Outside the Beltway

President Obama isn’t unbeatable in 2012. but it’s clear even now that he’s going to be a far more formidable opponent than many Republicans seem to think.

You don’t have to be Admiral Akbar to suspect that the President’s refusal to deal with entitlements in his budget proposal is a trap for the GOP.

A new poll finds that Republican policies on immigration are chasing Latino voters straight into the arms of the Democratic Party.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels made quite an impression last night at CPAC

Oddly, the Democratic Party seems to be responding to the 2010 midterms by moving further left.

Ronald Reagan would have turned 100 today. Here are some thoughts on his legacy.

While most Americans consider themselves “conservatives,” some conservatives exclude most Americans from the definition.

It’s straw poll season already. First up, New Hampshire where things turned out about how you’d expect them to considering Mitt Romney lives there now.

After a fairly bad 2010, Barack Obama is starting off 2011 in a very good position.

The first poll assessing the political impact of last week’s events is out, and it has good news for President Obama, and bad news for Sarah Palin.

The current approach of the GOP to health care is not dissimilar to its approach to fiscal policy: not a lot of substance.

150 years ago, President-Elect Abraham Lincoln was presented with a chance to avert Civil War. He passed it up, and we should be glad that he did.

The Republicans are increasingly the party of white America. That’s short term good but long term bad for the GOP.

President Obama is likely to issue a signing statement in order to keep his Gitmo options open.

Those who argue that tariff increases, and not slavery, were the key reason for secession have some basic problems with the historical sequence.

According to two new polls, Sarah Palin has absolutely no chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012. So, why does it look like she’s going to run anyway?

The internal debate in the Republican Party over the tax cut extension deal with President Obama is serving as a preview of some of the battles that may erupt during the race for the party’s nomination in 2012.

What will Republicans think of a candidate for President who admitted to smoking marijuana as recently as two years ago?

They aren’t going to stop, but the cliches that pass for debate sure are tiresome (plus some musings about the tax cut extension debate).

Meghan McCain doesn’t know what a “blue blood” is but doesn’t want to be called one.

The Republican Party is united on the issues in a way it hasn’t been in a long time, but personalities threaten to tear the fragile coalition apart.

Nearly four weeks after Election Day, Alaska’s Joe Miller still won’t concede the inevitable.

The Republican talking point that lowering taxes lowers spending and raising taxes increases spending is denied by reality.

According to a new poll, the Tea Party movement, which is largely now the base of the GOP, is not completely in step with the views of American voters as a whole.

Some on the right are beginning to realize that Sarah Palin’s popularity may cause a serious problem for the GOP in 2012.

The battle between social and fiscal conservatives continues, with the SoCons now saying that criticism of South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is now considered evidence of ideological impurity.

Yet another sign that the GOP’s biggest nightmare may actually end up coming true.

At least one group of Tea Party activists seems to realize that their biggest mistake of the 2010 election cycle was backing candidates like Christine O’Donnell who turned out to be their own worst enemies.

The GOP is being urged to avoid social issues and concentrate on reducing spending, shrinking government, and economic freedom. It’s a good idea.

While not inherently unconstitutional, lame duck Congresses have the potential for violating the spirit of the Constitution and create the potential for mischief on the part of Representatives who have been thrown out of office.

Former Congressman Bob Barr argues that the right should not be so eager to rehabilitate George W. Bush. He’s right.

This is a strange disconnect between Sarah Palin’s popularity within the Republican Party and her popularity with the nation as a whole. One wonders if the GOP notices, or cares.

Republicans are making some big promises to try to lure West Virginia Senator-elect Joe Manchin to cross the aisle.