weeks British election?

We shouldn’t need bad arguments to sell good policies.

Let’s not kid ourselves about what’s possible in the next election.

Ideas, not tanks.

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

Sanders’ position on felon voting is logical, yet politically suicidal.

A lesson from Puerto Rico and further reasons why the EC is a problem.

Some basics on the US party system.

In what was basically a throwaway line, Joe Biden said something nice about Mike Pence. The reaction from his fellow Democrats says a lot about our current political culture, and none of it is good.

The longer video and deeper investigation of the incident reveals a very different story.

As the government shutdown continues, Washington is coming to resemble a fight between toddlers. Except the toddlers have the excuse of not knowing any better.

Another part of the country that was once a Republican stronghold is now almost completely blue.

In addition to being mandated by the Constitution, birthright citizenship goes to the core of what it means to be an American.

America’s tradition of unlimited free expression increases the danger of violence.