Outside the Beltway

Why blaming “the Democrats” or even “leadership” ignores a basic fact of American politics.

SCOTUS appears ready to supercharge gerrymandering.

Don’t talk like one.

The reality is, I can’t say no.

“He that spits against the Wind, spits in his own Face.”

We’re not alone in dysfunctional politics.

The information bubble is real.

There may be no exit.

An example linked to USAID

Partisanship is more important than institutional autonomy.

Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and both Roosevelts pushed the envelope, too!

The Curtis Yarvin interview.

Yet again, a court affirms he committed sexual assault.

And who is “we”?

Subtle demographic changes may have created a tipping point.

They have a preference but may not vote.

Mark Robinson is the latest example.

They’re apparently ongoing. Who knew?

Biden is old and in diminished capacity. His opponent is old, in diminished capacity, and a horrible human being.

Weak and presidentialized.

More post-debate thoughts and a reminder about how US parties work.

Fund-raising alone won’t save American democracy.

A second Trump presidency got much more likely last night.

The fine line between xenophobia and patriotism.

Yet more evidence the man is unfit to serve as Commander-in-Chief.

When checks and balances aren’t enough.

Normalizing Trump via poor analysis.

They’ve punted to the DC Circuit.

A never-ending saga of politicians choosing their voters.

Sorry, Senator Rubio.

Most no longer believe it’s possible to get ahead through hard work.

The trend toward hard-right parties continues.

The Arizona gubernatorial loser is back to lose the Senate.

Some people say there’s a reporter to blame.

The game is the game.

Germany’s economy is among the worst in the OECD.

Calling out a large chunk of the GOP.

It’s not nearly as far-fetched as most of us would like to believe.

Must every topic be viewed through that lens?

Say it ain’t so!

The North Dakota governor really, really wants to be on TV.

America survived a civil war and the turmoil of the 1960s. Can we rebound again?

Ends up that some mature democracies believe in letting legitimate legal proceedings to, well, proceed.

Damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Sometimes both.

Corruption charges against the former premier have sparked rioting.

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

The fired propagandist has had an epiphany about bullshit.

We’re getting weird policies almost nobody is asking for.

A clear example from North Carolina.